Spotlight: Pakistan Requires Program Accreditation

Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) has issued a press advisory urging students to verify the accreditation of Professional Degree Programs before enrolling in any degree program in Pakistan. In Pakistan engineering and computing programs are accredited by the Pakistan Engineering Council, which is a full signatory of the Washington Accord.

Recently, the HEC has determined that professional degree programs or qualifications cannot be offered or continued without accreditation from the corresponding professional councils. Despite this requirement, some universities are not accrediting all programs and yet are continuing to admit students to several unaccredited/invalid programs. The HEC indicates this , poses a serious threat to students’ ability to graduate with a valid degree.

To address this concern, the HEC Pakistan advises students and their parents to confirm the accreditation status of the desired degree programs by consulting the concerned Professional Councils before taking admission.  Accreditation.org maintains a listing of all accredited engineering and computing programs in Pakistan.  But, be sure to double check all programs with both the university and accrediting body prior to embarking on a degree.