European Approach

The European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes (European Approach, EA) is applied to evaluation or accreditation procedures for joint programmes with the aim that the evaluation or accreditation decision can be recognised in all partner countries participating in the programme. Since different conditions and requirements may apply depending on national regulations, the universities should therefore inquire about the recognition options in the respective countries prior to the evaluation procedure, provide evidence of this information and name specific contact persons in the respective country (national authorities such as ministry, agency, accreditation council etc.).

The European Approach is generally designed for all joint programmes (including double degrees and other cooperative constellations). The cooperation partners should decide jointly whether the evaluation of their study programme should follow the European Approach. ACQUIN can only provide advice in this regard, considering that the EA entails a certain additional effort, which must be taken into account in the cost calculation and in the schedule for the procedure.

The programme is assessed using the standards for quality assurance of joint programmes in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in accordance with the requirements and assessment criteria of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes based on the document “Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes in the EHEA: European Approach” as well as the “European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)“.

When applying the European Approach, the assessment must be carried out by an agency listed in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), which includes ACQUIN.

Guidelines
for International Programme Accreditation Procedures following the European Approach (EA)