The College Monk

Council on Occupational Education- COE

Lawrence Myers Updated May 21, 2018

COE accredits career and technical education programs. Learn what COE accreditation tells you about vocational program quality.

Expert Reviewed Written by

Published May 21, 2018 • Updated May 21, 2018 • 2 min read

Our Commitment to Accuracy — The College Monk's editorial team verifies all information against official university data and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Data is updated for the 2026-2027 academic year. Learn about our editorial process.

Council on Occupational Education (COE)

The Council on Occupational Education (COE) is a national certifying organization of advanced education institutions and is perceived by the U.S. Department of Education.

This organization gives accreditations as a non-degree granting and degree allowing organization to post-secondary colleges.

The Council's maxim is to guarantee quality and morality in career and technical training.


 Guiding Values of Council on Occupational Education

The core guiding values of the Council on Occupational education includes-

  • Trustworthiness

  • Transparency

  • Accountability

  • Commitment

  • Flexibility

  • Innovation

  • Collaboration


Eligibility Requirements of COE

The eligibility requirements for colleges for COE accreditation includes:

  • The institution should provide post-secondary education in career and technical education.

  • The institution should provide qualifications not higher than for the applied associate degree.

  • The graduates should have been passed out from this institution having completed the necessarily required hours for the program.

  • The institution should not have been denied accreditation by a regional or national agency which is approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

  • It should be legally working from a location that is legal and it should be for a minimum of one year.

  • It should have possessed a license for a minimum of one year for continuous operation.

  • It should have the administrative capabilities to operate the programs and support them.

  • It should also be financially supported to meet the financial requirements as and when the need arises.

  • It should also agree to comply with all the requirements of the Council.


 Decision Making Bodies of COE

There is a commission that takes the important decisions of the Council. It has a Chairperson, a Vice-chairperson, secretary or treasurer, 16 members and an ex-officio.

The committees that are in this commission includes-

  • Executive Committee

  • Commission on Finance

  • Commission on Policies & Rules

  • Review Committee

There are also committees in the council which includes-

  • Committee on Nominations

  • Committee on Accreditation Standards and Conditions

  • Council Appeal Panel


Conclusion

The Council on Occupational Education is the accrediting body that accredits institutions which provide career and technical education according to accreditation the standards of the Council. It is the institution that provides accreditation to post-secondary applied associate career and technical education.

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Key Takeaways

Source: The College Monk — Based on data from 3,837 U.S. universities. Last updated July 2026.

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