20.3 What needs to be considered in the program accreditation with regard to the peer-review procedure at the Agencies?

When jointly implementing a joint study programme(case group 1, see FAQ 20.1), the degree-awarding institutions involved must commission a joint peer-review procedure with an Agencies. A joint self-evaluation report and a joint accreditation report are prepared. This is due to the fact that in this case an accreditation decision necessarily applies to the entire study programme, as it is the subject of accreditation as a whole (see FAQ 20.5).

In the event that several higher education institutions carry out several identical or essentially identical study programmes in parallel(case group 2, see FAQ 20.1), the higher education institutions are free to decide whether they carry out a joint bundle procedure for the study programmes with a joint self-evaluation report and joint accreditation report or whether each higher education institution carries out its own procedure for its respective study programme. In the event that a joint procedure is carried out, differences regarding the concept and implementation of the study programmes at the individual higher education institutions can be listed or assessed separately in the self-evaluation report and accreditation report.

However, a higher education institution that only provides modules but does not award a degree does not have to participate in the peer-review procedure. In this case, the degree awarding institution is obliged to regulate the cooperation relationship with the supplying institution in a transparent and binding manner, as the cooperation agreement is required in the peer-review procedure and later as part of the administrative procedure at the Accreditation Council.

In the cover sheet of the accreditation report, the study form “Cooperation § 20 MRVO” must be selected in all cases.