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Higher education accreditation

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Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.

In most countries around the world, the function of educational accreditation for higher education is conducted by a government organization, such as a ministry of education. In the United States, however, the quality assurance process is independent of government and performed by private agencies.[1] Canada takes a unique positions, not allowing any accreditation by government or private agencies, causing some Canadian institutions to seek accreditation by American agencies.[2]

The United States-based Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a non-governmental organization, maintains an international directory which contains contact information of about 467 quality assurance bodies, accreditation bodies and ministries of education in 175 countries. The quality assurance and accreditation bodies have been authorized to operate by their respective governments either as agencies of the government or as private (non-governmental) organizations.[3] In September 2012, University World News reported the launching on an international division of the council.[4]

Albania

In Albania, the accreditation authority/national recognition body is the ASCAL – Quality Assurance Agency in Higher Education (Albanian: Agjencia e Sigurimit të Cilësisë në Arsimin e Lartë) which was established by Order of CM no. 171, dated 27.09.2010, “On approval of structure of Public Accreditation Agency on Higher Education”.

Australia

To award higher education qualifications in Australia, a provider must be registered with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).[5] Some providers, such as universities, can self-accredit their courses of study using their own academic governance structures and procedures. Most higher education providers must apply to have their courses accredited by TEQSA in order to award qualifications.

In many professional fields, practitioners must have studied a course accredited by the relevant professional body in order to be eligible for registration with that professional body. For example, registered nurses must have studied an eligible course in order to gain registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in order to be eligible to practice. It is the responsibility of the higher education provider to obtain professional accreditation for such courses.[6]

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Accreditation Council is an autonomous government agency responsible to accredit higher education institutes and academic program offering entities for quality assurance leading to international recognition. Established in 2017, the council is yet to start the accreditation process.

Canada

Canada does not have a system of national or regional accreditation. Provincial legislation and membership in the Universities Canada are substitutes. Some universities seek evaluation from American regional accreditation agencies.[7]

France

In France, the main accreditation authority is the Ministry of National Education.

  • Accreditation by collation of academic degrees – the first-tier accreditation. Whereas institutions of higher education issues diplomas, only the ministry can award degrees. It is the main accreditation level and automatically awarded to public universities.
  • Accreditation by visa – the second-tier accreditation. Only for private institutions.
  • Accreditation by recognition – the third-tier accreditation. Only for private institutions.

In some education fields, the ministry must take official advise from special bodies. The ministry follows in almost every case the body advice.

  • Business Schools – the official consultation body is the Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion. There are two levels of accreditation.
    • Accreditation by collation of master's degree
    • Accreditation by visa
  • Engineering Schools – the official consultation body is the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur. It is an accreditation authority for private schools, but only an advising body for public schools.
    • Accreditation of Engineer's degrees
  • Vocational education – the consultation body is the Commission Nationale de la Certification Professionnelle (National Commission for Vocational Certification).
    • Accreditation by inscription on the Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles (National Repertory of Vocational Certifications), which is a five-level listing.

The Conférence des Grandes écoles, which is a non-profit association, issues three types of accreditation:

  • Accreditation of Mastère Spécialisé (Specialized Master or Advanced Master), only in grandes écoles
  • Accreditation of Mastère en sciences (MSc), only in grandes écoles
  • Accreditation of Bilan d'aptitude délivré par les grandes écoles (Assessment of competency issued by grandes écoles), only in grandes écoles

French schools, mainly Business Schools, may seek non-French accreditation.

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Education in France

Education in France

Education in France is organized in a highly centralized manner, with many subdivisions. It is divided into the three stages of primary education, secondary education, and higher education. The main age that a child starts school in France is age 2. Two year olds do not start primary school, they start preschool. Then, by the age of six, a child in France starts primary school and soon moves onto higher and higher grade levels until they graduate.

Ministry of National Education (France)

Ministry of National Education (France)

The Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports, or simply Ministry of National Education, as the title has changed several times in the course of the Fifth Republic, is the Government of France cabinet member charged with running the country's public educational system and with the supervision of agreements and authorisations for private teaching organisations.

Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion

Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion

The Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion was created by Decree number 2001-295 on April 4, 2001 in order to give Master's degree accreditation to French business schools. The CEFDG includes 16 members from the Ministry of National Education and one from Economy.

Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur

Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur

Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur (CTI) is the main committee responsible for evaluation and accreditation of higher education institutions for the training of professional engineers in France. It regulates the issuance of the Diplôme d'ingénieur and use of the academic title of "Ingénieur Diplomé".

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to schools of business, and was later known as the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business and as the International Association for Management Education.

Association of MBAs

Association of MBAs

The Association of MBAs (AMBA) is a global organisation founded in 1967 which focuses primarily on international business school accreditation and membership.

European Foundation for Management Development

European Foundation for Management Development

The European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is an international not-for-profit association based in Brussels. Europe's largest network association in the field of management development, it has over 890 member organizations from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 88 countries. EFMD provides a forum for networking in management development.

EFMD Quality Improvement System

EFMD Quality Improvement System

The EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) is an international school accreditation system. It specializes in higher education institutions of management and business administration, run by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). EQUIS has accredited 189 institutions in 45 countries around the world. In 2022, Equis suspended all the Russian institutions from its ranking.

Germany

The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz or KMK) was founded in 1948 by an agreement between the states of the Federal Republic of Germany.[8] Among its core responsibilities, the KMK ensures quality development and continuity in tertiary education.[9] Bachelor and Master programs must be accredited in accordance to a resolution of the Kultusministerkonerenz.[10]

The German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) was founded on September 5, 1957 and conducts institutional accreditation of private and religious universities since 2001.[11]

The Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programs in Germany or Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat) was created in a KMK resolution on October 15, 2004.[12] The Accreditation Council certifies accreditation agencies and establishes guidelines and criteria for program and system accreditation.[13] There are currently ten certified agencies.[14]

  • AHPGS – Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Special Education, Care, Health Sciences and Social Work
  • AKAST – Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Canonical Study Programs
  • ACQUIN – Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute
  • AQAS – Agency for Quality Assurance by Accreditation of Study Programs
  • AQ Austria – Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria
  • ASIIN – Accreditation Agency for Degree Programs in Engineering, Informatics/Computer Science, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • evalag – Evaluation Agency Baden-Württemberg
  • FIBAA – Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
  • OAQ – Swiss Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education
  • ZEvA – Central Evaluation- and Accreditation Agency

These agencies accredit programs of study for bachelor's and master's degrees and quality management systems (system accreditation) from state or state recognized Higher Education institutions in Germany and abroad.[15] AKAST only accredit programs of study.

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Kultusministerkonferenz

Kultusministerkonferenz

The Kultusministerkonferenz is the assembly of ministers of education of the German states. The body is not part of the federal government, and its directives do not immediately become effective, but first will have to be turned into state law.

States of Germany

States of Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany, as a federal state, consists of sixteen states. Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are called Stadtstaaten ("city-states"), while the other thirteen states are called Flächenländer and include Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia which describe themselves as Freistaaten.

Bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years. The two most common bachelor's degrees are the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Science. In some institutions and educational systems, certain bachelor's degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate educations after a first degree has been completed, although more commonly the successful completion of a bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for further courses such as a master's or a doctorate.

Master's degree

Master's degree

A master's degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. A master's degree normally requires previous study at the bachelor's level, either as a separate degree or as part of an integrated course. Within the area studied, master's graduates are expected to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, critical evaluation, or professional application; and the ability to solve complex problems and think rigorously and independently.

Greece

In Greece, the accreditation authority/national recognition body is the HQA – Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency[16] which was established by Law 3374/2005 and 4009/2011 and belongs to the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. It is the government supervisory and coordinating agency of the quality assurance framework applied in Hellenic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Accreditation is compulsory for all universities in Greece.

The HQA accredits programs of study for undergraduate degree and postgraduate degree and quality management systems (system accreditation) from state or state recognized HEIs in Greece. The right of conferring or granting university degrees shall be exercised only by a State University established. Thus, any institute which has not been created by an accreditation of Ministry of Education of Greece and HQA state agency according Greece State Legislature or has not been granted the status of a Deemed-to-be-University, is not entitled to award a university status degree. In Greece it is illegal to offer a qualification that is or might seem to be a university degree because all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Greece are public (state) operating with government approval.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualificati is appointed by the Secretary for Education of Education Bureau as the Accreditation Authority and QR Authority under the Qualifications Framework of Hong Kong (HKQF).

