The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) has recently recognised accreditation decisions taken by two German accreditation organisations regarding two joint programmes in European Studies. This makes the first mutual recognitions in the context of MULTRA a fact.
On the basis of an accreditation by the German Agentur für Qualitätssicherung durch Akkreditierung von Studiengängen (AQAS) the NVAO has accredited a two-year Master in European Studies (Dutch and German Studies), jointly delivered by the Universities of Nijmegen and Münster.
Similarly, NVAO has accredited another two-year Master in European Studies (specialisation Euroculture) delivered by the University of Groningen in collaboration with seven European partners, on the basis of an accreditation by the German agency Zentrale Evaluations- und Akkreditierungsagentur Hannover (ZEvA).
MULTRA
This major advancement would not be possible without MULTRA – the Multilateral Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Accreditation Results Regarding Joint Programmes – of which NVAO and the two German accreditation agencies are signatories. This mutual recognition agreement was initiated by ECA.
Four thousand joint programmes in Europe
According to the estimations of the European Commission, there are about four thousand joint programmes in the European Higher Education Area. ECA has been active in providing solutions for mutual recognition of accreditation decisions and to avoid multiple accreditation procedures for joint programmes.
As of today MULTRA is signed by thirteen accreditation organisations from eleven countries, including Colombia and Costa Rica. The aim is to involve as many countries and accreditation organisations as possible in MULTRA.
