The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA)
A product of the Bologna Process, the ENQA was established in 2000. With a three-pronged mission centered on co-operation, development and collaboration in the field of quality assurance, the ENQA is largely responsible for setting EU-wide best practices with regards to quality assurance in higher education. Funded by the European Commission, the ENQA works with institutions such as the European University Association (EUA), European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE), European Students’ Union (ESU), BusinessEurope and Education International in order to develop the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG). The ESG are then recommended to the accrediting agencies within EU countries, such as the German Accreditation Council. The following German organizations represent accrediting bodies in Germany who serve as members of the ENQA:
ACQUIN – Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute
AHPGS – Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Health and Social Sciences
AQAS – Agentur für Qualitätssicherung durch Akkreditierung von Studiengängen
ASIIN e.V. – Accreditation Agency Specialised in Accrediting Degree Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics
EVALAG – Stiftung Evaluationsagentur Baden-Wuerttemberg
FIBAA – Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
GAC – German Accreditation Council
ZEvA – Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency Hannover
The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE)
Similar to the ENQA, the INQAAHE is dedicated to establishing best practices in the field of higher education. However, as the name implies, the INQAAHE is an international body and seeks to provide a forum for collaboration across national boarders (as opposed to the ENQA’s EU focus). Below are the German accreditation bodies which serve as members of the INQAAHE:
Zentrale Evaluations- und Akkreditierungsagentur Hannover
Stiftung zur Akkreditierung von Studiengängen in Deutschland (German Accreditation Council)
International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research
Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
Evaluationsagentur Baden-Württemberg
European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education
Akkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge im Bereich Gesundheit und Soziales
Akkreditierungsagentur fur Studiengange der Ingenieurwissenschaften der Informatik der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik
Agentur für Qualitätssicherung durch Akkreditierung von Studiengängen e.V.
Accreditation Certification and Quality Assurance Institute
The German Accreditation Council (GAC)
While the above-mentioned organizations represent bodies for setting educational standards, the GAC represents the federal agency within Germany by which these standards are enforced. Per the GAC website, higher education accrediting bodies (many of which are listed above) report to the GAC and are themselves accredited by the GAC. As a member of both ENQA and INQAAHE, the GAC also participates development of the EU and international best practices which it advocates within Germany.
Institute for Educational Progress (IQB)
For non-tertiary education matters, quality assurance is managed by the IQB. While scholastic standards at the K-12 level are largely developed by the individual German states via Standing Conference of the Ministers of Educational and Cultural Affairs (KMK), assuring that the learning outcomes are being achieved is the responsibility of the IQB.
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