Guidelines for

the Accreditation of Programmes

by FIBAA

This document is protected by copyright. It may be used, commercialised,or published only with the express approval of FIBAA.
Content

Preface ................................................................................................................................. 3
Part I: Programme Accreditation ........................................................................................ 4
1. Object ............................................................................................................................ 4
2. Aspects of the quality of study programmes .................................................................. 5
3. FIBAA Quality Seal for Programmes and FIBAA Premium Seal .................................... 5
3.1 FIBAA Quality Seal for Programmes .................................................................... 5
3.2 FIBAA Premium Seal ............................................................................................. 5
4. Procedural Steps ........................................................................................................... 6
4.1 Admission criteria ................................................................................................. 6
4.2 Inquiry and contract .............................................................................................. 7
4.3 Self-evaluation report ............................................................................................ 7
4.4 Date for On-Site Visit ............................................................................................. 7
4.5 Appointment of the review panel .......................................................................... 8
4.6 Assessment of the self-evaluation report ............................................................ 8
4.7 On-Site Visit ........................................................................................................... 8
4.8 Assessment Report ..............................................................................................11
4.9 Decision-making and result of the procedure ....................................................11
4.10 Fulfillment and proof of fulfillment of conditions, where applicable ...............12
Option to appeal: ........................................................................................................13
Part II: The Self-Evaluation Report ....................................................................................15
1. Basic principles.............................................................................................................15
2. Checklist Programme Accreditation ..............................................................................16
3. Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)...............................................................................18

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Preface

Following the implementation of the Bologna Process and the introduction of Bachelor and
Master programmes, higher education institutions were granted greater freedom in the con-
figuration of their study programmes. The quality of the programmes – and of the acquired
qualifications – has been made transparent to the public through external assessment (ac-
creditation).
FIBAA is a European, internationally oriented agency for quality assurance and quality de-
velopment in higher education. We see ourselves as a partner for Higher Education Institu-
tions and comparable education providers. With many years of experience and our large
network of experts, we accompany and support you in every step of your quality strategy.The
disciplinary focus of our activities is on management studies, law, social sciences and eco-
nomics.
A thorough preparation of the evaluation procedure is crucial for its effective execution. The
following guidelines will facilitate your preparation by providing information on the object, the
criteria and the different stages of the programme accreditation. They will furthermore offer
you advice on the compilation of your self-documentation. Please contact us if you have any
further questions.

Your FIBAA Team

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Part I: Programme Accreditation

1. Object
FIBAA accredits Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes. We conduct so-called “initial ac-
creditations” of new or established programmes as well as “re-accreditations” of programmes
that have been accredited in the past. All accreditation procedures are conducted based on
FIBAA’s own quality standards (see “aspects of the quality of study programmes”), the meet-
ing of which will lead to the awarding of the FIBAA Quality Seal.
Even if a study programme has not yet produced graduates, it will be assessed by the same
criteria as an already established programme. Quality criteria which are essential for study
programmes and marked (*) as so-called asterisk criteria must at least achieve the rating
“Meets quality requirements”. If any of these criteria is not met, this will lead to the imposition
of a respective condition upon the accreditation. Other quality criteria assessed with a “Not
met” have no such condition as a consequence but may lead to a recommendation, which,
however, does not compromise the accreditation. The deadline for meeting conditions is
usually nine months and can, in well-founded cases, be reduced or extended (by a maximum
of six months).

In the initial accreditation and re-accreditation of established programmes, the following as-
pects must be given particular attention:
 Evaluation of the programme’s success, e.g. through interviews with graduates and
alumni-tracking studies,
 Review of the calculations of the student workload in the individual modules,
 Assessment of evaluation results and
 Assessment of the statistical data relating to enrolment rate, first-year student count,
the percentage of foreign students, graduation rate, the average duration of study and
the average final grade.
Additionally, experts will offer recommendations for the further development of the pro-
gramme.
As part of the re-accreditaton procedure, the measures taken by the HEI in order to comply
with the recommendations of an earlier accreditation must be reviewed together with all ma-
jor changes concerning the study programme (i.e. changes to programme content, modulari-
sation/ECTS, staff, equipment, cooperation agreements, etc.).
It is the aim of FIBAA’s accreditation procedure to provide you with incentives and instru-
ments for further development of your study programme through sophisticated assessment,
the experts’ recommendations, internationally valid quality criteria, the opportunity of the
awarding of the FIBAA Premium Seal and the compilation of results in a quality profile. The
accreditation serves the creation of transparency of the study programmes’ quality for the
public and ensures international comparability.
The quality of a study programme is evaluated in a peer review process. It will be examined if
and in how far the FIBAA quality criteria are met in the development and implementation of a
study programme. The awarding of the FIBAA Quality Seal documents the conformity of a
study programme with these criteria.

