International joint programmes

General info

In the Flemish quality assurance system, joint programmes that award joint degrees need to apply the European Approach when they are assessed. In line with the European Approach joint programmes are understood as integrated curricula coordinated and offered jointly by different higher education institutions from countries in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), (and possibly also non-EHEA countries), and leading to double/multiple degrees: separate degrees awarded by higher education institutions offering the joint programme attesting the successful completion of this programme; or a joint degree: a single document awarded by higher education institutions offering the joint programme and nationally acknowledged as the recognised award of the joint programme.

The assessment framework is an elaboration of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes (October 2014), as approved by the ministers of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in May 2015.

As is the case for the European Approach, the assessment framework should be applied depending on the needs of the cooperating higher education institutions and the requirements of their national frameworks.

The assessment framework contains the assessment principle and the assessment procedure that will be applied when NVAO coordinates the assessment of a joint programme according to the European Approach. It is important to note that both new joint programmes and joint programmes already offered can be assessed using this framework. In case of a new joint programme, this framework is to be applied as a framework for an ex ante assessment of the potential quality of a new programme. Where the assessment of existing programmes looks at actual achievement and demonstration, an ex ante assessment looks at what can be achieved by the programme put forward. The assessment principle is then to be interpreted as referring to potential quality and what can be achieved.