Comparability of Academic Qualifications - Managing the Accreditation Process - The Companies' Viewpoint

My speech is divided into two parts - Managing the Accreditation Process - The companies viewpoint. I would like to start with the second topic and at the end I will give you some statements to the Management of the Accreditation Process in Germany. Please have in mind, that my statements are mostly related to the Engineering education in Germany. In Germany the accreditation process becomes more and more important because the Ministers for Cultural Affairs have agreed that in addition to the common "Diploma", "bachelor and master degrees" are also possible at universities and universities of applied science, the so called "Fachhochschulen". Chart 1:

German Export Trade

Billon DM

1000
887

954

900
789

828

800

772

Exports Imports

700

690

600

500
1996 1997 1998 Statistisches Bundesamt, Deutsche Bank

The German economy is an international-orientated market. The German export trade has increased during the last three years by 21 %. During the same time the imports also increased by 20 %. Alone from this figure you can see, that the German Industry needs highly educated people with both international and multi-cultural experiences. Now we have to ask the question: 1

Is the German education system able to fulfil the industry needs? I think the high quality of the German engineering study program is widely recognised both nationally and internationally. However, the graduate degrees in Germany are not compatible with those of other universities around the world at present, which is causing growing problems. The permanent changing requirements resulting from the increasing globalization of world economies have made it necessary to reconsider the traditional concepts and structures of the study programs at German Universities. Chart 2

Total in 1000

Students in Germany
1858 1838 1824 1813

2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Total No. of Students No. of Foreign Students

146

152

158

166

1995

1996

1997

1998

In Germany, the focus was on national mobility for many years. The general regulations for study programs and examinations were set down in long and complicated procedures. The aim was to create similar criteria for the study programs at all German universities. There was less mention paid to international competition or image improvement. Although foreign students have always been granted admission to German universities, most of the involved people saw no reason to compete for them or even to pay special attention to them. Chart 3

German Students in Foreign Countries

50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 40000 42600 43100 44400

German Students

At the same time, studies taken by German students abroad were regarded as their own personal decisions and they often had difficulties when the courses taken or degrees obtained were later not recognised at home. During the last few years the number of German students in foreign countries was nearly constant or only slightly increasing. Chart 4

University Studies Abroad

In 1993 a total of 40.200 German students studied at universities in countries outside of Germany. Below is a breakdown of the distribution by country:
USA UK France 7.000 Austria 6.000 Switzerland 5.000 Italy 4.000 Canada 3.000 Spain 2.000 The Netherlands 1.000 Denmark 0 Hungary Sweden Belgien Rumnien Most attractive for German students are the USA followed by the European countries 9.000 8.000
UK, France, Austria and Switzerland. 3

All these developments posed a double challenge for the German engineering study program. On the one hand, the job market needs more and more German engineering graduates with foreign language skills and experience acquired in foreign countries. Therefore, German students must be given better opportunities to complete compatible and international accepted study courses abroad in order to be able to gain experience with foreign cultures before they graduate. Chart 5

On the other hand, it is in the interests of the industry to attract more foreign students to German universities, particularly students from highly developed economies. Some day these studentshaving graduated and returned to their homelandscould potentially become customers, partners or employees of German companies. As you can see, in Germany the foreign students came out of Europe. A lot of Turkish students live already in Germany before they start their study. In the USA the situation is totally different. Those universities have already reached the goal to have foreign students from developing countries. To make studying in Germany more attractive not only for German students but also for young people from other countriesfor example Asia and South Americachanges will have to be made in many areas. Some of these changes have already been initiated. For example the new framework act for higher education now allows for bachelor's and master's degree programswhich qualify graduates to enter the professional fieldat German Universities and also at the Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany called "Fachhochschulen". This type of multi-tiered degree program, combined with credit point systems, is linked to an international standard. The German government, industry and universities strongly support the rapid introduction of internationally-compatible bachelor's and master's degree courses. But that is not enough.

