Reference: DoDI 5545.04 “Congressional Reporting for Military Educational Institutions Seeking to Establish, Modify, or 

Redesignate Degrees”

Purpose: To provide information, procedures, and a notional timeline related to the process leading to degree-granting 

authority for a DoD institution. 

Authorities: ■ Title 10 U.S. Code Chapter 108 – Department of Defense Schools—Federal Policy Governing the Granting 

of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies and Institutions (approved December 23 1954: Letter from DR, 

Bureau of the Budget, to Secretary, Health, Education, and Welfare)

■ DoDI 5105.04 Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee Management Program, August 6, 2007

■ Federal Advisory Committee Act 5 USC

Background: DoD institutions may be eligible to seek degree-granting authority based in Federal law and written into statute 

(Title 10 U.S. Code Chapter 108 – Department of Defense Schools). While only the Secretary of Defense can 

provide degree-granting authority to schools, the process involves the Department of Education, a regional 

accrediting body, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Defense Chief Management 

Officer, and is a lengthy process.

Goals: To enable DoD learning institutions to prepare for and conduct the activities involved with seeking 

degree-granting authority through the Department of Education.

Objectives: ■ Identify the five key actors in the degree-granting process

■ Identify dependencies in the requirements and processes

■ Provide a common frame of reference for all participants in the process

■ Way forward; “To Do List”

Contacts: ■ Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness

■ Department of Education

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DITEB Supplemental Communications GUIDE on

Degree-Granting Authority for DoD Institutions
Guidance: Components should think carefully about the investment in becoming a degree-granting institution. The Degree 

granting authority process and the institutional accreditation process are both lengthy and challenging. 

Components can consider other options, such as articulation agreements with colleges and universities. 

The implications for Federal agencies can be determined by answering the following three questions: 

■ Are you ready to relinquish control of the standards and quality oversight of the program? 

■ Are you prepared for the intrusive oversight of accreditation? 

■ Are you prepared for the degree-granting process?

Business requirements often result in changes in focus of a DoD Program; however, when switching to regional 

accreditation, the component becomes also accountable to external requirements. In higher education 

context, this includes accreditors and the U.S. Department of Education.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Component/Applicant

Components should think carefully about the investment in becoming a degree-granting institution. The Degree 

granting authority process and the institutional accreditation process are both lengthy and challenging. 

Components can consider other options, such as articulation agreements with colleges 

and universities. 

The implications for Federal agencies can be determined by answering the following three questions: 

■ Are you ready to relinquish control of the standards and quality oversight of the program? 

■ Are you prepared for the intrusive oversight of accreditation? 

■ Are you prepared for the degree-granting process?

Business requirements often result in changes in focus of a DoD Program; however, when switching to regional 

accreditation, the component becomes also accountable to external requirements. In higher education 

context, this includes accreditors and the U.S. Department of Education.

Accrediting Body Regional accreditation is the educational accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities in the United States 

by one of six regional accrediting agencies. Accreditation, technically a voluntary process, is a means by which 

colleges demonstrate to each other, and sometimes to employers and licensing agencies, that their credits and 

degrees meet minimum standards. It is the self-regulation of the higher education industry.

Component/Applicants submit to the appropriate accrediting agency the required substantive change or other 

documentation required for new degrees.

2

DITEB Supplemental Communications GUIDE on

Degree-Granting Authority for DoD Institutions
Sponsor (USD(I)), USD(P&R) Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) serves as the manager and owner of the DoD Instruction 

that will provide degree-granting authority for the new degree-granting institution or program. The USD(I), 

also advocates on behalf of the Component/Applicant as they go through the steps and interact with the 

government members in the process.

Under Secretary of Defense 

for Personnel and Readiness 

(USD(P&R))

The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness is the Federal authority required to approve the 

request for degree-granting authority. 

Upon approval by NACIQI and the Committee for Review of Petitions and Reports of the Department of 

Education, USD(P&R) notifies Congress and OMB.

Degree Granting Authority 

(DoEd/NACIQI)

The Secretary of Education appointed the National Advisory Committee of Institutional Quality and Integrity 

(NACIQI) to advise him concerning any legislation that may be proposed which would authorize the granting of 

graduate degrees by Federal Agencies. 

To receive degree-granting authority, the Component/Applicant must demonstrate that the degree program 

complies with the following criteria. 

■ Must be mission essential

■ Must offer unique education

■ Must meet academic standards

■ Must ensure academic freedom

A self-study is submitted by the Component/Applicant to NACIQI, who conducts site visits and makes 

recommendations to the Secretary of Education to authorize degree granting status. 

FACA Authority for Board 

of Visitors (BoV):

Institutions undergoing this process need to establish a Board of Visitors that is compliant with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The Defense Chief Managements Officer (DCMO) is the FACA authority and prepares 

the Charter and package for the Board of Visitors. The Secretary of Defense will approve the individual members. 

