Accreditation and reaccreditation at the University of Kassel

The complete internal process flow for an accreditation procedure and the other steps and materials to be initiated can be found on the Program Development page.

Current status

In accordance with the requirements of the Hessian Higher Education Act (§ 12 para. 2 HHG), the University of Kassel has regularly had its study programs that conclude with a university examination accredited in program accreditation procedures prior to the enrollment of students. For the most part, the study programs were bundled in subject-related clusters. In accordance with the legal requirements of the state, the study programs for the teaching profession at general education schools in Hesse continue to be exempt from this as single-phase state examination study programs. A second exception is the artistic courses of study at the Kassel University of the Arts, which correspond to the previous study model.

The experience of the University of Kassel gained in the accreditation procedures is assessed in more detail in the university's 9th teaching and study report of 2016. In it, the functionality and fundamental appropriateness of the program/cluster accreditation model was stated. Questions regarding the further development of the procedures at the University of Kassel, e.g. also with regard to considerations for entry into system accreditation, were discussed in the winter semester 2013/14 in connection with the university development plan for the years 2015 to 2019 in the Senate and with the deans of the departments. The committees concerned noted with approval the fundamental position of the university management to maintain the basic model of program/cluster accreditation at the University of Kassel for the time being. In 2014, the university underwent a system evaluation with regard to central aspects, which will form the basis of the individual procedures.

The results of all accreditation procedures completed at the University of Kassel can be viewed in the database of the Accreditation Council .

Procedure

Accreditation: When introducing a new study program, the person responsible for the program should register for a (cluster) procedure with the Department of Studies and Teaching approximately 1.5 years before students are admitted to a program. In the case of international study programs, this lead time is usually two years, also in coordination with the international development planning.

Re-accreditation: Re-accreditation should be registered with the Department of Studies and Teaching no later than 1.5 years before the expiry of the accreditation period. Within the scope of re-accreditation, the same requirements and procedures apply as for the initial accreditation, with a special focus on the evaluation of the available data and experience in the implementation of the study program.

The term of vo accreditations is 8 years.

Accreditation procedures have so far been carried out at the University of Kassel by the agencies ZEvA, ASIIN, AHPGS and AQAS . The valid procedural regulations of the agencies can be found on the respective pages of the accreditation agencies.