07.2 What does the "European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes" regulate?

The “European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes” (European Approach) was signed by the science ministers of the European Higher Education Area in May 2015; see here. It provides for the possibility of Recognition of assessments by quality assurance agencies for joint programmes, provided that

• These are listed in the European Agency Register EQAR,
• the assessment is carried out in accordance with the accreditation criteria standardized in the European Approach and based on the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and
• the Agency applies the special rules of procedure set out in the European Approach, which are appropriate for joint programmes.

Joint programmes in the sense of the European Approach are understood as an integrated curriculum that is coordinated and offered jointly by different higher education institutions from countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and leads to double/multiple degrees or a joint degree.

It should be noted that the European Approach is not EU law or directly applicable law in Germany. It therefore only applies insofar as it is adopted into national legal systems (see also FAQ 7.4).