THE ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL PASTORAL

Program accreditation - acpe is the only agency recognized by the united states department of education (usde) to accredit programs of clinical pastoral education (cpe) in the united states. Acpe currently accredits over 300 cpe programs offered in hospitals, prisons, churches, seminaries, community based organizations, and other settings across the united states. Accreditation is a primary means of quality assurance in the field of cpe. Having originated in institutions of higher education in north america, accreditation is a voluntary activity in which institutions agree on standards of institutional and educational quality and hold themselves, as well as other institutions, accountable to those standards. Accreditation offers an opportunity to institutions to demonstrate that they are committed to maintain a high level of quality in their programs and that their programs are performing at the level required by the field. Continued accreditation by acpe provides lasting benefits to students, the institution, faculty members and employees, the profession and the larger community.