Our accreditations
Accreditation of higher education institutions and programmes is an external means of assuring higher education quality. The aim is to ensure quality in teaching and education, improve international comparability and create transparency.
The Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences was officially accredited by EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) in 2012 and awarded an EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) certificate. This is a special symbol of recognition of our high standard of quality – recognition currently enjoyed by only six business schools in Germany including the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne. The aim of the internationally recognised EQUIS accreditation system is to implement a common European quality standard for business schools that meets international standards. Successful EQUIS accreditation underlines an institution’s comprehensive efforts to continuously improve the quality of teaching and learning at an internationally competitive level and to raise its profile in Germany and abroad through long-established variety of subjects, excellent research, practical relevance and internationality.
The Cologne-Rotterdam Executive MBA was accredited by the Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS) in August 2016. AQAS accreditation verifies the quality of a programme of study and creates transparency. The accreditation process gives particular consideration to whether subject-related quality standards are fulfilled and to the manageability of the programme. AQAS accreditation thus helps ensure international comparability and recognition and provides a reliable reference point for candidates wishing to apply for the programme.
In 2012, the University of Cologne became one of only 11 German universities to have been awarded “university of excellence” status. The University’s institutional strategy is pivotal in terms of the funding it receives as a university of excellence. The strategy will have a lasting influence on its long-term development and take it a key step forward to realising its vision of being a leading institution with excellent research and teaching. The institutional strategy includes funding programmes for excellent research, the institution development initiative and internationalisation measures. The German Research Foundation (DGF) and the German Council of Science and Humanities are responsible for implementing the university of excellence initiative; the funding is provided by the national and federal-state governments.