All Bachelor and Master courses of Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen are accredited.
General
Unlike many countries, accreditation in the Netherlands does not take place at the level of universities as such, but at the level of degree programmes. Each Bachelor or Master course is accredited separately by the Dutch – Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO). The NVAO works with so called Quality Assessment Agencies.
Accreditation procedure
1 – Internal assessment
A study course applying for accreditation executes a so called ‘self evaluation’ or internal assessment. The result of this is a report describing:
- the aims and content of the study programme
- strengths and weaknesses, as seen by the department/course itself.
The report is send to the Quality Assessment Agency.
2 – External assessment
The Agency then convenes an assessment panel of independent field specialists that carries out an on site assessment. The assessment goes into, among others:
- the aims and results of the course
- structure and content of the course
- level of academic and support staff
- level of services
- internal quality assurance system
- realized level of students
The panel then formulates the assessment report and advice.
3 – Decision
The NVAO decides to grant the accreditation.
The accreditation is valid for a period of 6 years, after which the whole procedure is repeated.
For more information: www.nvao.net