Professional accreditation shows that your course has been officially endorsed by an independent professional body. Put simply, accreditation means officially recognised. Professional accreditation is an extra layer of recognition for a degree course. A professionally accredited degree course has met the requirements of a particular professional organisation, aka Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB), so that the learning and teaching on the course meet their professional benchmarks.
All universities in the UK are accredited by the government to award degrees. This means that their degree courses have been through a process of development and approval focusing on things like students’ needs, employer requirements, new developments in the subject and learning outcomes. All things that a professional organisation will also take into account when assessing a degree or apprenticeship.
For some jobs, the degree that you study is a professionally accredited qualification that you need to practice and be employed in that profession. So, if you want to be a nurse, pharmacist, building surveyor, architect, psychologist, teacher or accountant (to name a but a few) your degree will be accredited by the relevant PSRB.
Say, for example, you want to be a pharmacist – the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) regulates pharmacists and pharmacies in Great Britain and pharmacy degree courses must be approved by them so that graduates can work as registered pharmacists. So you’ll need to look for a pharmacy degree that is accredited by the GPhC.
For others, professional accreditation could be a gateway to lifelong professional development, exemption from professional exams, eligibility to apply for membership of the professional body or access to a community of like-minded people.
Our courses are accredited or endorsed by over 50 professional or regulatory bodies (PSRB).
A–B
C
D–J
M–Z
[Expand all]
A PSRB – professional, statutory or regulatory body – is an organisation that governs or regulates a profession in the UK. PSRBs accredit university degree courses where graduates need a professional qualification to practice or to further their career.
Accreditation is usually required if a role or job is regulated or there’s a specific professional qualification in the industry you want to work in, like nursing, architecture, social work, law or psychology.
So, not every degree course has professional accreditation, particularly you don’t need it for career development. You'll still get a great education – your course will still have been developed with your learning experience and career aspirations in mind, along with what employers tell us they are looking for, and it will have been through the university’s quality assurance programme.
Each accrediting body has a rigorous process where they assess lots of aspects of each course including the teaching, curriculum, learning outcomes and student experience. The university will usually made a detailed written submission which is followed up by an inspection visit from the professional organisation.
Check the university website, they will be proud of their accreditation and will let you know on their website and specifically on course information pages. At Brighton, you’ll find accreditation info on our course finder.
Some accreditations are awarded to the university or academic school. For example, the University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.
Sometimes equipment or facilities can also be accredited underlining their quality and importance to your learning. Our sport and exercise science laboratories are accredited by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES).
Professional accreditation is important if you need a professional qualification to get into the job or career that you are interested in. Professional accreditation can also be an indication of the quality of the learning experience you can expect at university. It means that the university or course has been assessed by an independent body.
You can find out if your course is accredited on our course finder.
Our courses are accredited or endorsed by over 50 professional or regulatory bodies (PSRB) across most of our subjects.
Yes they are. Our degree apprenticeships are accredited in the same way as a degree course. Their curriculum is also mapped onto an occupational standard set by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Eduction, and developed and approved by employers.
Find out if your course is accredited
TEF Silver awarded for the quality of our teaching and student outcomes
We are in the top 4.3% of institutions globally, Center for World University Rankings 2025
Race Equality Charter Silver awarded for our pledge to advance representation, progression and success for minority ethnic staff and students
We are ranked 14th in Stonewall's top 100 employers for commitment to equality for LGBTQ+ staff and students
We were awarded Athena Swan Silver for advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all
We are a Disability Confident employer, committed to ensuring opportunity for progression for all
Signed to the Disabled Student Commitment, an initiative to improve support for disabled students
EcoCampus Platinum accredited for our environmental sustainability, compliance and processes