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2. Aspects of the quality of study programmes
The quality of study programmes is measured mainly by three aspects:
 Content: Does the programme possess an adequate qualification objective and are
the necessary contents and competences conveyed within the programme (e.g. cor-
respondence with the national or European qualification framework)?
 Form: Does the programme’s formal configuration conform to the relevant standards
(e.g. with regard to its admission criteria, the awarded degree, its modularisation, the
calculation of its workload, design of its examinations etc.)?
 Resources: Are sufficient resources in the form of qualified (teaching and administra-
tive) staff and facilities (e.g. number of rooms and student work places, equipment of
seminar rooms, access to study relevant literature) available for the execution of the
study programme?
FIBAA assesses the programme’s quality by means of 54 quality criteria, of which 29 have
been rated essential for study programmes and are marked as so-called asterisk criteria (*).
The FIBAA quality standards, in the form of questions and quality requirement, are allocated
to five chapters of the so-called FIBAA Assessment Guide for Programme Accreditation re-
ferred to “Objectives”, “Admission”, “Contents, Structure and Didactical Concept”, “Academic
Environment and Framework Conditions” and “Quality Assurance and Documentation”, in
which the study programmes’ different aspects are examined and assessed.
Each requirement is clearly defined and identified through a regularly monitored benchmark.
An individual profile that clearly displays the study programme’s quality is achieved by means
of the orientation on prevalent quality standards.

3. FIBAA Quality Seal for Programmes and FIBAA Premium Seal

3.1 FIBAA Quality Seal for Programmes
For study programmes that have successfully been accredited according to FIBAA’s interna-
tional quality standards, the FIBAA Quality Seal for programmes is awarded. This seal inter-
nally and externally confirms the high quality of your study programme.

3.2 FIBAA Premium Seal

We are the only accreditation agency awarding a Premium Seal for established degree pro-
grammes that have demonstrated their outstanding quality in studies and teaching. The seal
provides prospective students, graduates, other higher education institutions as well as em-
ployers with reliable orientation on the outstanding quality of the degree programme.

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Principles for the Awarding of the FIBAA Premium Seal
FIBAA sets particular standards in all of its five core areas (“Objectives”, “Admission”, “Con-
tents”, Structure and Didactical Concept”, “Academic Environment and Framework Condi-
tions” and “Quality Assurance and Documentation”) when awarding the Premium Seal to a
degree programme.
The Premium Seal can only be awarded to degree programmes that are already established
in the market. The Premium Seal is not conferred if the accreditation is granted with condi-
tions. However, once the conditions have been met and the fundamental requirements have
been achieved, the Premium Seal can be awarded at a later stage.

Procedure:
To start with, each evaluation criterion is assigned between 1 and 4 points (the more points
scored, the better). The number of points scored for the assessment criteria is determined
by the question of which of the programme’s aspects are central to the acquisition of career-
related competencies. In each case, the number of points is multiplied by a defined factor,
depending on the assessors’ appraisal. The weighting for the evaluation levels is defined as
follows:

Excellent: 3
Exceeds the Quality Requirements: 2
Meets the Quality Requirements: 1
Fails to Meet the Quality Requirements: -2

The benchmark is set at 100%, equal to the assessment: "Exceeds the Quality Require-
ments". If this evaluation level does not exist for a criterion, it is set at “Meets the Quality
Requirements”.
To attain the Premium Seal a score of least 60% of the points must be achieved in all five
core areas. The Premium Seal is awarded if, in addition to this, at least 65% of the total
number of points have been scored.
If a criterion is assessed as "not relevant", it will not be considered when calculating the
points needed for the awarding of the Premium Seal.
If the requirements for the Premium Seal are not achieved, although the requirements
needed for an accreditation have been met, FIBAA will award its "normal" Quality Seal.

4. Procedural Steps
4.1 Admission criteria
The admission to FIBAA’s accreditation procedures can only be granted to public and state-
approved institutions, and to those that are in the process of state-approval. Without state-
approval of the HEI, no FIBAA accreditation procedure will be conducted.