Assessment is made with reference to local and internationally recognised standards through a process of peer review. The HKCAAVQ will issue an accreditation report on the outcome of the accreditation activity.

India

Accreditation is compulsory for all universities in India except those created through an act of Parliament. Without accreditation, "It is emphasized that these fake institutions have no legal entity to call themselves as University/Vishwvidyalaya and to award ‘degrees’ which are not treated as valid for academic/employment purposes."[17] The University Grants Commission Act, 1956 explains,

"the right of conferring or granting degrees shall be exercised only by a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act or a State Act or an Institution deemed to be University or an institution specially empowered by an Act of the Parliament to confer or grant degrees. Thus, any institution which has not been created by an enactment of Parliament or a State Legislature or has not been granted the status of a Deemed-to-be-University, is not entitled to award a degree."[17]

Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission.[17]

In 2012, Seattle Times wrote about "Poorly regulated, unaccredited and often entirely fake colleges have sprung up" around India in response to "demand for higher education accelerates, driven by rising aspirations and a bulging population of young people."[18] India's higher-education commission reported that of more than 31,000 higher-education institutions, only 4,532 schools were accredited.[18]

Ireland

The later stages of Ireland's National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) relate to third-level education in the state.[19][20] Universities in Ireland are self-regulating and accredit their own courses;[20] they were established by the state (by royal charter or primary legislation) as were many other publicly funded higher education providers, such as the institutes of technology (ITs). Some courses delivered by non-university institutions are accredited by one of the universities, others by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), an agency of the Department of Education established in 2012 to replace earlier accreditation bodies the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and Further Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC and FETAC).[20][21][22] QQI delegates its power to some providers, including most ITs.[23] The NFQ also recognises many foreign accreditation bodies, such as the UK's NCFE and City and Guilds of London Institute.[24][25] Many further education colleges in Ireland offer courses accredited by UK universities. In 2010, when reviewing American College Dublin's accreditation, HETAC objected to its advertising its affiliation to the US-based "Irish American University" on the ground that the Universities Act 1997 restricts the use of the label "university".[26][27]

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National Framework of Qualifications

National Framework of Qualifications

The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is a system used to describe levels of educational qualifications in Ireland. Responsibility for maintaining and developing the framework lies with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).

Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland

Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland

Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland includes all education after second-level, encompassing higher education in universities and colleges and further education on Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) and other courses. The degree-awarding institutions which can grant awards at all academic levels are the University of Dublin, National University of Ireland, University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Technological University Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Munster Technological University and Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, as well as St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and then a State agency, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, can grant awards in other institutions directly, or delegate the authority to do so. and University of Limerick. The King's Inns of Dublin has a limited role in education specialising in the preparation of candidates for the degree of barrister-at-law to practice as barristers. Medical schools in Ireland also have particular regulation. There were seven establishments of higher education within Ireland ranked among the top 500 universities worldwide by the Times Higher Education Supplement in 2008.

Royal charter

Royal charter

A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta of 1215, but since the 14th century have only been used in place of private acts to grant a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organisations such as boroughs, universities and learned societies.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland

Quality and Qualifications Ireland

Quality and Qualifications Ireland is the national agency responsible for qualifications in Ireland. It was established by the Oireachtas in 2012 following the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Irish Universities Quality Board.

Higher Education and Training Awards Council

Higher Education and Training Awards Council

The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), the legal successor to the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland beyond the university system from 2001 to 2012. HETAC was created in 2001, subject to the policies of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, and, specifically, granted qualifications at many Institutes of Technology and other colleges. HETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.

Further Education and Training Awards Council

Further Education and Training Awards Council

The Further Education and Training Awards Council or FETAC was a statutory qualification-awarding body for further education in Ireland. It was established on 11 June 2001 under the Qualifications Act 1999. FETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.

City and Guilds of London Institute

City and Guilds of London Institute

The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies – to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has been operating under royal charter (RC117), granted by Queen Victoria, since 1900. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was appointed the first president of the institute.

