Accreditations
Accreditations are cross-state and cross-university procedures for assessing various University areas and structures and their performance in terms of teaching and research. Institutional accreditation examines whether the University, as a state-recognized institution of higher education, carries out teaching and research in accordance with scientific standards. The system accreditation certifies that the University has a quality management system that guarantees the achievement of qualification goals and the fulfillment of quality standards of the study programs. As a system-accredited university, the KH Freiburg is entitled to self (re-)accredit study programs internally (internal program accreditation).
The accreditation procedure carried out by the German Council of Science and Humanities is a quality assurance procedure. The aim is to clarify whether a non-governmental higher education institution is capable of providing teaching and research services that meet recognized scientific standards. Every non-governmental higher education institution in Germany should successfully undergo institutional accreditation by the Science Council at least once. Accreditation is the prerequisite for state recognition of a university by the respective state in which it is located.
The first institutional accreditation procedure at the KH Freiburg occurred in 2004. In the statement of January 28, 2005 of the Science Council, the institutional accreditation of the KH Freiburg was recommended for the maximum possible period of 10 years.
The Science Council specifications provide for a one-time reaccreditation. This took place in 2014. On October 27, 2014, the Science Council published its statement on the reaccreditation of the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg. The KH Freiburg was reaccredited for five years with three conditions. It was also determined that the University would be reaccredited for 10 years if the conditions were met within one year, (i.e., by the end of the 2015 summer semester.) The implementation of the conditions was confirmed by the Science Council in its meeting on March 10 and 11, 2016, which means that the KH Freiburg has been accredited for a second time for 10 years. Therefore, no further procedure for institutional reaccreditation is now necessary. All statements of the Science Council on accreditation and reaccreditation can be viewed in German on the Science Council website.
The Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg was the first church-affiliated university in Germany and the first in Freiburg to fulfill the requirements of the German Accreditation Council for system accreditation and was system accredited for the first time on April 30, 2015. In December 2021, the second system accreditation was granted and is valid until 30 September, 2029.
The internal quality assurance system of the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg in the area of studies and teaching was accredited. The quality assurance system of the KH Freiburg is therefore suitable to guarantee the achievement of the qualification goals and the quality standards of the study programs.
The Catholic University of Applied Sciences has hereby demonstrated that it has an efficient quality assurance system and is able to develop and offer study programs that meet the European and national requirements of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the states in the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Rectors' Conference and the Accreditation Council. Thus, study programs can continue to be internally accredited and reaccredited. Evidence of current program accreditations can be found on the German version of the KH Freiburg Quality Management website.
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Dr. Samuel Scherer
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