Minimum Standards & Criteria for Accreditation

 

The assessment of a course of study within the accreditation procedure aims to determine whether the course of study to be accredited fullfils the minimum quality standards which are aligned with the provisions by the University Framework Law (HRG) and the decisions of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, and set by the Accreditation Council .

The central questions for the assessment of the course of study concept are mainly concerned with the following four aspects:

  • Quality of the Curriculum: The teaching and educational goals and the reasons for the introduction of course of study must be explained.

  • Professional Qualification: The goal, the profile and the orientation of the course of study must contribute to the professional qualification of the graduates, and if possible, it must be estimated what kind of career development is possible within the different professional fields.

  • Human Resources Potential: The human resources must correspond to the concept of the course of study and to the objectives the course of study is based on.

  • Equipment: The space and equipment to carry out the course of study must be available.

The applications for accreditations of courses of study must be aligned with the following criteria and contain information on these items:

  • Rationale of the Course of Study: Goal, orientation, projected goal, reasons for the introduction of the course of study, regional requirements, international collaboration, innovation
  • Subject and content-related Requirements: Structure and duration of the corse of study, projected teaching methods, examination procedure, modularisation, credit point system and ECTS, and admission requirements for Master's courses of study
  • Human Resources and Materials Equipment: Number and structure of the teaching body, qualification of the teaching body, facilities such as lecture halls, labs, libraries, and computing
  • Quality Assurance Measures: Evaluation during the course of study, graduate surveys, support services, such as departmental advising, office hours, and mentoring programs
  • Studies-related Collaborations: Scope and type of the collaboration with other universities, research institutions, alumni networks

Further information regarding the mininum accreditation standards and criteria set be the Accreditation Council can be found on the Accreditation Council's pages.