List of further education colleges in the Republic of Ireland

List of further education colleges in the Republic of Ireland

This is a list of further education colleges in the Republic of Ireland:

American College Dublin

American College Dublin

American College Dublin, a constituent college of Irish American University, is a private not-for-profit liberal arts institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Established in 1993 in Dublin Ireland, the institution is located in the center of Dublin on Merrion Square in a number of Georgian era houses, one of which is the childhood home of Oscar Wilde. In addition to its American accreditation with MSCHE, American College Dublin offers programs placed at level-eight and level-nine on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications which are accredited by the Irish body Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and for which graduating students receive QQI awards.

Israel

The Council for Higher Education is, by a 1958 law,[28] the only institution qualified to accredit universities and colleges in Israel. The council acts as a reviewer of the activity of the academic centers in Israel and sets terms and requirements for every degree given.

Italy

The formal system for accreditation of State University programs in Italy began in 1933, with the (R.D. 31.8.1933, n.1592, art. 167). This law accredits a set of Universities, faculties, and courses. A further modification was the Law 14 agosto 1982, n. 590, where a set of new Universities were accredited. A new system of accreditation was approved by Law 9 maggio 1989, n. 168. It involves two separate but correlated programs that were instituted at the same time: First, each University went through a four-step process to adopt and approve its own Regolamenti Didattici di Ateneo (RDA). The RDA establishes the rules for the organization of teaching at the university, including establishing the requirements and objectives of each degree program, the curricula, credits awarded and requirements and objectives of examinations. The RDA's were developed in consultation with representatives of the individual university, the regional coordinating committee (CRC), employers and the National University Council and are ultimately approved by the Ministry of Education (MIUR). Second, a series of formal, objective standards was adopted as minimum requirements for approval of any programs. In addition, there are other forms of accreditation in Italy. These include: (i) accreditation of degree programs in engineering by the Council of Presidents of the Italian Faculties of Engineering called SINAI, a national system for accrediting such programs; (ii) accreditation of MBA programs by the independent agency, Association for Business Management Training (ASFOR) and (iii) a program for accreditation of non-state university programs, which, since 1996, as involved a process of formal legal approval, involving an independent review by the National Committee for Evaluation of the University System (CNVSU) and then issuance of a formal ministerial decree approving by the issuance of degrees by the university.[29]

Japan

In 2004, following a long postwar period of independent quality assurance of select member institutions by the JUAA,[30] the Japanese government via the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology began to certify third party bodies as quality assurance agencies for Japanese degrees.[31]

As of 2016, 13 organizations are certified to accredit tertiary institutions, of which three accredit standard academic universities. These three bodies are:

Kenya

The Commission for University Education (CUE), formerly known as the Commission for Higher Education (CHE), is in charge of the programs accreditation and the award of charters to institutions of higher learning. The commission also serves as the monitoring and evaluation body to ensure compliance towards quality of education offered by institutions under charter.[32]

Malaysia

Accreditation was done by the Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (National Accreditation Board), a statutory body created through an act of Parliament, for certificates, diplomas and degree courses provided by private higher educational institutions (defined as institutions providing tertiary or post-secondary education) until 2007 when the body was replaced with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Prior to the enactment of the legislations that provided for the establishment of these bodies, no specific framework for accreditation existed and institutions only required a valid registration status from the Ministry of Education of Malaysia.

Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)

The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) is a binational organization formed by treaty in 2003 to independently ensure the quality of higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders by assessing and accrediting programs. As a result of separate legislation in the two jurisdictions, accreditation policies and procedures differ between the two countries.[33]

Nigeria

The National Universities Commission (NUC) is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Nigeria. The main functions of NUC are:

  • Granting approval for all academic programs in Nigerian universities.
  • Granting approval for the establishment of all higher educational institutions offering degree programs.
  • Ensure quality assurance of all academic programs
  • Channel for all external support to Nigerian universities.

Pakistan

The main accreditation body for higher education is Higher Education Commission (HEC) which is the primary regulator of higher education in Pakistan (formerly called the University Grant Commission (UGC)). It regulates and formulates laws governing all the degree awarding institutes in Pakistan. It also facilitates the development of higher educational system and upgrade the universities of Pakistan to be the centers of education, research and development.

