Northcentral University

8 | About NCU | NCU Faculty Handbook SECTION 2: ABOUT NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY History of Northcentral University The University officially opened its virtual doors on October 10, 1996, in a single room building and enrolled its first students on February 5, 1997. Northcentral was initially established in Prescott, Arizona, and moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona in 2007. The University established a presence in Tempe, Arizona, in 2006 and moved operations to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2010. In 2015, NCU moved its administrative headquarters to San Diego, California. From its inception, the University adopted a unique one-to-one teaching model, partnering one student with one professor in each course. The goal was to create a more personalized learning experience where students benefit from working directly with an expert faculty member who engages students to convey valuable knowledge and experiences in the chosen field of study. With each passing year, the University continues to make strides in fulfilling its mission and realizing its vision to become a global leader in providing unprecedented access to U.S. regionally accredited, graduate-focused education for scholars around the world. 2003 Northcentral became accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. 2007 NCU's business programs in the School of Business and Technology Management (SBTM) were accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The University was the first online university to have ACBSP accreditation across bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. 2009 Northcentral received certification from the U.S. Department of Education to participate in Title IV Financial Aid Programs. 2012 Northcentral's Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) degree program received five-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). This made the University's MAMFT program the first distance-based education program to receive COAMFTE's programmatic accreditation. 2013 Eight PK-12 specializations in the Master of Education (MEd) program received 5-year initial accreditation through the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), while the MEd with a Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership (MEd-PLCS) was approved by the Arizona Department of Education. 2014 Northcentral added its largest strategic partnership with the National Education Association (NEA). A year highlight: Commencement keynote speaker, Rich Karlgaard's inspiring speech was published in Forbes magazine. 2015 NCU received approval from the U.S. Department of Education to transfer its regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). The University added dozens of leading-edge new specializations and program offerings, had a record number of degrees conferred at the commencement festivities in Phoenix, and NCU's student body eclipsed 10,000 for the first time. In addition, the PhD program in Marriage and Family Therapy became the first distance-based doctoral program to earn COAMFTE programmatic accreditation. 2016 Northcentral launched the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SSBS), which merged the University's School of Psychology and School of Marriage and Family Sciences into one larger School. This year Northcentral University celebrated its 20th anniversary. 2017 NCU launched the School of Technology (ST) and the School of Health Sciences (SHS).

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