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4.2 Inquiry and contract
For initial information and in order for us to be able to provide you with a tailor-made quota-
tion, we ask you to complete and return our application form. We are then able to provide
you with a non-binding quotation and discuss the desired timetable for the accreditation pro-
cedure with you. Before your application, we are happy to inform you about the content and
work stages of a programme accreditation in a preparatory discussion.

4.3 Self-evaluation report

Upon the conclusion of the contract you will compose a description of all relevant aspects of
the study programme. If several programmes are to be accredited in a cluster, please com-
pile them in one self-evaluation report. The report is based on the Assessment Guide for the
Accreditation of Programmes in Management Studies, Economics, Law and Social Sciences
by FIBAA, which will support you in the steps of describing your study programme by provid-
ing questions to the aspects of “Objectives”, “Admission”, “Contents, Structure and Didactical
Concept”, “Academic Environment and Framework Conditions” and “Quality Assurance and
Documentation”. The report should not exceed 60 pages; in case of a cluster accreditation,
10 additional pages per study programme are acceptable. Please include the relevant ap-
pendices, which need to be prepared in any case in the framework of planning and imple-
menting the study programme (e.g. regulatios and module descriptions). Furthermore, please
include information on results of previous accreditation/evaluation procedures from the last
two years as we may consider them in our accreditation procedure.
As soon as you have submitted your self-evaluation report, we will name a FIBAA project
manager as your contact and begin the evaluation procedure. In a first step, your self-
evaluation report will be checked for completeness (see checklist p. 16). In case of missing
documents or information we will let you know in good time and ask you to submit these.

Peer-Review process

The assessment of study programmes follows along the lines of the Peer-Review process:
Competent reviewers discuss the study programme’s relevant aspects based on written
information/documentation with representatives of the HEI in a constructive-critical dialogue.
The expert panel then compiles an assessment report based on the results which includes a
recommendation for the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee as decision-
making body.

4.4 Date for On-Site Visit

You and your FIBAA project manager will agree a date for the expert panel’s on-site visit. In
urgent cases the on-site visit may take place prior to the submission of the self-evaluation
report. Please contact the project leader for programme accreditation as early as possible to
find an arrangement on this matter.
Please note that, upon prior agreement, four to six months can lie between the submission of
your self-evaluation report and the decision through FIBAA Accreditation and Certification
Committee (F-ACC). The F-ACC meets four times a year. Please check our Homepage for
the specific dates.
In order to assure a quick and smooth procedure, please let us know in good time (upon
conclusion of the contract) which of the F-ACC meetings you envisage. We will then be able
to develop a schedule and to have all relevant resources available.

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4.5 Appointment of the review panel
After the agreement on possible dates for the on-site visit, FIBAA will appoint the review
panel and confirm the on-site visit. We will inform you on the compilation of the review panel
in good time before the visit. In case of any impediments from your side (e.g. possible partial-
ity), the panel will be adequately modified. The final decision on the compilation of the review
panel lies with FIBAA.
Review Panel

The compilation of the review panel should ensure the experts’ evaluation of all areas rele-
vant for the accreditation procedure (e.g. subject-specific aspects, structural and formal
aspects, social aspects). Members of the review panel especially include experts from the
field of academia, students and experts from professional practice.

A FIBAA review panel consists of at least five people, including:

 Two experts from the field of academia, one of which a university professor and
one a professor of a unviersity of applied sciences,
 One expert from professional practice,
 One country expert who is familiar with the respective national Higher Education
Area and
 One student member.

For the accreditation of a distance learning programme the expert panel will be comple-
mented by an expert for distance lerning; for the accreditation of a cooperative programme
an expert for cooperative studying will be called in.

FIIBAA experts receive regular training and are called in as experts by FIBAA only after a
trial period. FIBAA has a pool of experts at its disposal made up of approximately 750
proven international experts in their respective fields, from professional practice and the
student body.

4.6 Assessment of the self-evaluation report

As soon as we receive your confirmation on the expert panel, the experts receive the pro-
gramme’s self-evaluation report for assessment. Should they require additional information,
we will forward their requests to you in good time.

4.7 On-Site Visit

The on-site visit through the expert panel is usually conducted no sooner than eight weeks
after the submission of your self-documentation. The experts will separately interview the
representatives of the HEI, e.g. the management, teaching staff and students of the pro-
grammes, but also administrative staff and in some cases graduates as well as representa-
tives of cooperating institutions and companies. It should be generally ensured that different
interlocutors are chosen for the individual interviews and that possible doubling in the inter-
views through candidates holding more than one function is avoided. The on-site visit usually
takes 2 days, it may take longer if more than one study programme is assessed, and it ends
with a first feedback by the experts concerning the conformity of the study programme with
the relevant requirements.

