What are the benefits of an international accreditation?
Achieving an international accreditation certifies that the individual program complies with the quality standards of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Upon successful completion of the procedure, universities will receive a certificate as well as report on the quality of the program.
Depending on national regulations, an international accreditation may be obtained in addition to a national accreditation or it may substitute national requirements.
An international program accreditation is also a quality enhancement tool; external reviews from experts outside the national higher education system provide expertise and guidance. The focus is thus put on quality enhancement and the further development of programs. It may be initiated as a strategic means by the university management or may be motivated by individual institutes or program coordinators.
An international accreditation may also increase international acceptance of degrees and foster mobility of students, staff and research activities. A positive result may have effects on the scope and composition of cooperation projects as well as on the general visibility of the higher education institution. By raising the profile of a program an increase in student numbers and projects may be envisaged.
ASSCU offers program accreditation at Bachelor, Master and PhD-level across all disciplines.
Criteria
ASSCU international accreditation is based on the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ESG) as common standards for internal and external quality assurance in learning and teaching.
The ESG have been drafted by several European associations and networks, among them ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), ESU (European Students’ Union), EUA (European University Association) and EURASHE (European Association of Institutions in Higher Education) and have been agreed upon by all 48 participating European states of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Our criteria for program accreditation are based on the ESG. We have translated the rather general ESG standards into concrete and transparent criteria and indicators, which are accessible for higher education institutions, experts and other stakeholders. Our criteria and indicators were defined and agreed by the ASSCU Accreditation Commission for Program Accreditation.
Costs
Upon your request we will provide you with an individual cost calculation and all relevant information on the procedure.
The costs for an international procedure depend on the kind and number of programs to be accredited. Procedures may be carried out with one individual program or with a cluster of affiliated programs. Factors which affect the costs are thus the number of panel members and the number of days for the site visit.
