Accreditation of academic programs began in the nineteenth century as colleges and professions sought ways to identify similar work that might be transferred from one college to another and professionals sought to establish credibility for training received in professions. In 1952 regional and specialized accreditation assumed a federal function as Congress accepted the peer-review process as a mechanism for assuring general quality for higher education. At this time Congress delegated substantial responsibility for the oversight of federal funding programs to the regional accrediting bodies and to some specialized accrediting agencies.
The University of Tennessee is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and programs in which specialized accreditation is additionally appropriate are accredited by the appropriate specialized agency.
See also Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; Accrediting Board of Engineering and Technology; Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications; American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences; American Bar Association; American Chemical Society; American Library Association; American Psychological Association; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; American Veterinary Medical Association; Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Council on Social Work Education; Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research; National Academy of Early Childhood Programs; National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences; National Architectural Accrediting Board; National Association of Schools of Art and Design; National Association of Schools of Music; National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education; Society of American Foresters.