Cal State Fullerton Accreditation History

Institution Level notated with asterisk (*)

1960s

Accreditation History During the 1960s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
October 1960 Preliminary Visit Yes
October 1960 Commission action: Approve full-scale accreditation evaluation Yes
January 1961 Visit Yes
February 1961 Commission action: Accredit for two years Yes
November 1962 Visit Yes
January 1963 Commission action: Reaccredit for three years Yes
November 1965 Visit Yes
January 1966 Commission action: Reaccredit for five years Yes

1970s

Accreditation History During the 1970s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
November 1970 Visit Yes
June 1971 Commission action: Reaffirm accreditation Yes
July 1973 Full review of institution will be postponed until Fall 1980 unless fifth-year interim report due 1/15/76 calls for earlier attention Yes
January 1976 Fifth-year visit Yes
June 1976 Commission action: Reaffirm accreditation; schedule next full visit in Spring 1981 Yes

1980s

Accreditation History During the 1980s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
Spring 1981 Preliminary Visit Yes
June 1981 Commission action: Reaffirm accreditation; schedule a fifth-year visit in the spring of 1986 and a full visit in the spring of 1992. Yes
February 1985 Commission action: Continue with plans for fifth-year visit in the spring of 1986 Yes
February 1986 Visit: 2/19-2/20/86; Chair: Daniel G. Aldrich Yes
June 1986 Commission action:
  1. Reaffirm accreditation
  2. Acknowledge the University for its preparation of an outstanding fifth-year report and on progress made since the last visit.
  3. Schedule the next full visit for the spring of 1981.
 Yes

1990s

Accreditation History During the 1990s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
October 1990 Comprehensive visit: 10/9-12/90; Chair: Joyce Justus Yes
March 1991 Commission action: 1) Reaffirm accreditation; the action letter listed 5 areas deserving priority attention. 2) Schedule the next comprehensive visit for the fall of 1998. 3) Request a fourth-year report due December 15, 1994. Yes
November 1994 Staff requested that the comprehensive visit be postponed to the fall of 1999. Yes
January 1995 Staff reviewed the fourth-year report submitted on December 15, 1995. Staff commended the high quality of the planning process set in motion by the University and joined in celebration of the completion of several major building projects. Continue with plans for the next comprehensive visit in the fall of 1999. Yes
July 1995 Off-Campus and Substantive Change Committee action: The Committee is favorably disposed toward the B.S. in Nursing via Westcott, Inc. However, need budget before completing its review process. No
September 1995 Off Campus and Substantive Change Committee action: Approve the proposal to offer a B.S. in Nursing via Westcott, Inc. The Committee was pleased to learn that full-time and regular faculty would be involved in the program to the same extent as on campus. The Committee cited one area to be given attention and that is the impact of the program on campus-based faculty. No
October 1999 Off-Campus and Substantive Change Committee Action: The committee acted to approve the proposal for the Masters in Business Administration in Lima, Peru.  No

2000s

Accreditation History During the 2000s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
March 2000 Comprehensive visit: 3/20-24/2000; Chair; David Porter Yes
July 2000 Commission action: 1) Reaffirm accreditation and 2) Schedule the Preparatory Review in the spring of 2010 and the Educational Effectiveness Review in the spring of 2011. The proposal for the two-staged review is due October 15, 2007. Yes
November 2000 Substantive Change Committee Action: On November 30, 2000, the Committee acted to deny the proposal to offer the Master of Business degree program in Taiwan. No
April 2002 Substantive Change Committee Action: during a conference call on April 18, 2002, a reader panel from the Substantive Change Committee approved an MA in Communications to be offered in Hong Kong, in conjunction with the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE), pending the submission of an MOU detailing the authority of CSU-Fullerton with respect to admissions, faculty, curriculum and program requirements. No
June 2002 SubstantiveChange Committee Action: During its conference call meeting June 13, 2002, a Panel of the Substantive Change Committee considered the proposed online Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology degree program. The Panel acted to approve the program. No
January 2003 At its conference call meeting of January 23, 2003, a Panel of the Substantive Change Committee met to consider the proposal submitted by California State University Campuses (Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona) to offer a joint doctorate program in Educational Administration and Leadership (Ed.D.) with the University of California, Irvine. The Panel acted to forward the proposal to the Commission for consideration at its February 2003 meeting. No
February 2003 At its meeting on February 20-21, 2003, the Substantive Change Panel of the Commission considered the proposal from the CSU campuses of Fullerton,Ca lPoly Pomona, Long Beach, and Los Angeles to offer a joint doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership (EdD) with the University of California, Irvine.