In the case of DoD Intelligence and Security learning institutions, the OUSD(I) CLO helps coordinate the process 

with the DCMO’s representative, and the approving Under Secretary is the USD(I).

Flowchart of Process: The remainder of the document includes a notional flowchart process. Note that the order and specific 

requirements will change depending on the specific component and accrediting body.

3

DITEB Supplemental Communications GUIDE on

Degree-Granting Authority for DoD Institutions
i

Establish 

Institution

Develop 

program plan

Notify USD(I)

 of intentions

USD(I) informs 

USD(P&R) & DCMO 

of Component/

Applicant’s 

intentions

USD(P&R) notifies 

NACIQI of 

Component/

Applicant intentions

USD(I) initiates 

DoDI 3305.xx

to codify C/A

Component/

Applicant 

visits AB

AB give permission 

for Component/ 

Applicant to apply 

for candidacy

NACIQI 

acknowledges 

receipt of 

notification

Begins 

Establishing BoV 

or Subcommittee 

for Governance

Request AB

 information 

Session

Prepare 

pre-application 

documents

Prepare 

application for 

candidacy 

documents

ACCREDITING 

BODY 

(AB)

SPONSOR

(USD(I), USD (P&R))

DEGREE GRANTING 

AUTHORITY 

(DoED/NACIQI)

FACA Authority 

(DCMO)

COMPONENT/

APPLICANT 

(C/A)

Accreditation Process

Board of Visitors (BoV)

Policy Development

Degree-Granting Authority Process

Degree Granting Authority Process 

for DoD Institutions
ii

Component/ 

Applicant 

provides input 

to BoV process

Component/ 

Applicant sets 

date for BoV

Component/

Applicant submits 

application to AB

DoDI 3305.xx 

Informal 

coordination

If VP finds that the 

component is ready, 

a peer review team 

will be assigned

If after review of 

application, VP 

decides to visit 

component/

applicant

AB acknowledges 

receipt of application & assigns VP

OUSD(I) notifies 

Component/ 

Applicant of 

Completed Charter

BoV Package 

signed by DCMO

USD(I) provides 

review to 

BoV process

DCMO prepares 

Charter and 

package for BoV

ACCREDITING 

BODY 

(AB)

SPONSOR

(USD(I), USD (P&R))

DEGREE GRANTING 

AUTHORITY 

(DoED/NACIQI)

FACA Authority 

(DCMO)

COMPONENT/

APPLICANT 

(C/A)

Accreditation Process

Board of Visitors (BoV)

Policy Development

Degree-Granting Authority Process

Degree Granting Authority Process 

for DoD Institutions
iii

USD(P&R) sends 

letter of intent to 

Sec of Ed

 requesting 

formation of 

review committee

NACIQI sends 

notification to C/A 

giving permission to 

conduct self study

C/A commences 

NACIQI Self-study

USD(P&R) OGC 

reviews policies 

and DoDI 3305.xx

DoDI Formal 

coordination of 

DoDI 3305.xx

VP sends memo 

to Component/

Applicant notifying 

them of where they 

are in the process

After review, peer 

team submits 

recommendation 

to commission

DIR Component/

Applicant submits 

request to OSD 

to establish 

Degree-granting 

institution

Upon commission 

approval, 

candidacy granted 

and self –study 

is permitted

USD(I) provides 

review to 

BoV process

ACCREDITING 

BODY 

(AB)

SPONSOR

(USD(I), USD (P&R))

DEGREE GRANTING 

AUTHORITY 

(DoED/NACIQI)

FACA Authority 

(DCMO)

COMPONENT/

APPLICANT 

(C/A)

Accreditation Process

Board of Visitors (BoV)

Policy Development

Degree-Granting Authority Process

Degree Granting Authority Process 

for DoD Institutions
iv

C/A submits 

self study and 

requests review for 

degree-granting 

authority to NACIQI

C/A submits self 

study and requests 

accreditation 

evaluation of AB

DoDI Policy for 

C/A complete 

DoDI 3305.xx

USD (P&R) 

Notifies Congress 

and OMB

ACCREDITING 

BODY 

(AB)

SPONSOR

(USD(I), USD (P&R))

DEGREE GRANTING 

AUTHORITY 

(DoED/NACIQI)

FACA Authority 

(DCMO)

COMPONENT/

APPLICANT 

(C/A)

AB evaluation 

team visits C/A

 AB Board meets 

and recommends 

accreditation 

(Board meets 

3X per year)

NACIQI 

evaluation team 

visits C/A

NACIQI Commission meets 

and notifies status of 

awarding degree—

USD(I) & C/A are cc’d 

(commission meets Jun & Dec)

C/A Notifies 

USD(P&R) 

via USD(I)

Component 

Awards 

Degrees

Accreditation Process

Board of Visitors (BoV)

Policy Development

Degree-Granting Authority Process

Degree Granting Authority Process 

for DoD Institutions