The time schedule and the compilation of the meetings depend on various factors, such as
the programme’s profile or the interlocutors’ availability, and are agreed upon by your FIBAA

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 project manager together with you. Concerning the choice of student representatives, it is to
be ensured that they are not employed by the university in any way (e.g. as tutor or student
employer).

Example of a time schedule for an on-site visit

1st Day:
Until 9:00 Transfer to HEI

9:00 – 10:00 Reception

(Room) - Introduction of the FIBAA Team
- Introduction of the HEI

Short presentation (approx. 15 mins) on the structure, classification and goals

of the study programmes at hand in the overall structure and strategy of the
HEI, or the associated faculty, possibly including a following discussion.

10:00 – 12:00 Internal panel deliberation including insight of given materials (teaching
(Room) and learning materials, examinations results, final theses, etc.)

12:00 – 13:00 lunch/snack

(Room)

13:00 – 15:30 Panel interview with the programme management of the pro-
(Room) grammes (no presentation)

Main topics:
Goals and position of the programme in regard to labour and educational mar-
ket, internationality, curriculum (structure and content, employability), examina-
tion frequency and organisation, teaching and learning, support of students,
programme administration, research, specifics of the PhD

15:30 – 15:45 Break

15:45 – 17:30 Panel interview with lecturers (full-time and part-time lecturers, two
(Room) lecturers from each programme, one interview with all participants, no
presentation)

Main topics:
Support of students, teaching content, didactics/methods, involvement in deci-
sion making, staff education and qualification, internal cooperation and ex-
change/commutation

17:30 – 19:00 Internal panel deliberation

19.00 Transfer to the hotel

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2nd Day:
Until 9:00 Transfer to HEI

9.00 – 9:30 Internal panel deliberation (if necessary insight of given materials)
(Room)

9:30 – 10:30 Panel interview with students and graduates (one student and one
(Room) graduate per programme, one interview with all participants, no presen-
tation)

Main topics:
Study structure, study process, study content, consultation and support for stu-
dents, examination organization, potentially internships, terms abroad, field
trips, working conditions, administration support, workload, involvement in deci-
sion making, evaluations)

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:45 Panel interview with the administration staff (one interview with all
participants, no presentation)

(Room) Main topics:

- support of students
- - programme organisation
- career consulting
- alumni activities
- issues on internationality
- financing
- quality management

11:45 – 12:30 Round tour through/inspection of building

(seminar rooms, computer cluster, library etc.)

12.30 – 13:30 lunch/snack

(Room)

13.30 -15.30 Internal panel deliberation

(Room)

15.30 - 16.00 Final review

(Room)  Resume/summary on the impressions left by the visit
 Next line of action

Approx. 16.00 End of on-site visit

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4.8 Assessment Report
Based on the self-evaluation report and on further information if necessary, as well as on the
insights gained during the on-site visit, the expert panel will draft an assessment report.
The structure of the report follows the structure of the Assessment Guide. The report in-
cludes the experts’ evaluation of the conformity of the proramme’s essential features with
relevant standards and requirements as well as a decision recommendation for the FIBAA
Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC). A copy of the report will be forwarded to
you for a statement, excluding the decision recommendation. Should the expert panel rec-
ommend a suspension of the procedure (see results of the procedure), you will receive the
complete assessment report, including the decision recommendation.

4.9 Decision-making and result of the procedure

F-ACC discusses the assessment result (report) and decides on the programme accredita-
tion, taking your statement into consideration. F-ACC meets approx. four times a year; the
specific dates are published on our homepage. F-ACC may decide on:
 Accreditation
 Accreditaion with conditions
 Refusal of Accreditation

In the case of a positive result (without conditions) of the procedure, the study programme
receives accreditation for 5 years (in case of an initial accreditation/ concept accreditation) or
7 years (in case of re-accreditation).

