UTICA, N.Y,. — Utica University’s Educator Preparation Program recently earned national accreditation from the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) for all undergraduate and graduate programs.

The AAQEP Accreditation Commission awarded the program with a full seven-year accreditation at the end of June. It follows an extensive self-study and peer review by the commission. Utica University met all four standards, resulting in perfect accreditation.

“We are delighted to become part of the AAQEP network of accredited educator-preparation programs that seeks to support efforts to constantly advance and improve teacher quality at all levels in classrooms, in school districts, and in colleges and universities across the country,” Professor Laurence Zoeckler, chair of the Educator Preparation Program at Utica University, said in a release.

The AAQEP Accreditation Commission determined that the university’s program effectively prepares candidates to work as professional educators and maintains program quality by analyzing effectiveness, implementing necessary program revisions, and successfully engaging with stakeholders and partners to provide a diversity of clinical experience.

“The AAQEP review process involved dozens of stakeholders and months of hard work and was meticulous and demanding,” Zoeckler said. “The entire experience was both affirmative and uplifting.”

Utica University’s Educator Preparation Program offers several pathways that lead to certification in different teaching areas. In addition to accreditation, the program recently launched a new set of 120-credit undergraduate majors, which vastly cut down the credit hours for students to become certified in the education field.

Founded in 1946, Utica University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It currently enrolls about 2,00 undergraduate students in more than 40 majors and 1,200 graduate students.