Philippines

The Commission on Higher Education (Filipino: Komisyon sa Mas Mataas na Edukasyon/Komisyon sa Lalong Mataas na Edukasyon)[2] of the Philippines, abbreviated as CHED, is a government agency attached to the Office of the President of the Philippines for administrative purposes. It covers both public and private higher education institutions as well as degree-granting programs in all post-secondary educational institutions in the country.

Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP), was established in 1977 and is authorized by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to certify the quality levels of accredited programs at the tertiary level, for the purpose of granting progressive deregulation and other benefits

Portugal

The Portuguese Agência de Acreditação (state-managed Accreditation Agency) for higher education is, since 2007, responsible for the publication of the national ranking of higher education institutions and degrees.

Within the Bologna process a state agency was set up by the Portuguese Government to offer central and regulated accreditation. Previously, Portugal had used a system of professional accreditation and degree recognition by sector, with a number of associations, Unions and Professional Orders (Ordens Profissionais): the Ordem dos Médicos (for medical doctors), the Ordem dos Engenheiros (for engineers) and the Portuguese Bar Association (for lawyers).

The Sindicato dos Engenheiros Técnicos (for technical engineers), was created as the professional association of technical engineers, who were not full chartered engineers, having as mandatory qualification a simple short-cycle 3-year bachelor's degree (bacharelato) awarded by the Portuguese polytechnical institutes and now discontinued since the mid-2000s.

The Associação de Técnicos de Contas (for accounting technicians), the Câmara de Revisores Oficiais de Contas (for financial auditors, similar to Chartered Accountants) and the Sindicato dos Enfermeiros (for nurses) are examples of organizations which were oriented towards professions that at least until the 1990s did not demand a specific academic degree. For example, to be member of the Câmara de Revisores Oficiais de Contas (for financial auditors), candidates needed to have two years of experience and must have a degree in a range of possible area (Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting or Law). Like in other similar international associations (Chartered Accountant), the Câmara de Revisores Oficiais de Contas have very selective examinations.

Some organizations (starting as Associations or Unions) were upgraded later into Ordens like, for example, the Ordem dos Farmacêuticos (for pharmacists), the Ordem dos Arquitectos (for architects), the Ordem dos Biólogos (for biologists), the Ordem dos Economistas (for economists), the Ordem dos Enfermeiros (for nurses) and the Ordem dos Revisores Oficiais de Contas (for chartered accountants and financial auditors). In addition, the state through the ministry for higher education, has usually been the central highest accreditation entity and thus it is illegal to award degrees without government approval.

For many years, there were state-accredited institutions, both public and private, awarding unaccredited degrees by the Ordens. This dubious situation changed in the mid-2000s with the deep reorganization imposed by the Bologna process implementation in Portugal, the creation of the new central state-managed Accreditation Agency and the foundation of many regulated new Ordens covering dozens of professions until then unregulated by this type of professional organization.

In 1999, over 15,000 students enrolled in Portuguese higher learning institutions and newly graduates in the fields of engineering and architecture, were enrolled or were awarded a degree in a non-accredited course. Those students and graduates with no official recognition were not admitted to any Ordem and were unable to develop professional activity in their presumed field of expertise (e.g. architect; chemical, electrical or civil/structural engineer; lawyer; accountant; and financial auditor, among other professionals). At the same time, only one accredited engineering course was offered by a private university and over 90% of the accredited courses with recognition in the fields of engineering, architecture and law were exclusively provided by state-run universities.[34]

In 2007, the compulsory closing of some problematic and unreliable private higher education institutions (like the defunct Independente University and the Moderna University) which in general had been accredited by the state during the boom of private teaching of the 1990s, but usually without providing any accredited degrees in accordance with the requirements of the main Ordens was seen as a remedy of last resort in order to prevent a further loss of credibility among some sectors within the non-public university higher education.[35]

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Ordem dos Engenheiros

Ordem dos Engenheiros

The Ordem dos Engenheiros is the regulatory and licensing body for the engineering profession in Portugal. It is headquartered in Lisbon, and has several regional branches in other Portuguese cities.

Ordem dos Biólogos

Ordem dos Biólogos

The Ordem dos Biólogos (OdB) is a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in Portugal. The Ordem dos Biólogos is headquartered in Lisbon, and has regional branches in several other cities across Portugal. It was founded on 4 July 1998 by the Decree-Law 183/98. Any citizen with accredited degree and professional activity in biology within Portugal, is required by law to be affiliated with the Ordem dos Biólogos.

