Germany

Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Health and Social Science (AHPGS)

Contact Information

Street name: Sedanstraße 22
Postal code and City: 79098 Freiburg
Country: Germany
Phone/Fax: +49 761 208 533 0 / +49 761 208 533 16
E-mail: reschauer@ahpgs.de
Website: http://www.ahpgs.de/
Contact person: Georg Reschauer
Function of contact person: Managing Director
Founding year: 2001
Legal status:
Non-profit registered association (e.V.)
International links and membership: ECA, ENQA, EQAR, INQAAHE

The AHPGS is a non-profit registered association (e.V.). Its founding members are the “German Coordinating Office for Health Sciences” (DKGW) at the University of Freiburg, the Conference of Deans of Health Care, the Faculty Conference of Social Work and the Faculty Conference of Therapeutic Pedagogy. The AHPGS e.V. founded for liability reasons an “AHPGS Akkreditierung gGmbH”. The AHPGS Akkreditierung gGmbH organizes the accreditation procedures at and of HEIs.

The AHPGS e.V. consists of a governing body appointed by the general meeting. The president and the Vice-Presidents are elected for a 3 year period. The responsibilities of the governing body include the appointment of members of accreditation commissions of the AHPGS e.V. and the examination of complaints regarding the refusal of accreditation. Under the direction of the managing director of AHPGS Akkreditierung gGmbH, the agency employs currently 8 program managers and 2 additional employees responsible for administration and organization tasks.

The AHPGS is an interdisciplinary and multiprofessional organization which concentrates on the accreditation of Bachelor/Master programs, as well as internal quality control and assurance systems, at universities and other institutions of higher education. The AHPGS works with special competence in the fields of health and social sciences, as well as in other adjacent and related disciplines. The Agency is centered in Germany but also carries out international accreditation and evaluation procedures, both within and outside of the EU, on a regular basis. The accreditation agency develops and uses procedures and criteria in conformity with the ESG.

Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute (ACQUIN)

Contact Information

Street name: Brandenburger Straße 2
Postal code and City: 95448 Bayreuth
Country: Bavaria/Germany
Phone/Fax: + 49 921-530390–77
E-mail: handke@acquin.org
Website: www.acquin.org
Contact person: Dr. Jasmine Rudolph
Function of contact person: Head of International Affairs
Founding year: 2001
Legal status:
non-profit private
International links and membership:
ENQA, EQAR, INQAAHE, CHEA

The Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute (ACQUIN e.V.) is a registered association whose members are higher education institutions, professional associations and business companies. Its core competence is the evaluation and accreditation of study programmes for different types of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Germany and abroad as well as evaluation and accreditation of quality management systems in HEIs (system accreditation). ACQUIN’s central concern is to promote and anchor quality culture in higher education.

ACQUIN has around 160 member institutions and 20 employees work in the secretariat in Bayreuth. The agency is a full member of ENQA and registered in EQAR. ACQUIN is familiar with international, national and European projects in the field of HEI quality management and improvement. ACQUIN conducts also quality assurance procedures in VET areas, mainly as certification procedures being aligned with standards derived from EQF/NQFs.

Accreditation Agency for Degree Programs in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics e.V. (ASIIN)

Contact Information

Street name: Mörsenbroicher Weg 200
Postal code and City: 40470 Düsseldorf
Country: Germany
Phone/Fax: +49 211 900977-0/+49 211 900977-99
E-mail: info@asiin.de
Website: https://www.asiin.de/
Introductory Presentation: ASIIN_2021_01_19
Contact person: Dr. Iring Wasser
Function of contact person: Managing Director
Founding year: 1999
Legal status:
registered association in accordance with the law of the Federal Republic of Germany
International links and membership: INQAHEE, ENQA, APQN, IFEES, ECTNA, EQAR, EQANIE

ASIIN e. V. is a registered association in accordance with the law of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is supported by four institutional member groups: Technical and Natural Sciences Associations as well as professional organisations, Business associations and umbrella associations of the social partners, Coordination group and faculty associations of universities, Coordination group of universities of applied sciences within German universities of applied sciences. This consortium enables accessibility to academic and professional expertise in specific subjects, as well as in management and the development of enterprises and public institutions under one roof.

The ASIIN membership organisations send auditors and honorary expert panel members for the association’s activities. They also comprise the board. The board appoints the members of the Accreditation Commissions for programme and institutional accreditations, which in turn appoint the relevant Audit Teams and, for programme accreditations, also the members of the Technical Committees. The board of appeals reviews appeals by both accreditation commissions (Structure ASIIN). The ASIIN headquarters is appointed by the board and can endorse all bodies. ASIIN Headquarters currently employs 13 permanent staff members.

ASIIN e. V. offers programme accreditation procedures in the fields of engineering, natural sciences and informatics, architecture and mathematics as well as medicine. It is the only disciplinary accreditation agency to offer the entire breadth of accreditation in the STEM area. In addition to its own quality seal, ASIIN is authorized to deliver altogether 4 European quality seals, such as the “EUR-ACE” label for engineering programs, the EQAS food label in the field of food science and engineering, the “Eurobachelor and –master in Chemistry” and last but not least the European Informatics label. Furthermore, ASIIN is engaged in the area of institutional accreditation.

Via its sister company, ASIIN Consult, it also offers certification of modules and courses, certification for third parties, evaluations, quality and organizational development as well as workshops and training sessions. ASIIN’s active membership organisations, its honorary experts as well as its main staff all share the commitment that high quality in academic education is the foundation for sustainable development in modern societies. ASIIN pursues the following national and international objectives: to secure and strengthen the quality of higher education, to establish transparency about achieved quality in higher education to promote academic and professional mobility. ASIIN achieves these objectives: as a service provider for educational institutions and systems of higher and further education nationally as well as internationally; especially through accreditation and certification, evaluations, consulting as well as training in quality and organisational development; through the (honorary) contribution of external experts from science and industry in our non-profit activities.

