The system accreditation of Freie Universität Berlin
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After Freie Universität was the first university in Berlin to be successfully system-accredited in 2016, the external Accreditation Council certified for the second time in March 2024 that the quality management system of Freie Universität ensures compliance with the quality standards for degree programs and enables continuous quality improvement of the programs. With the renewed system accreditation, Freie Universität continues to have the right to award the seal of the Accreditation Council on its behalf until September 30, 2030 and to accredit its nearly 200 degree programs independently.
Why does Freie Universität Berlin have to accredit its degrees?
In Germany, the Interstate Study Accreditation Treaty of 2018 (German) stipulates that bachelor and master’s degree programs are legally subject to quality controls and must therefore be accredited.
Section 8a of the Berlin Higher Education Act (BerlHG) also stipulates that degree programs in Berlin must be regularly evaluated for quality.
Freie Universität continually adapts its quality management system in response to changing external and internal requirements. To ensure the system can be successfully implemented, the university also invests in expanding its internal structures.
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Responsibilities and actors involved
The President and Vice President for Studies and Teaching are responsible for the procedure for achieving system accreditation, which is implemented jointly by the university management, departments, central institutes and the central university administration.
Department V, Teaching and Academic Affairs — particularly the Quality Management Unit — accompanies and supports the process.
The procedure is also overseen by an accreditation agency. The Accreditation Council Foundation makes the accreditation decision.
System accreditation procedure at a glance
Degree programs are internally accredited at defined intervals, and the quality management system itself is also regularly reviewed. This involves the participation of external experts and the preparation of an internal self-report, in which Freie Universität describes the structure and implementation of its quality management system.
Milestones on the way to current accreditation
Section 24 of the Berlin Degree Program Accreditation Process Act (BlnStudAkkV) stipulates that a recognized accreditation agency must oversee the reaccreditation process. Following a public tender process involving internal experts from the university, the Executive Board of Freie Universität Berlin awarded the contract to ACQUIN in June 2020.
In preparation for the system reaccreditation, an internal report was compiled containing information on university-wide quality objectives, their implementation in the curricula, as well as the review and implementation of formal and subject-related criteria pertaining to both degree programs and the quality management system as a whole.
The internal report was compiled by the Quality Management Office in consultation with the departments and central institutes as well as the Advisory Board for Quality Assurance. In addition, students in particular were involved in preparing the report.
Read the internal report (in German, FU network only)
Committee members:
- Prof. Dr. Roger Erb, Goethe University Frankfurt
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmeister, Universität Bremen
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Olga Pollatos, Ulm University
- Dr. Christian Ganseuer, Hochschule Koblenz
- Anna-Lena Puttkamer, University of Cologne, student
The first visit took place as a virtual event on September 9 and 10, 2021.
The second visit took place on September 22/23, 2022.
- Basis for the second visit: Supplementary and concretizing documents to illustrate the mode of operation and effects of the QM system at Freie Universität Berlin
- Review of degree program samples and selected criteria during a two-day virtual event
- Final report of the expert committee
The application for reaccreditation was submitted to the Accreditation Council on August 30, 2023. This ensures that Freie Universität will continue to be considered system-accredited until the Accreditation Council makes a final decision.
In March 2024, the Accreditation Council (re)accredited Freie Universität's quality management system without any conditions.
How are members of the university involved in the accreditation process?
The Quality Assurance Advisory Board for Studies and Teaching, which is appointed by the Academic Senate, supports the process. A working group of the advisory board with representatives from all status groups has provided important impetus in the development of the 2021 self-report, among other things.
We are particularly keen to involve students even more closely in quality assurance processes and procedures. We regularly offer workshops and Q&A sessions for this purpose. If you are interested, please contact us!
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