FIBAA-Quality Seal

In order to create a sustainable image for the endeavours in the area of higher education FIBAA bestows its quality seal “FIBAA geprüft” (i.e. “FIBAA certified). Customers recognize study programmes and further education products, which are especially marked by quality and sustainability, when they see the blue cross and the specific logo. Using the seal and logo, higher education institutions and further training institutions document the quality of their study offers in- as well as out-house.

FIBAA certifies study programmes world wide, bestowing its quality seal. Amongst the programmes certified are joint- and dual-degrees. FIBAA aids higher education institutions and partners of higher education institutions in setting up regionally adapted quality-assurance concepts.

To this end FIBAA has been bestowing the seal of the German Accreditation Council, which acts on behalf of the Kultusministerkonferenz (i.e. the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany) and on behalf of the German Rectors Conference (German University Assoc.), to already accredited programmes in the German education market since 2000. This is important, as the accreditation of bachelor- and master programmes is prerequisite in different manners under the current individual higher education acts of the Länder.

Premium seal for excellent course quality

FIBAA awards a premium seal for those courses of study, which meet particular quality requirements. Any courses accredited since 1.1.2008 will be taken into account.

The award confirms that a course with the premium seal clearly exceeds national quality requirements overall (minimum standards). It gives prospective students, students, past students, colleges and the labour market reliable information on the superb quality of the course.
In the accreditation procedure the FIBAA verifies the following five core areas to assess the quality of a course:

• Aims and strategy
• Admission procedures
• Design of the course
• Resources and services
• Quality assurance

The special requirements are defined in the assessment guide, which the FIBAA uses as a basis in every accreditation procedure, for each assessment criteria in the „Exceeds quality requirements“ assessment stage.
The procedure ensures that programmes always receive awards on a broad basis of excellent features. For this reason at least 60 percent of the features of each core area must receive the rating „Exceeds quality requirements“. The assessment of all the test criteria contributes towards the awarding of the FIBAA premium seal. Assessment criteria, which are graded „not relevant“ or „not available“, are disregarded.
The FIBAA premium seal is awarded if in addition at least 65% of the points total is achieved.
The premium seal is to expressly distinguish well established programmes, which have proved themselves in practice. For this reason, first accreditations cannot be taken into account, as in this case design and planning documents are mainly assessed. For an accreditation with conditions, it is only after compliance with the conditions that the premium seal of the FIBAA is awarded.