Accreditation: The Gift That Keeps Giving

A note from The ABP: We invited the author to write this piece precisely because he brings a unique dual perspective, as both a university programme leader whose course has achieved ABP accreditation, and as a member of the ABP accreditation review team. This combination offers valuable insight into the process from both sides of the table. The reflections shared here are his own, written in the spirit of transparency and learning, to highlight the developmental value of accreditation for educators, students, and the wider profession. 

By Dr Ben Steeden. 

Imagine that you lead a work psychology master’s programme and your accrediting body is visiting tomorrow to assess and, hopefully, reaccredit your programme. What are you feeling?

• Nervous, worried, or scared you’ll be caught out?
• Excited, optimistic, and keen to show off your programme?

For most of us, it’s a mix – hopefully more excitement, often more trepidation. That has certainly been my own experience of preparing for accreditation! So why do we do it? And how can we make the most of it? 

Why Do We Do It? 

There are currently over 1,250 work psychology master’s programmes in the UK (Findamasters.com), so standing out from the crowd matters. Accreditation is often cited as a key factor in student decision-making and satisfaction (E.g., Al-Eyadhy & Alenezi, 2021; Rahme et al., 2025; Wagner & Mapp, 2023) and can be a gatekeeper for future careers in work psychology.

When we redesigned our work psychology master’s at UWE, students consistently highlighted programme accreditation as a major influence. They saw it as a badge of quality that enhanced employability and opened professional pathways. In a competitive HE landscape, accreditation helps signal programme quality and enhances their ability to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

But is that the only benefit of accreditation? I think it offers us much more. 

As a programme leader, the accreditation process has been a gift, albeit a well-disguised one. Preparing for accreditation takes time and energy, but it has helped us benchmark our programme against objective criteria and structure reflection on programme content, ethics and assessment.

Accreditation meetings have challenged my thinking, sparked creativity around group assessments, and introduced new ways to incorporate AI in assessments. After a laborious design process, it has also given us well-needed praise on aspects of our programme that we hold dear, such as inclusive assessments and professional placements. The accreditation process has given me an invaluable opportunity to reflect on the programme, recapture the focus that we lost in a drawn-out design process, and reevaluate what we have achieved.  

After accreditation, the benefits have also been significant.

ABP accreditation has been a valuable selling point at Open Days, but it has also helped us internally promote the programme’s credibility and employability. For students, it offers access to an active practitioner community, knowledge development and networking at regular ABP events, and skill practice and experience in the Biz Psych Cup. For graduates, it provides fast-track access to Certified Business Psychologist status, whereas dual accreditation also offers flexibility to pursue BPS career pathways. Accreditation acts as a professional link that supports work psychologists in transitioning from classroom to workplace. 

The View From the Other Side 

As part of the ABP accreditation team, I have seen the process from the other side. Being an accreditor allows you a privileged dive into diverse programmes, allowing you to explore their rationale, learning content, assessment techniques, student experience and ideas for the future. It has opened my eyes to innovative programme designs that offer students focused but flexible study, and authentic assessments that offer students experiential learning to prepare them for practice. 

One of the biggest pleasures is discussing programmes with teaching teams. Paper documents can’t always capture a programme’s ethos, but conversations bring it to life. They offer a much fuller, more vivid picture of programmes and students’ progression through their learning. These conversations are both useful and hugely enjoyable and have taught me a lot about the level of passion that educators bring to their work. The best accreditation conversations are open, collaborative discussions of the programme, where teaching teams welcome new input and challenge.

As an accreditor, I hope that teaching teams will be knowledgeable and well-prepared, but also collaborative, reflective, and positive about challenge and change. These are the accreditations that I most enjoy, that I think programme teams enjoy also, and where there are positive outcomes and innovations to make programmes stronger. Accreditation is not just an evaluation of where the programme is, but also a discussion of what it could be. That’s the exciting bit! 

Making the Most of Accreditation 

After reflecting on my experience from both sides of the accreditation desk, here are my thoughts on what we can do as programme leaders, teaching teams and accreditors, to make the most of the accreditation experience: 

Conclusion 

Accreditation benefits students, educators and accreditors. It’s a forum for sharing best practice and innovation that we can all benefit from and enjoy being a part of.

This does not mean that accreditation is easy, nor should it be. It is a time-consuming, daunting process which often takes time and energy when we least have it to spare – but it is worth it.

Accreditation is cited as a tool for continuous quality improvement (Girotto et al., 2025), and this has certainly been my experience. If my programme was being accredited tomorrow, I would still feel nervous; but I’d also feel excited to hear fresh perspectives and explore new ideas.

Accreditation is a gift. Enjoy unwrapping it.