Accreditation

Accreditation is a non governmental voluntary process that includes an external review of the facility of the institution to provide quality education programs. In EQUAA we believe that the accredited programs must be of high quality and must reflect the tendencies of change and innovation in education at an international level.
The accreditation of high education is not a new concept, it has existed for more than 100 years in certain regions of the world. It is very useful in many aspects. From assuring that the students learn relevant material for their professional carreers to the access for financial support the school may offer. The institutions that are accredited by EQUAA must prove not only general high quality in all dimensions of its teaching activities but also a level of internationalization. A report on accreditation includes, self-evaluation, peer review, review of a committee and the development of strategic planning.

About EQUAA Accreditation

EQUAA has created an accreditation model based on results.In this way, the process of accreditation is simplified and is oriented towards analyzing and helping the institutions to comply with the value proposal for the education unit they wish to accredit. The creation of the accreditation profiles allow the evaluation of an education unit according to the mission the graduate student will have. Therefore, each accreditation dimension evaluated by EQUAA is adjusted to the respective profile. In this way, EQUAA seeks that education units, focused on providing professionals to local markets, are evaluated with the 5 dimensions according to what is relevant and important.

International Recognition

The five level EQUAA accreditation model, modified by the 3 accreditation profiles, seeks to evaluate and certify quality according to the education unit mission in an objective manner. To be accredited by EQUAA, is an international recognition that the education unit complies with a specific level and that it is improving the quality education in benefit of society. This process has a main result: To offer the students what they were promised and what the market values and expects. To be accredited by EQUAA in any of its levels, is a recognition that the university is offering an education that adapts to their mission and to what the market and the society require. Academicians of more than 20 countries recognize the importance of an accreditation model that measures the results of the education programs according to their mission and objectives with the market and society.

Levels of Accreditation

5 levels of accreditation starting from 1 star to five stars, promote the beginning of a continuous improvement process for all the institutions committed to quality education.

Profile Oriented

Accreditation

Each profile or combination of profiles influence the requirements of accreditation in each level. It is important to identify in which profile the program stands to establish what type of professors, research and curricula it must have.

The professional profile is oriented for programs and education units whose purpose is to offer market graduate students to work in businesses and contribute to the national or international market.

The entrepreneur profile is oriented for those education units which mission is to train professionals with ability to create, innovate and manage businesses.

The academic profile is oriented to those education units that have research as a main mission.

Dimensiones de Acreditación

Propuesta del Programa

-Market Relevance.
-Strategic Planning.

Calidad Académica

-Student Progress.
-Curriculum
-Faculty

Instalaciones y Servicios de Soporte

-Facilities
-Administrative and Operational Quality.

Producción Intelectual

-Research
-Thesis and Dissertations.

Inclusión Social

-Contribution to Society
-Cooperation and Connection with Economic Sectors.

The quality improvement of EQUAA takes place through the accreditation of educational units. The period for accrediting an educational unit takes about 2 to 3 years. A university may apply for the accreditations of several units simultaneously or start with accrediting one unit(usually the most important one).The universities may certify the accreditation of each unit that meets the quality standards defined by EQUAA . The duration of the accreditation is for 3 years and will have an annual monitoring.

Solicitud de Acreditación EQUAA

To apply for accreditation, first fill in the eligibility application form. Then, the education unit to be accredited of your institution will be pre-evaluated. The feasibility of accreditation will be indicated at this stage. The next phase will be the evaluation and the gathering of information. Finally the phase when the institutions must correct and/or change some aspects to meet the accreditation requirements and comply with the EQUAA accreditation quality standards. EQUAA will monitor the quality standards once a year. For more information about the accreditation process, apply to our membership on the principal menu or write us to info@equaa.org to apply for membership evaluation of your organization.