17.6 In the case of regulated study programmes, is there a mandatory need for an organizational link between the accreditation procedure and the procedure for determining the professional licensing of a study programme in accordance with § 35 MRVO? Do other peer review reports have to be consulted in order to assess the fulfillment of professional requirements?

On the part of the Accreditation Council, the procedural link according to § 35 MRVO is neither mandatory nor is the involvement of further peer review reports obligatory.

An exception to this are teacher training programs and full and partial theological study programmes; these are listed specifically in the MRVO under § 25 para. 1 sentences 3 to 5. With regard to full and partial theological study programmes, the decision of the Accreditation Council requires the approval of the responsible ecclesiastical body in accordance with § 22 Para. 5 Sentence 2.

According to the explanatory memorandum to § 35 MRVO, the provision is to be understood as an offer to the competent state bodies to use the accreditation procedures in order to assess the suitability of a study programme with regard to access to regulated professions in the interest of the students. § Section 35 MRVO thus only offers the possibility of an organizational connection of the accreditation procedures. In general, it depends on the respective legal regulation in which procedure and at what point in time the suitability of the study programme under professional law is determined and whether a procedural link is provided for afterwards. Higher education institutions should inform themselves about this at an early stage, preferably before the start of an accreditation procedure, and plan the peer-review procedure accordingly in consultation with the Agencies.