Financial audit

Financial audit

A financial audit is conducted to provide an opinion whether "financial statements" are stated in accordance with specified criteria. Normally, the criteria are international accounting standards, although auditors may conduct audits of financial statements prepared using the cash basis or some other basis of accounting appropriate for the organization. In providing an opinion whether financial statements are fairly stated in accordance with accounting standards, the auditor gathers evidence to determine whether the statements contain material errors or other misstatements.

Independente University

Independente University

Independente University was a private university, headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 1993 by Luís Arouca, Rui Verde and Amadeu Lima Carvalho; it was owned by SIDES. UnI was closed by order of the state education authorities in 2007, due to pedagogical and financial irregularities.

Moderna University

Moderna University

Moderna University (Universidade Moderna) was a Portuguese private university headquartered in Lisbon, with departments in Setúbal, Porto and Beja. The institution was authorized by the Portuguese Ministry of Education to provide university higher education services in 1994. It was shut down by the Portuguese Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education on 30 July 2008.

Russia

In Russia accreditation/national recognition is directly overseen by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation.[36] Since 1981, Russia has followed the UNESCO international regulations to ensure Russian institutions and international institutions meet high quality standards. It is illegal for a school to operate without government approval.

The Russian Federation has a three-step recognition system:

  1. License
  2. Accreditation
  3. Attestation

There exist additional agencies, such as the Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance and Career Development (AKKORK), which conducts independent assessment of quality assurance of higher education institutions. AKKORK is an independent professional agency in the field of consultancy, conduct of the reviews, accreditation and certification of education institutions. In accordance with the Russian legislation in such activities as: state supervision over compliance with legislation of the Russian Federation on education, control over compliance with licensing requirements and conditions, state control over the education quality could be involved experts and expert organizations, accredited in accordance with rules approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. AKKORK on July 8, 2011, received the proper accreditation in the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science.[37]

National Accreditation Agency (NAA) of the Ministry of Education and Science also operates under the authority of Federal Service of Supervision in Education and Science.[38] NAA is recognized as the organisation in Russia responsible for dissemination of knowledge and information on procedures of the state accreditation of HEIs. It develops materials and methodological recommendations for conducting self-evaluations and external reviews, trains experts, conducts research into the development of QA of higher education in Russia, prepares the final reports on the quality of the HEI.[39]

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South Africa

In South Africa all higher education institutions are required to register with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). All qualifications are registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) in line with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) accredits programs leading to a NQF registered qualification. All programs offered by South African higher education institutions must be accredited.[40]

Thailand

Thailand has a system of national accreditation. The agency who takes care of such accreditation is Office of the Higher Education Commission. The details regarding quality assurance can be found in Handbook for Internal Quality Assurance for Higher Education Institutions.[41] She also has criteria for international qualification, especially those who have obtained degrees abroad. In addition, since Thailand is an active member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),[42] the educational collaboration is also strengthened in Southeast Asian states.

United Kingdom

In the UK it is illegal to offer a qualification that is or might seem to be a UK degree unless the awarding body is a "recognised body" authorised by a royal charter or by or under an Act of Parliament to grant degrees, a "listed body" authorised by a recognised body to offer courses leading to a degree from that recognised body or the qualification is a "recognised award" designated by order of the Secretary of State.[43] Prosecutions under the Education Reform Act are rare, as many unaccredited awarding bodies are based outside UK jurisdiction. It is also worth noting in this context that the Business Names Act 1985 made it an offence for any business in the UK to use the word "university" in its name without the formal approval of the Privy Council.[44]

Private higher education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions (here distinguished from the qualifications that they offer) may choose to become accredited by various non-regulatory bodies such as the British Accreditation Council or the British Council and Accreditation Service for International Colleges in order to demonstrate third-party assessment of the quality of education they offer.

