The purpose of this study is to examine the tension that a graduate education field called non-profit management education (NME) faces as it decides whether or not to adopt accreditation. The tension at hand is the politically wrought process of accreditation and the challenge many professional graduate education programs face in maintaining distinctive characteristics of their programs while conforming to the perceived legitimate norms within the larger field of higher education.,This case study is focused on a multi-day Summit, collecting data from participant presentations and discussions, observations and field notes and documents. Inductive coding and deductive coding are used to analyze data, framed under the theoretical framework of organizational legitimacy, strategy and homogeneity.,Three major themes are identified that illuminate the inherent tension between the ambiguous nature of legitimacy and the structured character of accreditation: arguing the field is unique, establishing threats to innovation and drawing boundaries.,This study offers unique insights into the political nature of accreditation and its ties to legitimacy for professional graduate education programs. With the expansion of graduate education into more applied fields and the increased pressure to provide programs that are directly related to professional and career advancement, many programs may benefit from accreditation standards while garnering legitimacy. However, it is imperative that those seeking accreditation understand they may risk losing the very elements that make their programs distinct.

中文翻译：

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认证在研究生非营利管理教育中建立学术合法性中的作用

这项研究的目的是要检验一种名为非营利管理教育（NME）的研究生教育领域在决定是否采用认证时所面临的压力。当前的紧张局势是政治上的认证过程，也是许多专业研究生教育计划在保持其计划的鲜明特色的同时，还要在更大的高等教育领域遵循公认的合法规范所面临的挑战。本案例研究的重点是为期多天的峰会，从参与者的演讲和讨论，观察以及实地记录和文件中收集数据。在组织合法性，策略和同质性的理论框架下，归纳编码和演绎编码用于分析数据。确定了三个主要主题，阐明了合法性模棱两可的本质与认证的结构化特征之间的内在张力：争辩领域独特，对创新构成威胁并划定界限。本研究为认证和认证的政治本质提供了独特见解。它与专业研究生教育计划的合法性有关。随着研究生教育扩展到更多的应用领域，以及提供与职业和职业发展直接相关的课程的压力越来越大，许多课程可能会在获得合法性的同时受益于认证标准。但是，当务之急是那些寻求认证的人必须明白，他们可能会失去使他们的计划与众不同的要素。