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Standards for Institutions
MEAC Standards for Institutional Accreditation
Adopted July 31, 2007
These standards apply to free standing schools or colleges of midwifery offering certificate and/or degree programs. The same standards apply to distance learning that apply to other program offerings.
Standard 1: Student Success with Respect to Mission
A. The institution has a mission statement.
B. The institution measures student success in relation to midwifery educational program objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate in light of the degrees and/or certificates awarded. C. The institution meets the criteria established by MEAC to demonstrate student success:
1. The majority of matriculating students complete the program, including the required clinical experiences, within the timeframe stated in the institution’s materials.
2. More than fifty percent of graduates in the past three years have been certified by the North American Registry of Midwives or are state licensed or licensed in another jurisdiction or are working as midwives or in related fields.
3. At least seventy percent of graduates who sat for the NARM examination in the past three years have been successful.
Standard 2: Curricula
A. The institution has a curriculum composed of courses or discrete units of instruction.
B. The institution provides a description to students of how they progress through the curriculum.
C. The curriculum fulfills the minimum requirements established by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).
D. The curriculum incorporates the core competencies established by the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA).
E. The Midwives Model of Care ™ is integrated into the curriculum.
F. All courses have learning objectives, learning activities, learning resources, and evaluation methods.
G. The institution has evaluation and planning mechanisms that insure that new developments in midwifery care are addressed in the curriculum; learning resources are current; and evaluation tools/methods support student achievement of the learning objectives.
Standard 2: Curricula
Additional Requirements for Degree-granting Institutions
H. The curriculum incorporates general education components appropriate to the degree(s) offered.
I. The level of study and quality of work required are appropriate to the degree(s)offered.
J. Masters and doctoral degree programs must include successful completion and defense of a major independent project, thesis or dissertation involving research and application of knowledge.
Standard 3: Faculty
A. All faculty -- including midwifery instructors in the core curriculum, other course instructors, and clinical instructors (including preceptors) -- meet the qualifications established by MEAC:
1. All midwifery instructors in the core curriculum must be
qualified as follows:
a. nationally certified midwife (CPM, CM, CNM)
or
b. legally recognized in a jurisdiction, province or state
as a practitioner who provides women’s health or
maternity care
or
c. a midwife who has been a primary attendant without
supervision for at least 50 out-of-hospital births and a
minimum of three years.
2. All other course instructors must hold certificates or degrees appropriate to their
area of instruction or, when neither certificates nor degrees are available in this
subject area, have a minimum of three years experience in the relevant field.
3. All clinical instructors (including preceptors) must be qualified as follows:
a. nationally certified midwife (CPM, CM, CNM)
or
b. legally recognized in a jurisdiction, province or state
as a practitioner who provides women’s health or
maternity care
or
c. a midwife who has been a primary attendant without
supervision for at least 50 out-of-hospital births and a
minimum of three years.
B. Faculty -- including midwifery instructors in the core curriculum, other course instructors, and clinical instructors (including preceptors) -- are recruited, appointed, and promoted without discrimination in regard to gender, race, marital status, ethnic origin, creed, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
C. Rights and responsibilities of faculty -- midwifery instructors in the core curriculum, other course instructors, and clinical instructors (including preceptors) are clearly established and include:
1. The right to opportunities to participate in the following:
a. development, implementation, and evaluation of the curriculum
b. evaluation and advancement of students
c. periodic evaluation of student admissions criteria
d. periodic evaluation of program resources, facilities, and services.
2. The right to opportunities for professional growth and training.
3. When applicable, faculty members are responsible for the supervision and evaluation of students, including any specific duties established by NARM.
D. Faculty performance, including that of midwifery instructors in the core curriculum, other course instructors, and clinical instructors (including preceptors), and overall faculty resources are evaluated at least annually to ensure that program objectives are met.
E. The institution has evaluation and planning mechanisms that insure that the faculty is adequate to meet the learning needs of students.
Standard 3: Faculty
Additional Requirements for Degree-granting Institutions
F. At least 75% of all course instructors must hold degrees at the level to which they are teaching or higher.
G. Appropriately qualified faculty must supervise course instructors who do not hold degrees at the degree level to which they are teaching or higher.