Even if a study programme has not yet produced graduates, it will be assessed by the same
criteria as an already established programme. Quality criteria which are essential for study
programmes and marked (*) as so-called asterisk criteria, must at least achieve the rating
“Meets quality requirements”. If any of these criteria is not met, this will lead to the imposition
of a respective condition upon the accreditation. Other quality criteria assessed with a “Not
met” have no such condition as a consequence but may lead to a recommendation, which,
however, does not compromise the accreditation. The deadline for meeting conditions is
usually nine months and can, in well-founded cases, be reduced or extended (by a maximum
of six months).
The FIBAA Quality Seal is awarded if a maximum of seven asterisk criteria has not been met
and only if at least criteria 1.1 and 3.1.1 are both met (conditions may never be imposed on
these two criteria). If more than seven asterisk criteria are not met or if at least one of criteria
1.1 and 3.1.1 is not met, the accreditation will be refused and a new accreditation can be
applied for only after a blocking period of one year.
Established programmes which have already produced graduates and which have received
extraordinary results in study and teaching that considerable exceed FIBAA’s quality criteria
will be awarded the FIBAA Premium Seal. It provides prospective students, graduates, other
higher education institutions as well as employers with reliable orientation on the outstanding
quality of the degree programme.
For study programmes which have successfully been accredited without or with conditions,
the FIBAA Quality Seal will be awarded, in the latter case listing the conditions.

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FIBAA subsequently hands out the assessment report and the accreditation certificate to the
HEI. The complete assessment report will be published on FIBAA’s website and in EQAR’s
Database of External Quality Assurance Results (DEQAR1).

4.10 Fulfillment and proof of fulfillment of conditions, where applicable

The meeting of the condition is to be proven within the deadline. The submission of the rele-
vant documents (e.g. modified admission regulation) usually suffices (see guidelines for
meeting of conditions). The documents, including a statement by the expert panel, are sub-
mitted to F-ACC for confirmation of the fulfilled conditions and discussed in the subsequent
F-ACC meeting. In the case of exclusively formal conditions (e.g. pending approval of exam-
ination regulation), FIBAA will attend to the documents without the consultation of the expert
panel. If F-ACC regards the conditions as having been met, this decision will be stated in a
report and the accreditation certificate and the assessment report will be modified according-
ly.

In the event that the university is not able to prove that it has met the conditions within the
given deadline, an application for a one-off deadline extension (3 months max.) is possible in
reasonable cases. If the conditions are not met within the deadline or the extended deadline,
the accreditation of the study programme will be withdrawn.

1 https://www.eqar.eu/qa-results/search/by-institution/

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Option to appeal:
We generally propose that you approach us directly in case of problemes during the accredi-
tation process. Solutions can usually be found during the further course of the procedure and
misunderstandings can often be clarified. Within the framework of your statement to the as-
sessment report, you are given the opportunity to point out aspects that, from your point of
view, are not represented or assessed correctly. Prior to F-ACC’s decision-making, the ex-
pert panel engages with the criticised aspects anew and may change the report accordingly.
If you feel that the assessment report and the recommendations given therein are still not
appropriately deduced, there is furthermore the option of lodging a reasoned appeal to
FIBAA within a period of one month after written notification of the decision. In this case, F-
ACC – after a statement by the experts – will attend to the programme and to the HEI’s
statements anew. Should the committee agree with the HEI’s arguments for complaint, the
accreditation decision may be changed directly. If no agreement is found, the FIBAA Appeal
Committee will be asked to examine in detail the accreditation procedure, its results and the
complaints brought forward by the institution and to submit a well-founded recommendation
to F-ACC (“appeal procedure”). Based on this recommendation F-ACC will again discuss the
accreditation decision in a subsequent meeting and come to a concluding decision.

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 Overview of the procedural steps of a programme accreditation

 Higher Education Institution (HEI) FIBAA 

Contact FIBAA

Preparatory meeting between HEI and FIBAA if necessary

 Submission of completed application form to FIBAA

Calculation of procedural costs and preparation of offer

 Contract conclusion
 Drafting of self-evaluation report
 Date proposal for on-site visit
Compiling of expert panel;
Appointment and planning of on-site visit;
Possibly request for further information
 Coordination of on-site visit’s organisation (internally and with FIBAA)

Experts‘ on-site visit at HEI

Submission of assessment report draft without

decision recommendation to the institution for statement.

