Degree Advancement Standards

CoARC 2023 DA Standards
(revised July 2024)

CoARC 2023 2023 DA Standards-with changes
(revised July 2024)

The Board of Commissioners approved the revised Accreditation Standards for Degree Advancement Programs in Respiratory Care (DA) at its meeting on November 13, 2022, and they became effective June 1, 2023.

ELIGIBILITY

To become accredited by the CoARC, degree advancement programs must be established either in accredited postsecondary institutions, by a consortium of which one member must be an accredited postsecondary institution, or in facilities sponsored by the U.S. military (as defined in Standard DA1.1). As outlined in Section 2 of the CoARC’s Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual, Sponsors must apply for accreditation.

All degree advancement students must be graduates of a CoARC-accredited Entry into Respiratory Care Professional Practice degree program before entry into the program.

PROGRAM REVIEW

Accreditation of degree advancement programs is a voluntary process that requires a comprehensive review of the program relative to these Standards. While the process is voluntary, it provides programs with external validation of their educational offering. Additionally, the process offers prospective degree advancement students one means by which they can judge the quality of the educational experience offered by the program.

Accreditation decisions are based on the CoARC’s assessment of the information contained in the accreditation application and self-study report, the report of site visit evaluation teams and the Annual Report of Current Status, as well as a review of reports or documents submitted to the CoARC by the program during each accreditation cycle. To clarify submitted information additional data may be requested at any time during the review process.

HOW TO APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION

For any inquiries related to this announcement or the review process, please contact Shane Keene, Chief Operating Officer
at shane@coarc.com
(817) 283-2835 ext. 107

“The Value of CoARC Accreditation for Degree Advancement Programs in Respiratory Therapy” written by Joseph Coyle, M.D., FCCP, Senior Lecturer, Boise State University.