4. Educational and Training Provisions or Requirements
The educational provisions referenced in a qualification standard normally pertain to either high school graduation or the equivalent, or to education above the high school level (post high school education). Whether at the high school or post high school level, 5 U.S.C. §3308 prohibits requiring education for positions in the competitive service, unless OPM has determined that the duties of a scientific, technical, or professional position cannot be performed by an individual who does not have the prescribed minimum education. In inservice placement actions, agencies cannot impose minimum educational requirements above those set by OPM.
The index to this Manual (Section III-A) identifies the occupational series for which minimum educational requirements have been established. Under 5 U.S.C. §3313, the names of disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are entered on civil service examination registers ahead of other eligibles, except on registers established for scientific and professional positions at grades GS-9 and above. The identified occupations in Section III-A should be used as the basis for determining whether such compensably disabled veterans should “float to the top” of competitive examination registers.
OPM also recognizes generally accepted professional credentials, such as engineering registration, successful completion of certain actuarial examinations, or a Certified Public Accountant certificate as being equivalent to meeting minimum educational requirements. Examples of such alternate provisions are generally included in the qualification standard for the occupational series.
Agencies should use the following criteria to determine the acceptability of post high school education or training at an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide documentation or proof that he or she has met the applicable educational provisions described in this subsection. An official transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable. Agencies must ensure that the applicants’ education or credentials meet the criteria below.
Acceptability of Higher Education for Meeting Minimum Qualification Requirements
(a) Accredited and Pre-Accredited/Candidate for Accreditation—This category includes only those institutions that grant academic degrees. Such institutions must meet one of the following criteria for Federal employment:
Exceptions: Preaccredited or Candidate for Accreditation status is not acceptable for the following Federal programs:
For the above programs, the institutions must be fully accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education at the time the education was obtained.
(b) Non-Accredited/Other—This category includes institutions that do not meet the criteria above but offer a curriculum which is equivalent to “conventional/accredited institutions.” Such institutions are either outside the jurisdiction, or have decided not to seek accreditation from accrediting bodies recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of “Non-Accredited/Other” education or institutions include, but are not limited to:
Non-Accredited/Other Education may be considered during the rating/ranking process when evaluating qualified job applicants who already meet minimum qualification standards. Such education may not, however, be used to meet minimum education requirements, unless it meets one of the following criteria with respect to a college, university, or institution accredited as described in (a) above:
Education or training that cannot be accepted under the above criteria may still be valuable, and may be considered in the ranking process when evaluating an applicant's overall qualifications for a position.
(c) Foreign Education—Education completed outside of the United
States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S.
education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education
is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary
of the U.S. Department of Education. A few medical schools are accredited under
country standards that have been determined to be “comparable” to
U.S. standards by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Committee
on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. For foreign education that is
not so accredited, agencies should follow the provisions below before considering
such education for Federal employment.
Unless the foreign education meets the criteria in paragraph (a) above, applicants
must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes
in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential
evaluation service. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must
include/describe:
Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s web site at http://www.ed.gov.
Professional Licensure: Possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field.
(d) Non-Qualifying Education—Non-qualifying education is education that is not accredited or determined to be equivalent to conventional, accredited educational programs as described in paragraphs (a), (b), or (c) above. This category includes educational institutions or sources commonly known as “diploma mills” which are defined as “unregulated institutions of higher education, granting degrees with few or no academic requirements [Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (tenth edition)]”. For more information on the subject of diploma mills, refer to the following web sites: http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/consumerinfo/considerations.html or http://www.chea.org. Agencies must not consider or accept such education, degrees, or credentials for any aspect of Federal employment, including basic eligibility and the rating/ranking process.