Whether you are a prospective learner, a current student, or a partner organization, this guide explains the credentials our courses and programs offer, how accreditation works, and your responsibilities. We believe in complete transparency so you can make informed decisions about your education and professional development.
What Most Courses Offer: Certificates of Completion
The majority of courses offered through the Frank Foundation provide a certificate of completion upon successful fulfillment of course requirements.
A certificate of completion confirms that you:
- Participated in and engaged with structured educational content
- Successfully met the course requirements
- Gained knowledge that may support professional development, academic preparation, or personal growth
A certificate of completion is not a degree, professional license, or guarantee of recognition. Acceptance of certificates varies across institutions, employers, and regulatory authorities. You should always verify whether a certificate will be accepted for your intended purpose before enrolling.
Across our programs, Frank Foundation learning materials are used by learners affiliated with more than 7,000 institutions worldwide, including universities, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, public health agencies, and training programs. Learners choose our courses to build foundational knowledge, supplement formal education, prepare for advanced study, or support professional development in diverse settings. This broad adoption reflects the flexibility, academic rigor, and practical relevance of our materials, while still allowing learners and institutions to determine how each course fits their specific requirements.
Understanding Accreditation: Three Different Types
The word “accreditation” means different things in different contexts. Understanding these distinctions will help you evaluate what our offerings provide.
1. Continuing Education Accreditation (Course-Level)
Some courses carry formal accreditation from professional bodies, allowing you to earn continuing education credits toward maintaining a credential or meeting employer requirements. This accreditation applies to individual courses, not to an entire program or degree.
2. Competency-Based Recognition (Skills Verification)
Some courses award digital badges that verify demonstrated skills. These badges provide portable, verifiable evidence of what you can do, which you can share with employers. This is skills recognition, not academic credit.
3. Degree Program Accreditation (Institutional)
Academic degrees require a formal degree-conferring institution with legal authority to award degrees. Accreditation applies to the institution and program, not to individual courses. To earn an accredited degree, you must complete all requirements through an authorized institution.
Our Accredited Offerings
While most Frank Foundation courses provide certificates of completion, we offer three pathways with formal accreditation or recognition:
Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP)
Type: Continuing Education Accreditation
Accrediting Body: NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
What You Earn: Continuing education (CE) credits accepted toward national credentialing by the NAADAC Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP). In many cases, these credits are also accepted by state licensing and certification bodies.
Important: This accreditation applies only to designated ATHP courses and is for continuing education, not degree completion.
Humanitarian U
Type: Competency-Based Recognition
Accrediting Body: HPass
What You Earn: Digital competency badges stored in your personal HPass wallet. These badges provide portable, verifiable evidence of demonstrated skills that you can share with employers, partners, and humanitarian organizations.
Important: HPass accreditation focuses on skills recognition and workforce readiness, not academic credit or degree conferral.
Public Health U with EUCLID University
Type: Accredited Degree Pathway
Degree-Conferring Institution: EUCLID University, an intergovernmental, treaty-based institution established in 2008
What You Can Earn: Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Education in Health Professions (MEHP), or doctoral degrees
Requirements: Complete the required advanced certificates and a dissertation through the Public Health U program
Important: This is currently our only accredited degree pathway. Learners should verify that EUCLID degrees are recognized for their intended purpose in their country.
A Note on Equivalency
In some cases, institutions, employers, or academic programs may independently determine that our courses are equivalent to their own requirements. This means they have reviewed our content and determined that it is comparable in scope, rigor, and learning outcomes to what they offer.
Equivalency decisions are made solely by the receiving institution and are not guaranteed. Because these decisions vary widely by context, you should always confirm acceptance before enrolling if you intend to use a course for academic credit, professional advancement, or licensure. In many cases, our courses are recognized for equivalency credit.
Your Responsibilities
Each course includes a disclaimer explaining how the content is intended for use. This is especially important in regulated fields such as nursing, public health, and healthcare. For example, our nursing courses emphasize that the content is educational, that completion does not qualify learners to practice nursing, and that learners must meet local regulatory and licensing requirements.
Before enrolling, please:
- Verify that the credential meets your specific needs with your employer, university, or regulatory body
- Read the course disclaimer to understand what the course does and does not provide
- Confirm any equivalency or recognition in advance if you plan to use the course for credit or licensure
Summary
Most Frank Foundation courses provide certificates of completion that confirm your learning, but are not degrees, licenses, or accredited credentials.
ATHP courses offer NAADAC-accredited continuing education credits for addiction professionals.
Humanitarian U courses offer HPass-accredited digital competency badges for skills verification.
Public Health U with EUCLID University offers our only accredited degree pathway for MPH, MEHP, and doctoral degrees.
We use the term “accredited” only when a course or program has formal, verifiable accreditation for a defined purpose. Our goal is to help you navigate your educational journey with confidence and clarity.