State Authorization & Complaint Procedures

State Authorization is a legal issue dealing with an institution’s adherence to state requirements for colleges to secure authorization to offer instruction in that state.

Methodist students who desire to resolve a grievance are encouraged to follow the University’s Grade Appeals & Complaints procedures.

Methodist University Representatives for Student Complaints

Academic Affairs

Office of the Provost
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
910.630.7031
[email protected]

Student Services

Ms. Carol Pope
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
910.630.7152
[email protected]

Methodist University’s Accreditation

Methodist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (sacscoc.org/) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of Methodist University.

Individuals may submit complaints to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the University’s regional accrediting body. In most cases, SACSCOC complaint procedures require that the complainant exhaust all other avenues to address the complaint. Prior to filing a complaint, please carefully review the SACSCOC Complaint Procedures Policy Statement.

The links below provide information on the SACSCOC complaint policy and process.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097
Phone: 404.679.4500
sacscoc.org
SACSCOC Complaint Procedures
SACSCOC Complaint Form

Online Students Living in North Carolina

Additionally, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, you may choose to file a complaint by filling out the North Carolina Post-secondary Education Student Complaint document. Please review the Student Complaint Policy and access the Student Complaint Form.

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Student Complaints
University of North Carolina System Office
223 S. West Street, Suite 1800; Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 919.962.4550
Website: State of North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints

To file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice, please visit the State Attorney General’s web page at ncdoj.gov/complaint. and/or access the online consumer complaint form. North Carolina residents may call 877.566.7226. Outside of North Carolina, please call 919.716.6000. En Español 919.716.0058.

If you choose to mail a complaint, please use the following address:

Consumer Protection Division
Attorney General’s Office
Mail Service Center 9001
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

Out-of-State Online Students

Methodist University participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.

If you are an out-of-state student taking online courses and you are unable to resolve a complaint with Methodist or feel that not all issues were resolved with the final disposition, you may appeal to the portal agency for SARA in North Carolina (saranc.org):

North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA)
ATTN: SARA North Carolina
P.O. Box 41349
Raleigh, NC 27629
Phone: 919.248.4667
Email: [email protected]

To access the complaint process and form, go to www5.ncseaa.edu/SARANC/Complaint.html, and to access the complaint form, go to www5.ncseaa.edu/SARANC/docs/SARA-NC-ComplaintForm.pdf.

To find out whether the state you reside in is a SARA state, please visit the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

Most states require that you begin the complaint process at your university before taking further action.

If a student wishes to contact the state portal agency for his or her home state, contact information for the liaison personnel in each SARA state can be found on the NC-SARA website. State-by-state contact information for agencies responsible for receiving student consumer complaints is available online.

Professional Licensure Program Disclosures

Under NC-SARA guidelines, Methodist University discloses that it offers four entirely (or substantially) online programs that lead to professional licensure.

Social Work
School Social Work Licensure
Teacher Education – Post-Baccalaureate Residency Licensure
Clinical Mental Health Counseling

For questions, contact:

Dr. Patricia Fecher, Associate Provost for Academic Operations
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
910.630.7374
[email protected]

Disclaimer Statement

NC-SARA does not deal with professional licensing board approval for any courses or programs leading to professional licensure. If you are not a resident of North Carolina, and you are taking an online course or program leading to professional licensure, Methodist University cannot guarantee whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state. Methodist University recommends that you consult with our program contact or the appropriate licensing agency or board in your state or territory – including states participating in NC-SARA – prior to beginning your course of study to determine if the program

meets state educational requirements for licensure or certification, or
does not meet state educational requirements for licensure or certification

Please click to review general disclosures, licensing bodies, or email our program contact about licensure below:

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

To complete licensure requirements in your state, all prospective licensed clinical mental health counselors must successfully pass a licensure exam through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). To explore which licensure exam is best for the state in which you reside, please follow the link below.

National Board of Certified Counselors

For specific questions about your state’s requirements for licensure (ex: specific coursework, or field experience hours, review your desired states licensure board landing page.

The landing page for North Carolina and South Carolina licensure boards are below.

MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Keleigh Blount
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone:  910.630.7488
Email:  [email protected]

For students who want to practice in another state, please review the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Clinical Mental Health Counseling program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

Education

U.S. Department of Education: State Contacts
MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Patricia Fecher
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.630.7374
Email: [email protected]

North Carolina teacher licenses are recognized by other states but there may be additional licensure requirements to fully transfer a teaching license to a new state. For students who want to teach in other states, we recommend that they review the Teacher Education Program Licensure page, consult with our program, and contact the state department of education agency in the state or territory they are seeking licensure.

Social Work

Association of Social Work Boards
MU Faculty Contact: Cheryl Fiser
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.502.3533
Email: [email protected]

In the United States, social work license requirements are set by individual states. For students who want to practice in another state, we recommend that they consult with our program and review the Social Work Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Social Work program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

School Social Work: For students who graduate with a School Social Work licensure, and want to work as a school social worker, we recommend that they consult with our program or contact the state licensing agency in their state. Additional information can be found through the Association of Social Work Boards and the Teacher Education Program Licensure page.

Nursing

National Council of State Boards of Nursing
MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Shannon Matthews
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.480.8479
Email: [email protected]

For students who want to practice in another state, please review the Nursing Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Nursing program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

Occupational Therapy

OTA Assistant Program

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Melissa Gibson
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.482.5580
Email: [email protected]

The baccalaureate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301.652.AOTA and its web address is acoteonline.org. The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

ACOTE® accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs satisfy the states’ educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Students graduating from an ACOTE® accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational program are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

For students who want to practice in another state, please review the Occupational Therapy Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Occupational Therapy program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Katherine Jones
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.630.7216
Email: [email protected]

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301.652.AOTA and its web address is acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Physical Therapy

Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
MU Faculty Contact: Dr. Stacia Hall Thompson
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.630.7476
Email: [email protected]

Methodist University received accreditation status effective May 2, 2018.

The Methodist University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703.706.3245; email: [email protected]; website: capteonline.org. In needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 910.630.7476 or email [email protected].

The program has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, based on the following:

CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at fsbpt.org.

Please refer to the FSBPT Licensing Authorities for additional information:
fsbpt.org/Free-Resources/Licensing-Authorities-Contact-Information

FSBPT jurisdictional licensure guide:
fsbpt.net/lrg/Home/LicensureByExamRequirement

For students who want to practice in another state, please review the Physical Therapy Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Physical Therapy program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

Physician Assistant Studies

National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
MU Faculty Contact: April Martin
Methodist University
5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
Telephone: 910.630.7215
Email: [email protected]

Our Physician Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Based on our accreditation, students who successfully complete the program can take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). If they score a passing grade on the PANCE, they are eligible to apply for licensure anywhere in the United States.

For students who want to practice in another state, please review the Physician Assistant Program Licensure page to determine if the Methodist Physician Assistant program meets requirements for professional licensure in your state.

If a student wishes to contact the state portal entities for his or her home state, contact information for state authorization liaisons in each SARA state can be found on the NC-SARA website. State-by-state contact information for agencies responsible for receiving student consumer complaints is available online.

Normal inquiries or concerns such as those involving admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc. should be addressed directly to the appropriate office at Methodist University. professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure professional licensure