The Commission acted to:
  1. Defer the approval of the joint Doctor of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership with the University of California, Irvine.
  2. Request five copies of a report by May 16, 2003 to provide the Commission with additional clarification on the issues of: fiscal resources, final decision-making and authority, faculty workload, assessment, and curricular format.
  3. Request that WASC Commission staff will meet with appropriate CSU and UC system-wide staff and/or joint doctoral committee representatives in developing criteria for evaluating future joint doctorate proposals.
  4. Notify Commission staff by April 15, 2003 of a contact person with whom WASC can communicate on the CSU-UCI multi-campus joint doctorate program.
 No
June 2003 At its meeting of June 19-21, 2003, the Structural Change Panel of the Commission considered the report from the CSU campuses of Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, Long Beach, and Los Angeles requested by the Commission in its action letter dated March 5, 2003. In that letter, the Commission deferred action and requested further information regarding the proposal to offer a joint doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership (EdD) with the University of California, Irvine.

The Commission acted to:
  1. Approve the proposal submitted by CSU Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, Long Beach, and Los Angeles with the University of California, Irvine to offer the joint doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership (EdD).
  2. Request that future proposals to offer joint doctorates continue to be reviewed through the substantive change process.
  3. Request that participating campuses of the CSU-UC Irvine joint EdD provide an assessment of the program in the next comprehensive review of each campus.
 No
March 2004 Substantive Change Committee Action: At its conference call meeting on March 17, 2004, a Panel of the Substantive Change Committee acted to approve the online MS in Software Engineering program. No
December 2004 Substantive ChangeCommittee Action: At its conference call meeting on December 22, 2004, a Panel of the Substantive Change Committee acted to approve the online MS in Information Technology program. No
June 2005 The Commission acted to extend the Educational Effectiveness Review from one year to 18-24 months following the Capacity Review. The Educational Effectiveness Review is moved to fall 2011. Yes
November 2006 Substantive Change Committee action: At its conference call meeting on November 30, 2006, a Panel of the Substantive Change Committee for Doctoral Programs reviewed the proposed Doctor of Education program and requested that a site visit be conducted before acting to refer the proposal to the Commission for review. No
February 2007 Substantive Change Site Visit: On February 11-12, 2007, Abby Heydman (Chair), Chris Golde and Randall Souviney visited the Fullerton campus to evaluate the independent EdD program. Based on the recommendations made in the team report, the Substantive Change Panel acted to forward the EdD proposal to the Structural Change Panel of the Commission for review. No
July 2007 Structural Change Panel Action:
  1. Approve the EdD in Educational Leadership in K-12 education;
  2. Request a report by April 1, 2008 detailing the full curriculum;
  3. Request a report by December 1, 2008 regarding progress in addressing issues identified by the Substantive Change Committee; and
  4. Request the EdD program be evaluated by a special visit in conjunction with the next EER in spring 2011.
 No
April 2008 Substantive Change Committee Action: At its April 23, 2008 conference call meeting, the Panel of the Committee acted not to accept the MS Nursing Leadership (Blended) program. No
May 2008 Substantive Change Committee Action: At its May 22, 2008 conference call meeting, the Panel of the Committee acted to grant interim approval of the blended MS Nursing Leadership program (follow-up). No
June 2008 Commission Substantive Change Ratification: The Commission acted to ratify the approval of the MS in Nursing, offered as a Blended Program. No
June 2008 Substantive Change Committee Action: Members of the Doctoral Committee approved the proposal to offer the Community College track EdD. The panel acted to forward the proposal to the Structural Change Panel of the Commission for review. No
August 2008 Structural Change Panel Action: At its August 14, 2008 conference call meeting, the Panel acted to grant approval of the proposal to offer the CommunityCollege track EdD. No
August 2008 Commission Action: The Commission ratified approval of the EdD in Educational Leadership – Community College Leadership Specialization (New Degree) program on August 20, 2008 (being offered at the institution). No
September 2009 Substantive Change Committee Action: At its September 23, 2009 conference call meeting, interim approval was granted for the following proposals: Fast Track for Distance Education programs and MS in Educational Technology (Distance Education Program). Fast Track authority is granted for a period of four years. No
October 2009 Substantive Change Commission Ratification: On October 30, 2009, the Commission ratified approval of the proposals for the Fast Track for Distance Education Programs and MS in Education Technology (Distance Education Program). Fast Track authorization expires in 4 years. No

