The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accredits degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern United States and internationally. The Commission's mission is the enhancement of educational quality and the improvement of institutional effectiveness by ensuring accredited institutions meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students. The Commission serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. Accreditation by SACSCOC signifies that an institution (1) has a mission appropriate to higher education, (2) has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and (3) maintains clearly specified educational objectives consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.