Prosecutions under legislation other than the Education Reform Act 1988 do occur. In 2004, Thames Valley College in London was prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 for offering degrees from the 'University of North America', a limited liability company set up by themselves in the US with no academic staff and no premises other than a mail forwarding service.[45] (Note that this organization differs from the current University of North America, a non-accredited institution.[46])

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Higher education accreditation in the United Kingdom

Higher education accreditation in the United Kingdom

The UK does not operate an accreditation system in the way it is understood in the US, i.e. a university cannot be "accredited" or "unaccredited". Instead there is a system of quality assurance, with reviews carried out by a government-appointed agency, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), and external examiners appointed by the institutions. There is also government control over degree-awarding powers and the right to be called a university, the exact details of which vary between different countries of the UK.

Royal charter

Royal charter

A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta of 1215, but since the 14th century have only been used in place of private acts to grant a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organisations such as boroughs, universities and learned societies.

Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction. In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament begin as a bill, which the legislature votes on. Depending on the structure of government, this text may then be subject to assent or approval from the executive branch.

List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations

List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations

This is a list of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations, as identified by the organizations themselves, government authorities in their respective countries, or other independent authorities. This article includes entities that are engaged in higher education accreditation or have been identified as being accreditors, but which lack appropriate recognition or authorization.

Business Names Act 1985

Business Names Act 1985

The Business Names Act 1985 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It has since been repealed.

British Accreditation Council

British Accreditation Council

The British Accreditation Council (BAC), also known as The British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education, is an educational accreditation agency recognised by the British Government for international students entering the United Kingdom on student visitor visas. The British Accreditation Council was established in 1984, making it the oldest national independent accrediting body for non-EFL independent further and higher education providers in the UK.

British Council

British Council

The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language ; encouraging cultural, scientific, technological and educational co-operation with the United Kingdom. The organisation has been called a soft power extension of UK foreign policy, as well as a tool for propaganda.

Accreditation Service for International Colleges

Accreditation Service for International Colleges

The Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities (ASIC) is an independent international educational agency based in the United Kingdom. It is an independent, government-approved accreditation body specializing in the accreditation of schools, colleges, universities, training organizations, and online and distance education providers, both in the UK and overseas. ASIC has been appointed by the United Kingdom Government's Home Office UK Border Agency to inspect colleges seeking to apply for sponsor's licenses from the UK Border Agency. They serve the purpose of identifying colleges that actually exist and provide an educational service from bogus institutions that exist merely to allow international students to obtain fraudulent visas e.g. require students not to attend.

Trade Descriptions Act 1968

Trade Descriptions Act 1968

The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on. This law empowers the judiciary to punish companies or individuals who make false claims about the products or services that they sell.

Limited liability company

Limited liability company

A limited liability company is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a corporation. An LLC is not a corporation under state law; it is a legal form of a company that provides limited liability to its owners in many jurisdictions. LLCs are well known for the flexibility that they provide to business owners; depending on the situation, an LLC may elect to use corporate tax rules instead of being treated as a partnership, and, under certain circumstances, LLCs may be organized as not-for-profit. In certain U.S. states, businesses that provide professional services requiring a state professional license, such as legal or medical services, may not be allowed to form an LLC but may be required to form a similar entity called a professional limited liability company (PLLC).

United States

The US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization) both recognize accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education, but US Department of Education recognition is necessary for access to financial aid and federally guaranteed student loans under Title IV. They also provide guidelines[47] as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors. Neither the US Department of Education nor the CHEA accredit individual institutions.[48][49] However the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity is involved in certifying accrediting agencies, as it applies to the issue of higher education institutions' qualifications to disburse federal financial aid to their students and their students' ability to qualify for federal financial aid.

Discover more about United States related topics

Higher education accreditation in the United States

Higher education accreditation in the United States

Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions. It was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions, on a regional basis.

Council for Higher Education Accreditation

Council for Higher Education Accreditation

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education accrediting organizations, including regional, faith-based, private, career, and programmatic accrediting organizations.

Title IV

Title IV

Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) covers the administration of the United States federal student financial aid programs.

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Education "on matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education.". It recommends which accreditation agencies should be recognized by the Department of Education. Without the seal of approval of a recognized higher education accrediting bodies, colleges and universities cannot receive federal funds.

Zambia

The Higher Education Authority was established under the Higher Education Act No. 4 of 2013[50] to provide regulation and quality assurance of higher education institutions in Zambia.The authority is also mandated by law to register private higher education institutions.

Source: "Higher education accreditation", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 1st), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_accreditation.

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