Professional Accreditation
The primary purpose of professional accreditation is to ensure that graduates from specific programs are professionally qualified and competent.
The University recognises that external accreditation of its programs by professional bodies is an important component of a quality assurance framework.
During the process of professional accreditation a program is assessed against predetermined criteria within certain specified categories (for example, objectives, curriculum content, resourcing, staff profile), with the aim of reaching a conclusion about whether the program meets minimum standards set by the relevant accrediting body.
For further information about professional accreditation please contact Education Quality.
The professional accreditation of programs offered by the University is conducted by a variety of accrediting bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia, Engineers Australia and the Australian Medical Council.
The University has no influence over the accreditation process and fully recognises the independence of the accrediting bodies. However, the University has established certain procedural practices to ensure that all instances of accreditation are recorded, that a schedule of impending accreditations is maintained and that issues identified through accreditation are formally addressed by the University.
The University also recognises that reports by accrediting bodies are a valuable source of information about the quality of programs offered by the University. This information is of interest to external organisations such as TEQSA and issues identified during an accreditation are relevant to program reviews and annual monitoring. For these reasons, copies of all reports provided by professional accreditation bodies and any associated documentation are to be held centrally within the University.
In order to facilitate this process, the University has adopted the following principles:
- The University recognises the independence of all organisations conducting professional accreditation of its programs.
- All professional accreditations will be aligned with the University's mission, values, and strategic priorities.
- Information developed for professional accreditations and outcomes of accreditation processes will be available for quality assurance purposes and TEQSA processes.
- Where professional accreditation is not mandatory for the professional practice or registration of graduates, applications should be supported by a business case. Issues identified through accreditation processes will be addressed promptly and systematically.
The accreditation procedures used by the various professional bodies vary significantly. Some are very formal, involve lengthy site visits and require significant input by staff members, whereas others are less formal and involve limited staff input.
Although the University has no control over the actual accreditation process of an individual professional body, the University requires that certain procedures are observed for all programs being accredited.Ìý These procedures are currently under review and will be published in due course.
For any questions relating to interim procedures, please contact Education Quality.Ìý
Programs at the University are accredited by professional organisations. Such accreditation ensures that graduates of a program are professionally qualified and competent to work in their chosen vocation. It also serves as a quality measure for individual programs.
The individual professional organisations accredit programs for varying periods of time. Accreditation schedules for each of the University faculties are maintained by Educational Quality.Ìý Please contact Education QualityÌýfor the details of each Faculty's accreditation schedule and reports.