 Statement of HEI
Consideration of HEI’s statement by expert panel;
Completion of assessment report

Decision-making by FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee

Submission of assessment report and in some cases of accreditation certificate,

including a list of conditions and deadlines for meeting the conditions where applicable;
Publishing of assessment report on FIBAA’s website and in DEQAR

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Part II: The Self-Evaluation Report

1. Basic principles
The self-evaluation report serves as a basis for the experts to assess the study programme;
it is therefore of fundamental importance for the accreditation’s success. Experience shows
that sufficient time should be scheduled for the compilation of the self-evaluation report – a
report that has been compiled “on the final leg” may include inconsistencies, not all relevant
people may be acquainted with it, or it may not be coordinated sufficiently with other places.
A first recommendation for the compilation of the self-evaluation report is therefore:
Start in good time.

The accreditation system is “alive“: On the basis of the players’ experiences in the system
and against the background of national and international developments, the standards and
requirements are constantly evolving. Standards that were in place for the first accreditation
of a study programme five years ago may meanwhile have changed. In some cases, what
used to be “only” important may now be crucial for success. Therefore:
Check for the latest regulations.

In a peer review process the assessment is usually performed by external experts (so-called
“external quality assurance”). They are appointed in order to look at the matters with a “view
from the outside” and to arrive at an unbiased assessment. The experts are therefore natu-
rally not familiar with internal matters, which should be considered when compiling the self-
evaluation report. Therefore another recommendation is:
Do not presuppose institution-specific knowledge.

The self-evaluation report gives a first impression of the programme’s quality. It intends to
describe relevant aspects and to offer answers; it may, however, also raise new questions.
The more consistent the descriptions, the easier it is to understand the self-evaluation report.
Predications should always be conclusive from previously given information. For a good self-
evaluation report you should therefore:
Offer consistent information.

Please attach all relevant appendices, such as regulations, contracts etc. (see Checklist Ap-
pendices to Self-Report of the HEI) to the self-evaluation report. In case of missing attach-
ments, we will remind you to submit them. During the compilation of the self-evaluation report
please note that you will be expected to:
Prove essential information.

It is important to FIBAA to balance income and expenses of an accreditation procedure. This

should be reflected in the self-evaluation report. Precise information regarding the essential
facts as well as, if necessary, references to relevant attachments, which in any case need to
be prepared for planning and implementing the study programme, are recommended. The
Assessment Guide steers you through the individual topics and it illustrates the information
that really matters for the assessment of the quality standards. The self-evaluation report
should not exceed 60 pages (excluding appendices). A last principle is therefore:
Focus on essential facts.

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2. Checklist Programme Accreditation

Completed?
Self-affirmation
The formal configuration of the study programme conforms to the relevant
regulations in their CURRENT version
□
The configuration of the content of the study programme conforms to the relevant □
regulations in their CURRENT version

Self-evaluation report:
On the basis of FIBAA’s Assessment Guide, the following aspects are to be elaborated on:

Objectives
□
Admission
□
Contents, Structure and Didactical Concept
□
Academic Environment and Framework Conditions
□
Quality Assurance and Documentation
□
Appendices to Self-Report:
Organigram (chapter 0.1)
□
Statistical Data (chapter 0.2) (see sample document of FIBAA*)
□
Regulations for admission (if this is not integrated in the study and
examination regulations) (chapter 2)
□
Curriculum overview/ course timetable (chapter 3.1/3.2) (see sample
document of FIBAA*)
□
Module descriptions/ syllabi (chapter 3.1/3.2) (see sample document of
FIBAA*)
□
Study and examination regulations incl. regulations on credit transfer and
recognition (chapter 3.2)
□
Diploma Supplement (chapter 3.2)
□
Learning Agreement, where applicable (chapter 3.2) (exemplary)
□
Regulations for practical training/ internship, where applicable (chapter 3.2)
□
Curriculum vitae of lecturers (full-time and part-time) (see sample
document of FIBAA*) (chapter 4.1) □
Cooperation agreements related to the study programme, where applicable
(chapter 4.3) □
Regulations of Quality management (chapter 5)
□
Evaluation sheets/ survey examples (chapter 5)
□
* Sample documents can be downloaded from FIBAA’s website: https://www.fibaa.org/en/accreditation-
certification/procedures-at-programme-level/programme-accreditation-according-to-the-international-
quality-standards-of-fibaa/

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Preparation for On-Site Visit

