Accreditation
The Quality Management in Studies and Teaching department coordinates and oversees all accreditation processes at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences (TH OWL). All degree programs at TH OWL are program-accredited. Valid accreditation is a prerequisite for offering a degree program. As part of this process, the university prepares a self-evaluation report for each degree program, providing information on formal and academic criteria. These criteria were established by the Conference of Ministers of Education in the Model Statutory Ordinance (MRVO) and are specified for North Rhine-Westphalia in the Study Program Accreditation Ordinance (StudakVO). The information in the self-evaluation report is reviewed by a quality assurance agency and by external experts, including through a visit to the university and discussions with academic departments and university administration.
The formal and academic content review results in the accreditation report, in which the agency and the evaluators state whether the quality standards are being met or whether improvements are necessary. The final decision on (re)accreditation is then made by the Accreditation Council, which is a joint body of the federal states for quality assurance in studies and teaching at German universities. The accreditation of degree programs—subject to conditions, if applicable—is valid for eight years.
TH OWL views the peer-review-based accreditation process as an essential component of a culture of quality in practice. The process incorporates both quantitative data from surveys and course evaluations, as well as qualitative data from discussions with university leadership, the relevant deans’ offices, faculty members, and students. The diversity of the reviewers (at least two university faculty members, a representative from the professional field, and a student representative) ensures well-founded, broad-based feedback and valuable suggestions for our degree programs.
We have summarized the most important questions and answers regarding accreditation in our FAQ:
Go to the FAQs (accessible only from the university network)
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at our dedicated email address: akkreditierung(at)th-owl.de.