Evaluation Agency Baden-Wuerttemberg / Evaluationsagentur BadenWürttemberg (evalag)

Contact Information

Street name: Postfach 12 05 22
Postal code and City: 68056 Mannheim
Country: Germany
Phone/Fax: +49 621 128545-10 / +49 621 128545-99
E-mail: evalag@evalag.de
Website: www.evalag.de
Contact person: Georg Seppmann
Function of contact person: Scientific Advisor
Founding year: 2000
Legal status:
foundation under public law and is committed to non-profit purposes
Internatinal Links and membership: ENQA; DeGEval; INQAAHE; EQAR;

evalag was established in 2000 by the state of Baden-Württemberg and is a non-profit organisation, functioning as a foundation under public law. About 20 persons work in the three departments of the agency.

Besides proven methodological and professional qualifications as well as a strong service orientation, evalag stands out with long-term project experience and advisory skills gained from this work over the years.

The higher education environment and its changing requirements with respect to external support are considered a key impetus by evalag. By adopting the input from this area, evalag is continuously optimising its own portfolio and consequently has become a fully-fledged centre of excellence for the higher education area. The range of services offered by evalag comprises:
– the coordination of review processes of study programmes and quality management systems according to the accreditation system in Germany (since 1/2018)
– international programme accreditations and international institutional accreditations,
– audits in Austria and institutional accreditations in Switzerland,
– external evaluations concerning teaching and learning in HEIs,
– external evaluations (e. g. of research institutions, programmes/projects, strategies),
– support offerings for quality management and organisational development at HEIs (consulting, evaluations of structures and processes, advanced training offerings for quality management at HEIs),
– promotion of science services, and
– research projects.

Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA)

Contact Information

Street name: Berliner Freiheit 20 – 24
Postal code and City: 53115 Bonn
Country: Germany
Phone/Fax: +49 228 280 3560/ +49 228 280 356 20
E-mail: info@fibaa.org
Website: www.fibaa.org
Contact person: Diane Freiberger
Function of contact person: Managing Director
Founding year: 1994
Legal status:
Non-Profit Foundation according to swiss law
International links and membership:
EQAR, ENQA, NVAO, INQAAHE, APQN, EUA, EQAL, THE-ICE, CHE Consult gmbH, EHMA
Recognition by the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, the Higher Education Quality Council of Turkey (HEQC), the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of Austria and the Swiss Accreditation Council
further links with accreditation agencies AKKORK, NARK, NAA, IQAA, PKA, YÖDAK

FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation) is a non-profit Foundation according to swiss law, which was founded by leading German, Austrian and Swiss Employers’ and Industry Associations in order to ensure transparency and quality in the Higher Education Area. The European and internationally oriented agency is registered in Zurich (Switzerland) and its administrative office is located in Bonn (Germany), where FIBAA’s Chief Executive Officer and eighteen permanent employees operate.

FIBAA assesses Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD study programmes – primarily in economics, law and social science – at state and state-recognized Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Furthermore, FIBAA’s Institutional Accreditation procedure offers a detailed assessment of HEIs’ performance areas. It assesses whether and to what extent HEIs’ internal structures and processes comply with the international standards. Finally, FIBAA also certifies advanced training courses at HEIs and offers with its sub-unit “FIBAA Consult” consulting services for HEIs in questions of strategic management as well as in various areas of quality assurance and quality enhancement. The latter service is clearly separated from accreditation and certification procedures in order to ensure impartiality and objectivity.

Core characteristics of FIBAA’s accreditation procedures are international outlook and employability. The latter principle is especially reflected in FIBAA’s accreditation criteria as well as in the composition of the expert teams and committees. FIBAA co-operates with quality assurance agencies and organizations worldwide and has a strong international network. Dialogue, loyalty and mutual benefits are hallmarks of FIBAA’s customer relations.

Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (ZEvA)

Contact Information

Street name: Lilienthalstraße 1
Postal code and City: 30179 Hannover
Country: Germany
Phone/Fax: +4951154355 – 700
E-mail: schaefer@zeva.org
Website: https://www.zeva.org
Contact person: Henning Schäfer
Function of contact person: Managing Director
Founding date: 1995
Legal status:
non-profit private foundation
International links and membership ENQA, EQAR, ECA

ZEvA was established in 1995 as the central evaluation and accreditation agency of higher education institutions in Lower Saxony. In the year 2000, ZEvA was the first agency to be authorized by the German Accreditation Council to carry out programme accreditation procedures. In 2009, ZEvA was converted into a foundation under civil law by resolution of the Lower Saxony State Government. The agency is led by a managing director and an academic director. Both are appointed by the foundation board. ZEvA has 19 employees, 7 of whom are working part-time.

ZEvA’s mission is to contribute significantly to the advancement of quality assurance procedures in national and international contexts. Transparency, reliable procedures, the best possible professional support and the competent assessment of teaching, learning and quality assurance contribute to the high standard of the external evaluation services provided by ZEvA. The agency’s work is based on a process-oriented and formalized quality assurance system which guarantees efficient procedures and adherence to schedules.

In Germany, ZEvA has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for conducting programme and system accreditation. In Austria, it is listed by ministerial decree as a quality assurance agency entitled to conduct institutional audits. Furthermore, ZEvA regularly carries out quality assurance procedures in Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, Saudi-Arabia and Egypt, among others. ZEvA is a founding and full member of ENQA as well as ECA, and is listed in the European register EQAR.