Governance and Accreditation

The Graduate Education Council

Constituted in accordance with the Agreement between the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and The Massachusetts Teachers Association/Massachusetts State College Association, the Graduate Education Council serves the university as the governance body charged with oversight of graduate programs and graduate curricula. The Graduate Education Council of Westfield State University reviews programs and proposals, reports and recommends changes of course requirements, addition of new courses, and the revision or retirement of existing courses within the graduate curricula. The Council is comprised of ten faculty members, three administrators and one graduate student. Council members listed below are continued in service through the current Massachusetts State College Association contract.

Accreditation

Westfield State University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The teacher licensure programs are accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The Health Fitness program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Westfield State University is designated as a Commonwealth of Massachusetts-accredited Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training institution. The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).  The baccalaureate in Nursing program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Memberships

Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools, Association of Graduate Deans of Northeastern State Colleges, American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, New England Conference on Graduate Education, The Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, the Association for Continuing Higher Education, Learning Resource Network, College Board Adult Learning Network and the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning.

Visit our web site @ http://www.westfield.ma.edu/dgce

Governance

Office of Graduate and Continuing Education students are invited to participate in the governance process of the College through the following organizations: the Campus Center Board of Governors, the Parking Appeals Board, the Affirmative Action Advisory Board, the Judicial Board, and the Graduate Education Council. Usually appointments are made in the beginning of the fall semester. We need volunteers for these organizations. If you are interested, please contact our office at 572-8020, and leave your name and telephone number. The only general requirement is that you be enrolled in a degree or certification program and that you be available days for the meetings. Participation as a member of the Graduate Education Council or any other governance committee requires that you be enrolled as a matriculated graduate student in good standing.