Standard 4: Facilities, Equipment, Supplies and Other Resources
A. Classroom facilities, equipment, and supplies meet the needs of students and faculty and meet safety standards.
B. Clinical site facilities, equipment, and supplies are sufficient in number to meet the needs of students.
C. Clinical site facilities, equipment, and supplies meet safety standards.
D. Library resources meet the needs of students and faculty.
E. Administrative office facilities, equipment, and supplies meet the institution’s needs.
Standard 4: Facilities, Equipment, Supplies and Other Resources
Additional Requirements for Degree-granting Institutions
F. Library resources for students and faculty support advanced scholarship and research.
Standard 5: Fiscal and Administrative Capacity
A. The institution has a two-year business plan that includes:
1. a description of its operations
2. financial planning and documentation
3. a recruitment and development plan
4. risk assessment
B. The institution has written Policies and Procedures that ensure financial accountability, including the following:
1. Separation of duties for receiving money, depositing money, and reconciling bank statements;
2. How student ledgers are maintained to record student tuition payments and other financial transactions;
3. How students are provided with access to their ledgers on a timely basis;
4. The manner in which receipts are provided to students;
5. How the institution’s financial records, including student ledgers, are protected from damage or loss, and are stored and made accessible;
6. The process and schedule by which management compares the projected operations budget to actual income and expenses;
7. How management determines when discrepancies between projected and actual income and/or expenses require plan revisions; and
8. How decisions are made and priorities established for meeting obligations to currently enrolled students.
C. Financial reports are compiled and reviewed annually.
D. The institution maintains an asset to liability ratio of 1:1.
E. Qualifications are established for the institution’s management staff, the management structure is clearly defined, and management performs the following administrative functions:
1. Academic and curriculum oversight
2. Distance learning oversight, if applicable
3. Student progress
4. Student clinical experience oversight
5. Academic faculty and clinical instructor supervision
6. Learning resources oversight
7. Recruitment and marketing
8. Student admissions
9. Student services
10. Student financial aid
11. Personnel/human resource management
12. Financial management
13. Regulatory compliance oversight
14. Facilities and equipment oversight
15. Records management and retention review
F. The institution has written Policies and Procedures for the periodic evaluation of administrative functions and staff performance.
G. The institution is legally authorized under applicable state law and in good standing with other accrediting agencies.
H. The institution demonstrates compliance with applicable federal regulations, including, but not limited to:
1. Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA)
2. Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)
3. Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA)
4. Student and Exchange Visitor
Program (SEVP)
Standard 6: Student Services
A. The institution provides student services, including:
1. Learning materials and resources
2. Advising, counseling, and tutoring
3. New student orientation
4. Financial aid advisement
5. Clinical placement support
6. Career placement services, including information about credentials, practice and/or employment opportunities.
Standard 7: Student Affairs
A. Advertising, information and promotional
materials make only accurate,justifiable
and provable claims about the institution.
B. Selection and admission of students are
based on established criteria which:
1. Identify potential students capable
of success.
2. Do not discriminate in regard to
gender, race, marital status, ethnic
origin, creed, age, sexual
orientation or disability.
C. Policies and procedures are established
which address the following:
1. Attendance requirements
2. Definition, monitoring and
reporting of satisfactory academic progress
3. Graduation requirements
4. Criteria for transfer of credit,
prior experience and/or advanced
placement
5. Minimum and maximum time
parameters for completing the program
6. Criteria for student evaluation
and grading
7. Criteria for dismissal
8. Tuition payment and refund.
D. A catalog, catalog addendum, program handbook, websites and/or other documents are provided that clearly inform students prior to enrolling about
the following:
1. The mission of the institution
2. The program objectives
3. The curriculum
4. A list of faculty and faculty qualifications
5. An overview of facilities, equipment and supplies
6. Student services
7. Admissions criteria, policies and procedures
8. Criteria for transfer of credit, prior experience and/or advanced placement
9. Attendance requirements
10. Criteria for student evaluation and grading
11. Satisfactory academic progress requirements
12. Criteria for dismissal
13. Academic calendar with the schedule for academic terms, school years, and student completion timelines
14. The cost and location of clinical training opportunities
15. Length of program
16. Minimum and maximum time parameters for completing the program
17. Requirements for graduation
18. Tuition, fees, and all other related expenses
19. The payment and refund schedule
20. Requirements for NARM certification
21. If participating in Title IV programs, information on Federal Student Aid programs.
E. Enrollment procedures, cancellation and refund policies are clearly stated and in compliance with state and federal laws.