Suggestions for date of on-site visit

Internal agreement □
Agreement with FIBAA
□
General organisational matters
Advise HEI members of the accreditation procedure in good time
□
Book rooms in a hotel in the HEI’s vicinity
□
Book a table for the experts‘ dinner in a restaurant
□
Organise snacks for experts (on two days)
□
Organise catering/drinks for the interviews
□
Set up wi-fi account for experts
□
Time management
Agree on schedule for on-site visit (start and duration of meetings) with FIBAA
□
Rooms for on-site visit
Book adequate conference room within the institution (to seat 15 min.)
□
Signpost the building/room if necessary □
Interlocutors
Agree on the compilation of the interviews with FIBAA □
Inform participants □
Create name tags/plates for experts and interlocutors □
Documents on site
Study- and teaching material (selection) □
Exams and final examinations (incl. assessment/evaluation and good, mediocre and
bad examinations for each) □
Internship reports, if applicable (6-8 for each study programme, incl.
assessment/evaluation, differently graded reports) □
Case studies (exemplary for the study programme) □
Information leaflets (for the study programme) □
Activity/annual report □
Information folder for students of study programmes with block teaching
accompanying their employment, if existent □
Evaluation assessment (results from the previous 2-3 years) □

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3. Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)

Please find below answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the following topics:

I- General information on the accreditation of study programmes

II- Self-evaluation report

III- Peer-review processes and on-site visit

IV- Decisions of FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC) and their conse-
quences

I- General information on the accreditation of study programmes

How long does a programme accreditation procedure take?

A programme accreditation generally takes 6 months from submission of the self-evaluation
report by the institution to a decision taken by the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification
Committee (F-ACC). Upon the conclusion of the contract, FIBAA will contact you in order to
agree on a schedule together.

II- Self-evaluation report

How should we produce our self-evaluation report?

The self-evaluation report should be produced based on the FIBAA Assessment Guide. This
document includes all the relevant quality standards in the form of questions and definitions
of the benchmarks.

By when should the self-evaluation report be submitted to FIBAA?

Self-evaluation reports should be submitted to FIBAA at the latest one year after conclusion
of the contract.

How many copies of the self-evaluation report should a HEI send to FIBAA?
FIBAA needs one self-evaluation report in electronic form (via e-mail, download link etc.).

What happens after the university has submitted its self-evaluation report?

After submitting the documentation, FIBAA will appoint a Project Manager, who will assume
responsibility for the coordination of the procedure and be your contact person throughout
the process. The project manager will arrange a date for the on-site visit in agreement with
the HEI.

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The FIBAA Expert Management Division will appoint a Review Panel.

After the self-evaluation report has been checked for completeness by FIBAA, the review
panel will check it for consistency, plausibility and conformity with the FIBAA Quality stand-
ards and international Guidelines and Targets. After this has been completed, the on-site
visit can take place.

III- Peer-review process and on-site visit

How are the experts chosen?
The assessment of study programmes follows along the lines of the "Peer-Review" process
proven in the academic field: Independent experts are selected in accordance with discipli-
nary criteria check and assess the objective facts and circumstances with the university as
equals. FIBAA’s strict system of criteria hereby assures unbiased and comprehensible exper-
tise at all times.
The expert panel is generally made up of at least five persons, two from the field of science
(one professor of a university and one professor of a university of applied sciences), one
from the field of professional practice (corporate or industry representatives), one country
expert who is familiar with re respective national Higher Education Area, and a student
member. FIBAA maintains a pool of more than 750 proven experts in their respective fields.
FIBAA sets a series of requirements for the appointing of experts. To qualify as an expert, it
is absolutely essential that an adequate understanding and knowledge of evaluation and
accreditation processes are assured. This is why FIBAA regularly offers training courses and
seminars for its experts that extend far beyond the statutory requirements.
The university is advised of who the members of a reviewer panel are in good time. To en-
sure that the reviewer panel is unbiased, FIBAA will give the university the opportunity to
submit any reasonable appeal. The university has neither nomination rights nor veto rights.

How is the on-site visit organised?

The site visit generally takes 2 days, depending on the number of programmes to be accred-
ited. The review panel gains a comprehensive overview of the study programme and the
contribution of all involved by carrying out numerous interviews with the university executive,
the teaching/academic staff, the students, graduates as well as administrative staff.

IV- Decisions of FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC) and their
Consequences

When does F-AC PROG meet?

F-ACC meets about four times a year at invervals of approx. three months. The dates for
meetings of the F-ACC can be found on FIBAA’s website. We usually agree on the envis-
aged meeting for F-ACC’s discussion of your procedure upon submission of your self-
evaluation report.

To which decisions can F-ACC come?

