Photo: Pennsylvania College of Technology
Did you know that the NALP Accredited Degree program is the only nationally recognized endorsement offered to colleges with landscape/horticulture curricula that meet or exceed industry standards for a model curriculum?
This accreditation ensures a level of quality in education, verifies that a program meets established industry standards, and that students are well-prepared for their future careers.
How Schools Become Accredited
The accreditation process starts with a college or university conducting a self-evaluation based on standards developed and validated by the industry. This includes reviewing their program’s goals, resources, facilities, industry relationships, internship program and more.
Photo: Pennsylvania College of Technology
“Accredited programs are required to meet a minimum of 70% of NALP established Student Learning Outcomes, meet minimum expectations on 21 program and institutional standards, and complete a self-evaluation of the program,” says Randey Wall, professor at Illinois Central College and a member of the NALP accreditation team.“In addition, accredited programs are required to attend a national conference or NCLC, have an NALP Student Chapter, and faculty membership in NALP.”
The accreditation team will also visit and evaluate an institution’s on-site aspects of the program and confer with the students, faculty, administration, advisory committee, and graduates.
The accreditation team will consider all the evidence gathered from the self-evaluation and the site visit and prepare a report. The report includes the degree to which the program has met the standards, the team’s recommendations, and any requirements that need to be met prior to granting accreditation. Accreditation lasts for seven years.
Benefits of Accreditation
Carl Bower Jr, a faculty horticulture assistant professor at Pennsylvania College of Technology, says their initial accreditation led to the start of their internship program.
“Before starting that, students might have gone through the two years and never worked in the industry besides what they did in class,” Bower says. “Having that experience of the internship is invaluable.”
Reaccreditation is equally as valuable as it helps ensure that as programs change over time, they are still meeting NALP’s standards.
“The process is demanding and requires an in-depth review of the program and institution,” Wall says. “However, most educators that have been through it have indicated that the process was enlightening and were able to make improvements to their program as a result of recommendations by the evaluation team.”
Bower says the scrutiny of the reaccreditation process helps them see their program with fresh eyes.
“It is easy to become stagnant and do what you always do, but not when you go through that process, there isn’t any hiding, and there is no standing still,” Bower says. “If you are not evolving and changing your program to be better, then you probably are going backwards.”
Aside from pushing programs to continually work to improve their education and hold themselves to a high standard, being an NALP-accredited degree program is also attractive to students.
Wall says during the reaccreditation process, some students have said they were drawn to the program because it was accredited.
“Mom and dad play a role in that too, and I have heard from some of them that they have seen that on the website,” Bower says. “I think parents help those decisions.”
Shaping the Future of the Industry
NALP-accredited degree programs are evaluated on 160 learning outcomes. Wall says these outcomes are evaluated and revised periodically by college educators and industry leaders to match industry standards.
“The individuals that serve on these teams have many years of experience that provide them with knowledge and expertise that assure the integrity of the evaluation,” Wall says.
Wall notes that many of the graduates of these accredited degree programs now have prominent positions in national businesses or have started their own companies.
Bower says through their program, students get a hands-on education from faculty who have all been in the industry and enjoy a strong relationship with industry professionals through in-class visits, internships and career fairs. He adds they also work for their students to be well-rounded in academics, service and leadership.
“Employers want more than just someone that knows plants, pavers, and design, they want those soft skills too, and we try to give them all of it,” Bower says.
Wall says that employers can expect students from accredited programs to have common knowledge and an up-to-date understanding of the fundamentals of the industry.
“Students from these programs often acquire valuable experiential learning while participating in an industry-oriented internship,” Wall says. “Some of the accredited programs require students to obtain certifications in OSHA safety and pesticide application.”
“If you had the choice to pick anything that was accredited or certified, and the other option was something that wasn’t, which would you pick?” Bower says. “If you are a landscape professional, you should know NALP, and if you believe in what they do, you probably are going to understand that an NALP-accredited program is worthy of the name.”
For a full list of the two-year and four-year NALP-accredited degree programs, click here.
