Regional and Specialty Accreditation

Samuel Merritt University is regionally accredited through Spring 2031 by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).  As a consistently high-performing institution, the University was selected as one of the inaugural group of institutions eligible in 2020 for a new Thematic Pathway for Reaffirmation process based on a theme of the University’s choosing.

Student success is the reaffirmation theme selected by SMU to develop and implement over the next several years because, as the demands on healthcare professionals become more complex, the education SMU provides needs to nurture a broader range of skills in students, including the ability to contribute to interprofessional healthcare teams. In support of this Thematic Pathway for Reaffirmation, faculty and staff from every division of the University have been engaged in an analysis of how the University promotes, supports, and measures student success.

In addition to this continuous internal assessment, the University uses program specialty accreditation reviews as opportunities to evaluate how well programs and initiatives are serving the mission, vision, and values of the University. Specialty accreditation information can be found below.

Program and Accrediting Organization

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN); Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN); Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN)
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)—Case Management
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)—Family Nurse Practitioner Program
Master of Nurse Anesthesia (MSN)/Post-Professional Certificate; Anesthesia Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Entry-Level Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
Entry-Level Master Physician Assistant (MPA)
Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Entry-Level Doctoral of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
Post-Graduate APRN Certificate 
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

* The bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs in nursing and/or post-graduate APRN certificate program are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).