2010s

Accreditation History During the 2010s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
March 2010 Capacity and Preparatory Review visit, March 10-12, 2010; Chair – Gene Awakuni. The Irvine campus was also visited, and distance education materials were reviewed. Yes
June 2010 Substantive Change Staff Action: On June 30, 2010, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposals: MS in Education – Reading, Secondary Education and Curriculum & Instruction (Distance Education Programs). No
June 2010 Commission action:
  1. Receive the Capacity and Preparatory Review report and continue accreditation.
  2. Reschedule the Educational Effectiveness Review visit to spring 2012.
  3. Request that the institution incorporate in its EER report its responses to the issues raised in the action letter, namely, institutional planning and resource management, and assessment of student learning and success.
 Yes
July 2010 Staff action: Reschedule the Special visit to review the EdD program to spring 2012 so that it remains concurrent with the EER visit. No
August 2011 Staff Substantive Change Action: On August 3, 2011, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposals: BA in Business Administration Degree Completion (online) and BA in Sociology (online). No
November 2011 Staff Substantive Change Action: On November 14, 2011, CSU Fullerton was granted Fast Track Authorization to convert existing face-to-face degree programs to the distance education modality. This authorization has no expiration date. No
November 2011 Staff Substantive Change Action: On November 29, 2011, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposal: Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (online). No
February 2012 Substantive Change Committee Action: At its February 13, 2012 conference call meeting, the panel of the Committee acted to grant Interim Approval of the following proposal: Joint Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree with CSULB and CSULA (new degree). No
February 2012 Substantive Change Commission Approval: On February 24, 2012, the Commission acted to grant Final Approval of the following proposal: Joint Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree with CSULB and CSULA (new degree). No
March 2012 Combined Educational Effectiveness Review visit and Special visit to review the EdD, March 7-9, 2012; Team chair – David Shulenberger. Randy Hitz reviewed the EdD program. The Irvine Center was also visited as part of this review. Yes
June 2012 Commission Action, 6/15/12:
  1. Receive the EER report and reaffirm accreditation;
  2. Schedule the next comprehensive review with an offsite review in spring 2019 and a visit tentatively in fall 2019;
  3. Request an interim report in spring 2015 to address strategic planning, assessment of student learning, student advising and updates on budgets and financial plans.
 Yes
September 2012 In line with the new accreditation process, the next Offsite Review will take place in Fall 2019 and the Accreditation Visit in spring 2020. Yes
January 2013 Staff Substantive Change Action: On January 4, 2013, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposal: Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (online). No
January 2013 Staff Substantive Change Action: On January 4, 2013, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposal: Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescent Development (online). No
February 2013 Staff Substantive Change Action: On February 11, 2013, staff granted approval of the following expedited proposal: Bachelor of Science in Human Services (online). No
March 2013 Staff action, 3/5/13: Transmittal letter sent to follow up the review of the EdD program conducted during the EER review in spring 2012, as the Commission Action Letter sent in July 2013 did not address EdD issues. Staff identified areas for further attention and development (participation in Carnegie project, financial and research culture support, ongoing contact with alumni and improvement of graduation rates) and requested that these be incorporated into the self-study for the next comprehensive review. Yes
October 2013 Following discussion with the institution, the OSR will now take place in spring 2019 and the AV in fall 2019. Yes
January 2014 In line with new Commission requirements, a Mid-Cycle Review will take place in spring 2016. Yes
Spring 2015 In accordance with the 2012 WASC reaffirmation of institutional accreditation by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, an Interim Report was submitted which addressed progress on the four areas that required attention and further development by CSUF: 
  1. strategic planning
  2. assessment
  3. advising and
  4. finances.
 Yes
Spring 2015 CSUF reported on two additional topics in the Interim Report: 1) diversity and 2) the Irvine satellite. Yes
June 2015 Commission Action, 6/29/15:
  1. Receive the Interim Report
  2. Require no further interaction with WSCUC until the time of CSUF’s Mid-Cycle Review (scheduled for spring 2016) and its comprehensive review (Offsite Review scheduled for spring 2019; Accreditation Visit scheduled for fall 2019)
  3. Recommend that CSUF include in its institutional report for its comprehensive review an update on: a) deferred maintenance, and b) Irvine.
 Yes
2016 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change rview was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. Health Care Analytics Certificate
  
