July 2015
AQU Catalunya president, Josep Joan Moreso Mateos, the rector of Rovira i Virgili University, Josep Anton Ferré Vidal (as representative of the Catalan universities), the Director-General for Universities, Lluís Jofre Roca, and the Agency's Director, Martí Casadesús Fa, presented accreditation certificates to the first sixty-five degree programmes that successfully underwent assessment by AQU Catalunya during the 2014-2015 academic year.
The ceremony was held at La Pedrera on 21 May, where there were more than 130 attendees.
List of degree programmes with an accreditation certificate
The adaptation and bringing into line with the European Higher Education Area of degree courses and awards at Catalan universities has been undertaken through the VSMA Framework for the validation (ex ante accreditation), monitoring, modification and accreditation of recognised higher education study programmes designed by AQU Catalunya. The stages of the framework, which have been implemented progressively by the Agency, consist of the validation, or ex ante accreditation, of a programme's design prior to its introduction, monitoring that the programme coordinators have to do on an annual basis and in which they analyse the running of the programme, the modification of programmes following on from the monitoring process, and accreditation. The assessment standards for accreditation are as follows:
The outcome of assessment is either Accreditation with excellence; Accreditation; Accreditation with conditions; or Accreditation withheld. An accreditation certificate is awarded and the use of an AQU Catalunya quality label permitted on successful completion of assessment.
The certificates and accreditation labels are valid for not more than six years in the case of Bachelor's and doctoral programmes, and four years in the case of Master's programmes.
The aim of the reviews and assessment process is to facilitate relevant information for programme improvement and enhancement to academic coordinators and managers in charge of study programmes in the universities and higher education institutions; provide orientation for students and their families as regards the quality of study programmes; and establish procedures for mutual recognition that facilitate mobility.
In accordance with the principle of transparency, AQU Catalunya publishes the results and outcomes of accreditation at Catalan universities. All reports with the results of the procedures carried out by AQU Catalunya under the VSMA Framework are available from the WINSUC portal (website with review and assessment reports on different aspects of higher education and the university system in Catalonia).