In order to make the new study programs acceptable to all involved parties (for example students, universities, the industry), it is absolutely essential for them to receive as much information as possible about the internal structure of the bachelor's and master's study programs. Only then will it be possible to erase any existing prejudices, for example, that the bachelor's degree is intended for the majority of students at Universities of Applied Science, or that bachelor's and master's are simply new names for the existing undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In the following, I will outline the structure and curricula of the bachelor's and master's study programs in the field of engineering from an industrial point of view. It was worked out by German experts together with the VDI - The Association of Engineers. Chart 6

Content Structure of the Engineering Education

Degree of Diplom-Ingenieuer
Depth of knowledge

Thesis Applications-Oriented Basic Knowledge (AOBK) Problem-Solving Methodology in Engineering 20 %

General Qualifikations and Social Scills 20 %

Basic of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (BMNS) 30 % Basic of Applied Science and Engineering Technology (BMNS) 30 %

Breadth of knowledge
Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering

The engineering study program in Germany The quality of the existing engineering study program in Germany is very high and is internationally recognised. The internal structure of the existing engineering study program in Germany has proven to be very sound. The combination of: engineering fundamentals and practice-oriented projects corresponds to the requirements of today's job market. Furthermore, the fundaments of the study program are formed by two basic blocks: Basics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (BMNS) and Basics of Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology (BASET)

They offer engineering students a solid, reliable foundation for the rapid acquisition of new specialised knowledge. Therefore, these basic courses should continue to make up a dominant 60% portion of the overall study program. The third block of the study program is Application-Oriented Basic Knowledge (AOBK), which provides graduates with the necessary preliminary skills and knowledge to enter the professional field and meet the requirements of todays job market. General qualifications are also included in the curriculum. The social skills can be integrated into the study either as separate courses or as part of existing specialisation-oriented courses. These qualifications complete the engineering qualification. Another integral part of the German engineering study program is made up of the Industrial Placement and the Final Thesis. Both of these components provide an important supplement to the practice and application-oriented skills of the engineering graduate. The structure of the engineering study program provides a solid basis for a high level of initial professional competence. For this reason, the German engineering degree is in national and international industry recognised and regardedwith good reasonas excellent preparation for engineering graduates to work successfully in the professional field. But in our opinion the German "Diploma or Diplom-Engineer has one important disadvantage. When a young person starts his study, he knows that it takes 4 - 5 years to finish the study and to apply for a job. In general this is too long. The student must pass a midterm examination after 2 or 3 years to finish the study. But with the midterm exams the student has no official degree to start working in industry. Today, if a foreign student with a bachelor degree comes to Germany and applies for a Diploma-Engineer degree, he often has to start from scratch. There is no general agreement among German universities as to how to handle foreign degrees. The student and the university have to find an agreement on a individual basis. This makes it not transparent for foreign students and therefore they study in other countries. Bachelor's and master's degree courses in the engineering program The structure of the existing engineering study program, as defined here, should also form the basis for the new degree courses for earning bachelor's and master's degrees, which qualify graduates to enter the professional field. For that reason experts from industry under the guidance of the VDI have developed a structure of bachelor and master's programs. Chart 7

The structure of the Bachelors/Masters Study Programs Degree:

3-4 years Degree: Bachelor

1-2 years

Master Dip.-Ing. Degree

Final Thesis Practice-Oriented Basic Knowledge Industrial Placement Technical Basics 1 b Basics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences 1b Engineering Fundamentals and Orientation Examination Basics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences 1a Technical Basics 1a Engineering Fundamentals and Orientation (EFO) (1 year)

Final Thesis Industrial Placement Specialized Studies Practice-Oriented Consolidation Basics of Mathematics and Natural Sciences 2 Technical Basics 2

Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering

For the bachelor's study program in the field of engineering, we recommend a regular study period of three to four years. This undergraduate bachelors degree program, in order to be compatible with the existing German study program, should be divided into two study and examination phases, specifically Engineering Fundamentals and Orientation, followed by the Specialised Study Program. Passing of the Engineering Fundamentals and Orientation Examinations (EFOE) is the prerequisite for admission into the Specialised Study Program. The internal structure of the bachelor's degree program is as follows: Fundamental Block 1 Practice Orientation Block 1 Industrial Placement and Final Thesis (3 months)

The bachelor's degree serves not only as a qualification for entering the professional field directly, but also as the necessary qualification for admission into the more consolidated master's study program. The study period for the master's degree program should be one to two years. According to our recommendation the internal structure of the master's study program should be as follows: Fundamental Block 2 Practice Orientation Block 2 Industrial Placement and Final Thesis (6 months)

The Structure of the Bachelor's / Master's Study Programs at a Glance We recommend that the bachelor's and master's engineering study programs should be offered at both universities and universities of applied science in Germany. However, each individual university should decide whether to offer either the bachelor's degree alone, the master's degree alone, or both programs in a particular field of study. The existing differences and specific characters between the study programs at the Universities of Applied Science and those at the universities should be retained. This will result in more practice-oriented or more research-oriented bachelor's and master's degrees. In our opinion, when introducing the bachelor's and master's study programs, not only the internal structure of the courses should be reconsidered, but also the following: matriculation requirements and the definition of study skills (we encourage that the high school studies conclude after 12 years of school and not after 13 years) the structure of the first-year study courses in view of the varying levels and educational backgrounds of the first-year students at the time of matriculation the transparency between practice-oriented and research-oriented courses. Both existing and future German degree study programs should be concluded with the master's degree, as long as it corresponds to international standards.