F-ACC can either decide to:
 Accredit the Degree Programme,

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  Accredit the Degree Programme with (max. 7) conditions (if a maximum of seven as-
terisk criteria has not been met and only if at least criteria 1.1 “Objectives of the study
programme” and 3.1.1 “Logic and conceptual coherence” are both met) or

 Refuse the Accreditation (If more than seven asterisk criteria are not met and/or if at
least one of criteria 1.1 and 3.1.1 is not met).
Before F-ACC makes its decision, the university will receive the Assessment Report draft,
excluding the experts’ decision recommendation, for a statement. All decisions taken by F-
ACC take the HEI’s statement into consideration.

How long are study programmes accredited for?

For Initial/ Concept Accreditation: 5 years.
For Re-Accreditation: 7 years.
If F-ACC decides to accedit the study programme subject to conditions, the accrediation du-
ration can be shortened.

What happens after a positive accreditation decision?

After a positive accreditation decision according to FIBAA’s quality standards the HEI re-
ceives the FIBAA Quality Seal for accredited programmes.
The accreditation results, the names of the participating experts and the assessment report
(under observance of all legal conditions for data protection) are published on FIBAA’s
Homepage (→ accredited study programmes) and in EQAR’s Database of External Quality
Assurance Results (DEQAR).

What happens in the event of a negative accreditation decision?

If FIBAA refuses an accreditation of a study programme, the new accreditation can only be
applied for after a blocking period of generally one year.

What happens in the event of an accreditation with conditions?

The university must prove that it has met the given condition(s) within a deadline of 9
months. Please consider the guidelines for the meeting of conditions in the process, which
we will be glad to forward to you upon request after F-ACC’s decision.
The proof submitted by the university is checked immediately by the review panel or by
FIBAA (in the case of formal conditions). Based on the expert panel’s/ FIBAA’s recommenda-
tions, F-ACC will decide whether the conditions have been met.
If the HEI is not able to prove that it has met the condition(s) within the given deadline, it can,
in reasonable cases, apply for a one-off deadline extension (6 months max.). Otherwise,
FIBAA will, after a notice and an appropriate additional respite, be required to withdraw the
study programme’s accreditation.

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What happens if the HEI does not agree with the decision of the F-ACC?
Each decision taken by the F-ACC will be communicated to the university with immediate
effect. As from this point, the university will have 1 month to lodge a written and substantiat-
ed appeal to FIBAA.
The university's appeal is initially checked by the FIBAA Appeals Committee. This committee
then recommends the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee. If F-ACC allows the
appeal, the case will be submitted to the FIBAA Appeal Committee for examination.
F-ACC will make the final decision.
Further information on the appeal procedure can be found on page 13.

When does FIBAA award its Premium Seal?

FIBAA awards the FIBAA-Premium-Seal to universities offering study programmes which
have already established themselves in the market and which have proven the excellent
quality of their studies and teaching within the scope of an accreditation process according to
the international quality standards of FIBAA.
This award confirms that a study programme as a whole clearly has an outstanding quality. It
provides potential students, students, graduates, universities and the employment market
with reliable orientation regarding the quality of the degree programme.
Further information on the principles for the awarding of the FIBAA Premium Seal can be
found on page 6.

Is the HEI allowed to make any changes to a previously accredited study programme?
Changes to the study programme are possible, sometimes even desirable, in the course of
continuous improvement and updating. If these changes are substantial (e.g. new location,
new content, new structure, new opportunity for specialisation) and if they affect the pro-
gramme’s conceptual design or profile, the university is obliged to report this to FIBAA in
order for us to check whether these changes may affect the programme’s quality and thus
need to be assessed anew.
FIBAA then decides whether the procedure may be shortened and whether it may be con-
ducted via conference call or if an evaluation on the basis of written documents is possible. If
you are unsure, it is always recommendable to contact FIBAA to inquire whether it is neces-
sary to report a change. We are happy to advise you.

Can the accreditation be revoked? If yes, in which cases?

In certain situations, FIBAA considers it as its duty to revoke the accreditation. This is the
case when,
 The HEI fails to meet the deadline set for redressing the conditions;
 The HEI fails to advise the accreditation agency of any reportable changes, although
these substantially affect the basis of the original accreditation.

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 Please contact us for further information:

Division Manager Programme Accreditation

[email protected] |
Tel: +49 (0)228 280356 0 | Fax: +49 (0)228 280356 20
FIBAA | Berliner Freiheit 20-24 | 53111 Bonn

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