May 2016 WASC Mid-Cycle Review, submitted 5/15/2016: The Mid-Cycle Review focuses on, among other areas, evidence from an update of the institution’s Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators (IEEI). CSUF completed the IEEI for all degree programs that have completed the PPR in the last two years. Yes
October 2016 WSCUC staff reviewed the Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators (IEEI), submitted as part of the Mid-Cycle Review, and determined that CSUF is in continued compliance with WSCUC standards. Yes
2016 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for:
  1. Health Care Analytics Certificate
 No
2017 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for:
  1. BA Humanities and Social Sciences (online degree completion)
  2. MS Financial Engineering and Risk Management
  3. MS Information Technology (Data Science)
  4. MS Information Technology (Information Technology Management)
  5. MS Athletic Training
  6. MS Human Services Leadership
  7. MS Accounting and Finance
  8. MS Engineering Management
  9. MS Educational Technology (Distance Education)
  10. Spanish for Hispanic Media Certificate
  11. Digital Communication Media Certificate
  12. Geospatial Information Systems Certificate
  13. Geospatial Technologies Certificate
  14. Public Health Certificate Program
  No
2018 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for:
  1. Photocommunications Certificate
  2. Professional Certificate in Personal Financial Planning
  3. Radio-Audio Certificate
  4. Forensic Anthropology Certificate
  5. Professional Certificate in Human Resources Management
  No
2019 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for:
  1. BS Public Health
 No

2020s

Accreditation History During the 2020s
Dates Activity Institution Level?
February 2020 Commission Action, 2/26/2020:
  1. Receive the Accreditation Visit team report;
  2. Reaffirm accreditation for a period of ten years;
  3. Schedule the next reaffirmation review with the Offsite Review in spring 2029 and the Accreditation Visit in fall 2029;
  4. Schedule the Mid-Cycle Review to begin May 1, 2025;
  5. Schedule an Interim Report to be submitted by March 1, 2023 to address the development of appropriate graduate student learning outcomes, graduate student success initiatives, and aligned assessment processes.
 Yes
2020 Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. Translation: Spanish to English/English to Spanish Certificate
  2. MS Computational Applied Mathematics
 No
2021
Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. MS Applied Computer Science (Accelerated)
  2. MS Engineering Management
  3. BS Child and Adolescent Development name changed to BS Child and Adolescent Studies
  4. Improvement Science for Education Leaders Certificate
  5. Communication Sciences and Disorders Multicultural Certificate
  6. Security Studies Certificate
  
2022
Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. MS Education (TESOL) concentration elevated to MS Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
  2. MS Education (Special Education) concentration elevated to MS Special Education
  3. MS Education (Secondary) concentration elevated to MS Transformative Teaching in Secondary Education
  4. MS Education (Elementary Curriculum and Instruction) concentration elevated to MS Curriculum and Instruction
  5. MS Education (Educational Administration) concentration elevated to MS Educational Leadership and Administration
  6. MS Education (Higher Education) concentration elevated to MS Higher Education
  7. MS Education (Literacy and Reading) concentration elevated to MS Literacy and Reading Education
  8. MS Counseling name changed to MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Marriage and Family Therapy
  9. BA Urban Learning
  10. BA Art (Art History) concentration elevated to BA Art History
  11. Sports Media Certificate
  12. Marketing Analytics Graduate Certificate
  
2023
Response to Commission Action (2/26/20):
  1. Interim Report submitted March 1, 2023 addressing the development of appropriate graduate student learning outcomes, graduate student success initiatives, and aligned assessment processes.
Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. BFA Design and Production
  2. Communication Sciences and Disorders Master's Preparatory Certificate
  3. Education Specialist (Cear) Credential name changed to Education Specialist (Clear) Credential: Early Childhood Special Education
  4. Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Early Childhood Specialist name changed to Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Early Childhood Special Education
  5. Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Mild/Moderate name changed to Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Mild to Moderate Support Needs
  6. Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Moderate/Severe name changed to Education Specialist (Preliminary) Credential: Extensive Support Needs
  7. Special Education Mild/Moderate Credential (Clear) name changed to Education Specialist (Clear) Credential: Mild to Moderate Support Needs
  8. Special Education Moderate/Severe Credential (Clear) name changed to Education Specialist (Clear) Credential: Extensive Support Needs
  9. Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work and Child Welfare and Attendance
  
2024
Substantive Change Screening Form was submitted, and substantive change review was deemed unnecessary for the following programs:
  1. Applied Investment Management Certificate
  2. Bienestar Social Work with Latinx Certificate
  3. Extensive Support Needs Preliminary Education Specialist Credential modality change to online
  4. Mild to Moderate Support Needs Preliminary Education Specialist Credential modality change to online