ASIIN Criteria for the Accreditation of Study Programmes

The award of one of our offered seals for study programmes is based on defined quality criteria that lead the accreditation or certification procedure as evaluation standards.

The current quality criteria for accreditation of study programmes describe:

  • The principles according to which the accreditation procedures are designed
  • The requirements for the accreditation of study programmes to be fulfilled to obtain the selected quality seal.

The ASIIN criteria for accrediting study programmes are subject to critical revision on a regular basis and are adapted to current developments and findings from accreditation practice. The version effective at the time of the beginning of the accreditation procedure – which is the signing of the contract for the procedure – is the version to be applied.

Guide to our Principles, Procedural Regulations and Definitions

For all of ASIIN’s offered seals for study programmes, we have summarised the collective principles of our work, the general procedural regulations and the definitions in one main guide:

Criteria for the ASIIN Subject-Specific Seal for Study Programmes

The quality requirements that need to be fulfilled for obtaining the ASIIN subject-specific seal for study programmes in technical and natural sciences including their interdisciplinary combinations, e.g. in business and economics, are documented in the following guide:

0.3 Criteria for the Accrediation of Degree Programmes

Quality Criteria for structured doctoral programmes

Beginning 16 March 2021, structured doctoral programmes applying for the ASIIN Seal will also be assessed according to the "Additional Criteria for Structured Doctoral Programmes". The criteria are based on the "Salzburg II Recommendations" and are also aligned with the recommendation of the German “Wissenschaftsrat”. Further adjust- and amendments have come out of 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.

Further Subject-Specific Information

In addition to the general quality criteria for obtaining the ASIIN subject-specific seal as mentioned above, there is subject-specific supplementary criteria (SSC) for each of the individual disciplines. These are included in the procedure towards the award of our subject-specific seal. The SSC are only applicable to the ASIIN subject-specific seal for study programmes and additional European subject-specific labels based on this. The SSC are not used for the seal of the German Accreditation Council in Germany.

The Technical Committee 14 - Medicine has adopted the WFME Global Standards 2015 as its SSC for accreditation procedures of Bachelor of Medicine/Medical Doctor programmes.

Guideline for Laboratory Safety Standards

ASIIN regularly carries out accreditation procedures for science degree programmes in which practical laboratory work is an essential component. When conducting these procedures, the experts evaluate the quality and quantity of the technical equipment of the laboratories and the safety standards. Especially in international procedures, this aspect is always a serious point of discussion.

In order to make it easier for the expert groups to assess the safety standards in laboratories, the Technical Committees 09 - Chemistry, Pharmacy and 10 - Life Sciences have prepared a handout as a supplement to the respective Subject-Specific Criteria (SSC) so that it is transparent which safety standards are necessary on an international scale.