In its meeting on 16 March 2021, the ASIIN Accreditation Commission adopted Quality Criteria for Structured Doctoral Programmes for the first time.

In recent years, structured doctoral programmes have become more popular both internationally and in Germany and have become a recognised way of bringing together established researchers with young junior researchers in thematically oriented working groups. This is complemented by a systematic study programme, whereby scientific training is combined with individual supervision...

The additional criteria for the accreditation of structured doctoral programmes are based on the "Salzburg Principles", which are the result of a meeting held by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science and the European Association of Universities (EUA) in Salzburg in February 2005. These original 10 principles were further developed in October 2010 by the Council of the EUA, which is composed of representatives of the European Rectors' Conferences, resulting in the "Salzburg II Recommendations". Further adjustments and additions have resulted from internal discussions with the ASIIN Accreditation Commission and its 14 technical committees. Individual doctoral arrangements are not subject to accreditation procedures and are therefore not covered by these criteria. The criteria can be viewed on this page.

At the same meeting, new subject-specific criteria (SSC) were also adopted for degree programmes in the field of Mechanical Engineering. The SSC are the result of a regular assessment by the ASIIN technical committees, which summarise what is understood as good practice in higher education and what is demanded in terms of future-oriented skills and competences by the labour market. The Mechanical Engineering Technical Committee cooperates closely with several academic and professional organisations in the Mechanical Engineering field, including the Fakultätentag Maschinenbau und Verfahrenstechnik e.V., the Fachbereichstag Maschinenbau e.V. and the ProcessNet initiative supported by the DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e. V. and the VDI Gesellschaft Verfahrenstechnik und Chemieingenieurwesen (VDI-GVC). The SSC are closely aligned with the quality criteria defined by these organisations.

For further information on ASIIN accreditation of structured doctoral programmes or other study programmes, please visit our corresponding pages or contact Mr. Rainer Arnold (arnold@asiin.de, 0211 900 977-14).