Academic Recognition vs Professional Qualification

Three different layers

1. Institutional recognition: a government or accrediting body authorises the school to operate or to award degrees.
2. Program approval: a regulator or accreditor approves a specific program for use in a professional pathway.
3. Professional admission: the regulator decides who may practise, after any additional education, examinations and supervised practice it requires.

Recognition at one layer does not imply the next. A degree from a recognised university may not meet the regulator's requirements, and sitting an examination does not guarantee admission.

Jurisdiction matters

Professional rules are set by jurisdiction: in federal systems by state or province, in the United Kingdom by nation, and so on. A rule that applies in one jurisdiction does not apply in another.

How this directory handles it

School pages show recognition exactly as sourced (register, document or school statement). Professional eligibility statements appear only on pathway pages, written from the regulator's own current page. Where there is no such source: Professional eligibility must be confirmed with the relevant regulator.