Why should German industry and the VDI support the introduction of bachelor's and master's study programs? The implementation of the new study programs is intended to achieve the following: considerably improvement of the conditions for German university graduates in the global job market. make Germany a more attractive place to study by offering internationallycompatible degree programs continuous improvement of the quality of the engineering study programs at German universities. The introduction of bachelor's and master's degree courses in Germany will make it possible for the universities to react with greater flexibility to the demands of the industry and the job market and to improve their own innovative paths. Instead of the quality of these study programs being determined by general regulations for study courses and examinationsas in the pasta consistently high level of quality will be achieved by the implementation of accreditation procedures. The German Ministry for Cultural Affairs has appealed for the founding of accreditation agencies for the various different fields of study. In the field of engineering, the industry has set up an accreditation agency for engineering studies. Like other international accreditation institutions it is constituted as a pool of experts from various different sectors: the Universities engineering associations like VDI and industrial federations together with the universities. Within the framework of relevant European guidelines and German legislation, this agency is charged with setting up the procedures and criteria for the evaluation of study programs.

Chart 8:

Accreditation in Germany
Accreditation Council

Coordinates and monitors the accreditation process Accredits the accreditation agencies

-- ------------------- Appoints expert committees Sets the standards for accreditation

Accreditation Agency A

Accreditation Accreditation AgencyB B Agency

Appoints audit teams Carries out the accrediation

Now I want to come to the second part of my speech today. - Managing the Accreditation Process As I mentioned before, the accreditation process has just started in Germany. First I would like to give you an overview of the Accreditation in Germany. The conference of the Ministries of Cultural Affairs and the conference of the presidents of the Universities have installed a accreditation council. The main objectives of the council are

Co-ordination and monitoring of the accreditation process Accreditation of the Accreditation agencies

For different sciences there will be installed different specialised accreditation agencies, like the Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering. The main objectives of the agencies are

Appointing export committees Setting the standards for accreditation Appointing audit teams Carrying out the accreditation

Chart 9 9

Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering

MemberGroups Groups Member Board Board
Accreditation Commission
ExpertCommittee CommitteeA A Expert ExpertCommittee CommitteeB B Expert AuditTeam Team11 Audit AuditTeam Team22 Audit

The implementation of new study programs at German universities has now been initiated and is gaining momentum. The most important aspects are, on the one hand, flexibility, modernity, efficiency and global competitiveness, and on the other hand, quality assurance, comparability, and greater mobility for the students, as well as meeting high scientific standards. The global orientation of the engineering study programs in Germany has been progressing quite well. On the 19 th of August 1999, an accreditation agency for bachelor's and master's degree courses was set up by representatives from universities, Universities of Applied Science , industrial federations and technicalscientific associations in Frankfurt. These are the Member Groups. Head office of the agency is in the head-quarters of VDI The Association of Engineers in Dsseldorf. Within the framework of relevant European guidelines and German legislation, this independent agency will set down the procedure and criteria for the evaluation of the study programs to be accredited. Therefore an independent Accreditation Commission has to be installed. The Commission appoints expert committees for special studies and also audit teams for the evaluation. The commission, the committees and the audit-teams are always put together by representatives from universities, Universities of Applied Science and Industry.

Accreditation guarantees minimum standards and international comparability. It achieves increased clarity, guarantees homogeneous procedures, thus making it easier for students to participate in exchange programs at other schoolsboth national and, most importantly, international. The agency is charged with drawing up agreements with the relevant institutionsin Germany and abroadwhich define the terms of mutual recognition of the study degrees. The terms and conditions of the agreement are defined in such a fair way that all universities will have an equal 10

chance to present a positive image for attracting foreign students and gain recognition in the international business world. The requirements expected of institutions of higher education have been changing, mostly due to the expansion of the tertiary education system, but also due to changes that have taken place in the professional field, and the increasing collaboration between universities all over the world. A graduate program with bachelor's and master's degree courses makes allowances for all these factors. The introduction of bachelor's and master's degree courses in the German educational system will open up new opportunities for structural reforms. Because the increased freedom in terms of choosing course material, the links between the different courses create the possibility of redefining the image of the school.

11