F. Enrollment agreements, signed and dated by the student and a school official at the onset of the program, clearly specify:
1. The nature and scope of the program
2. The terms of enrollment
3. The services and obligations to which the
program is committed, including full
disclosure about:
a. clinical training
b. administrative fees and tuition
c. the payment and refund schedule
4. The student’s obligations, financial and
otherwise
5. The catalog, addendum, and/or student
handbook publication date, volume number,
or unique identifier that applies to the
terms of enrollment.
G. Students are provided with opportunities to participate in program planning and evaluation, policy-making, faculty evaluation, and student services evaluation.
Standard 8: Measures of Program Length
A. Institutions preparing students for entry-level midwifery practice, in either certificate or degree programs, must include didactic and clinical experience. The clinical component must be at least one calendar year in duration and should include a minimum of 1350 clinical contact hours under supervision and a minimum of 450 didactic instruction contact hours.
B. If the institution awards credits, the institution must use a formula for awarding credits. The generally accepted method used in post-secondary education, which must be used by degree-granting programs, is:
1. For courses with structured classroom time:
• 15 hours of classroom instruction with 30 hours of additional student effort are equivalent to one semester credit hour.
• 10 hours of classroom instruction with 20 hours of additional student effort are equivalent to one quarter credit hour.
2. For courses with unstructured didactic time, such as distance learning:
• 45 hours of time, including study, discussion groups, relevant presentations, other assignments or projects, and other student effort required to meet course objectives are equivalent to one semester credit hour
• 30 hours of time, including study, discussion groups, relevant presentations, other assignments or projects, and other student effort required to meet course objectives are equivalent to one quarter credit hour.
3. For clinical hours:
• 30 clinical contact hours are equivalent to one semester credit hour
• 20 clinical contact hours are equivalent to one quarter credit hour
Since clinical experiences in midwifery generally do not follow standard time frames ( e.g., participation in a birth may involve 3 hours or 30 hours), the institution must create a reasonable mechanism for converting clinical experiences to credit hours.
Standard 8: Measures of Program Length
Additional Requirements for Degree-granting Institutions
C. The degree requirements meet the following minimum semester/quarter credits:
1. Associate degree programs must be at least 60/90 credits.
2. Baccalaureate programs must be at least 120/180 credits.
3. Masters degree programs require completion of 30/45 credits in addition to a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency or the equivalent.
4. Doctoral degree programs must incorporate studies totaling at least 90/135 credits, in addition to a baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency or the equivalent.
Standard 9: Complaints and Grievance
A. The institution has a complaint and/or grievance policy in writing and made available to students, faculty and staff, which includes the provision that individuals will not be discriminated against as a consequence of making a complaint.
B. The institution has a procedure for receiving and responding to written complaints and grievances from students, faculty, and staff in a timely manner that ensures the fair and consistent application of all policies, and addresses confidentiality concerns.
C. Records of complaints and grievances are maintained for at least seven years and are accessible to MEAC officials.
D. The institution or program materials inform students about the grievance policies of MEAC and any relevant state regulatory bodies and provide contact information for each.
Standard 10: Compliance with the Institution’s Responsibilities under Title IV of the Higher Education Act
This standard applies only to institutions participating in Title IV programs. Institutions must establish their eligibility to participate through a certification process administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Once approved by the Department of Education, institutions must then provide MEAC with evidence of compliance with those responsibilities before they can implement Title IV financial aid programs.
Note: Institutions preparing to participate in Title IV must develop policies and procedures specific to this standard and should refer to the instructions and definitions provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
A. The institution demonstrates compliance with its program responsibilities under current U.S. Department of Education regulations. In reviewing the institution’s compliance with these program responsibilities, MEAC relies on documentation provided by the U.S. Secretary of Education.
B. At least one individual who is an employee of the institution and who is designated as having responsibility for student financial aid programs shall be available to students on-site to answer questions and to administer the program.
C. Individuals designated as having responsibility for the student financial aid program maintain current knowledge of financial aid rules and regulations.
D. The institution has policies and procedures for implementation and maintenance of the financial aid program.
