Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation

FIBAA

Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
Abbreviation	FIBAA
Formation	1994
Type	NGO
Purpose	Quality assurance agency for programme and system accreditation and certification
Location	Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Membership	European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education ENQA
Managing Director	Mag.ª Diane Freiberger, MBA
Website	http://www.fibaa.org/en/

FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation) is an internationally experienced agency for quality assurance for programme and system accreditation and certification in higher education. Founded in 1994 by top associations in the Swiss, Austrian, and German business sectors, FIBAA aims to ensure transparency and quality in the education sector. The FIBAA is organized as a non-profit organization. While headquartered in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the foundation’s legal seat is in Zurich, Switzerland.

Since joining the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) in 2002, FIBAA has expanded its activities internationally, accrediting over 5,600 study programs in numerous countries including Switzerland, the Netherlands, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Over the past decades, FIBAA’s expertise has grown significantly, both nationally and internationally, covering disciplines such as business administration, law, IT, education, natural sciences, as well as social and humanities subjects, including interdisciplinary fields. Its accreditations emphasize internationality, employability, and industry relevance, aligning with the Bologna Process standards. Notably, FIBAA is the only agency that awards a premium seal for programs exhibiting exceptional academic quality.

FIBAA is accredited by ENQA and listed in the European register EQAR. Active membership in ENQA, EUA, CEENQA and INQAAHE, amongst others, document its international networks. Furthermore, FIBAA is officially recognised in the Netherlands, in Austria, in Switzerland, in Indonesia, in Vietnam and in Kazakhstan. FIBAA holds cooperation agreements with foreign agencies of quality assurance in Kazakhstan, Georgia, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Turkey. 

Diane Freiberger is the Managing Director of FIBAA. She is fully responsible for the strategic direction and operational business of the organization and is heavily involved in developing quality standards and accreditation processes for educational programs.

Procedures

Peer Review Process

The assessment of study programs, training courses, educational providers, and quality management systems follows the peer review process established in the academic field: Independent and professionally selected reviewers examine and evaluate the facts with the institution. FIBAA applies a set of criteria when selecting reviewers to ensure impartial expertise. FIBAA has a pool of over 1,000 recognized experts in their fields.

FIBAA’s Assessment Guides

To assist its clients, FIBAA has developed Assessment Guides for each type of the accreditation procedure, containing all relevant quality criteria in the form of questions and definitions of benchmarks. These catalogs serve as the basis for clients when preparing their self-documentation.

FIBAA Decision Bodies

The highest body of the foundation is the FIBAA Board of Trustees, which determines the normative and strategic guidelines and guarantees the cross-border promotion of the foundation’s mission: enhancing quality, transparency, and internationality in higher education.

The FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC) is FIBAA’s central body responsible for decisions on awarding accreditations and certifications. This committee consists of independent experts from academia, business, and practice, ensuring a sound and objective evaluation of submitted study programs, institutions, and continuing education offerings. Their decisions are based on clearly defined quality criteria that consider both national and international standards.

Programme Accreditation

Programme Accreditation – International

FIBAA evaluates and accredits bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD programmes at state and state-recognized universities, as well as at newly founded institutions. Since its inception in 1994, FIBAA has successfully carried out over 5,600 accreditation procedures. It has accredited programs not only at German universities but also at institutions in European countries such as the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, as well as non-European countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Jordan, and Turkey. For accreditations outside Germany, FIBAA considers the respective national regulations and combines them with its own quality standards and requirements.

FIBAA closely follows the latest developments in higher education, such as digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence. Thus, the focus when awarding the FIBAA quality seal will soon be expanded to these areas. The updated evaluation catalog will be implemented starting in 2025.

Programme Accreditation – Germany

In Germany, programme accreditation covers bachelor’s and master’s programmes at state or state-recognized universities. After a successful accreditation procedure, the programme receives a temporary accreditation, possibly with conditions, and bears the seal of the German Accreditation Council. FIBAA offers programme accreditations to both state and private universities in Germany following the Interstate Study Accreditation Treaty and the relevant state ordinances, based on its approval by the German Accreditation Council.

Programme Accreditation – Switzerland

FIBAA is recognized as an accreditation agency by the Swiss Accreditation Council (re-accredited on September 24, 2021) under the Higher Education Act (HEdA) - the federal law on the funding and the coordination of higher education institutions in the Swiss higher education sector. FIBAA offers programme and institutional accreditation services to universities in Switzerland and provides consultations under the 2015 Accreditation Ordinance of the Higher Education Council of Switzerland (HEdA Accreditation Ordnance).

Programme Accreditation – Netherlands

FIBAA staff members regularly participate in the training provided by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) to qualify as secretaries. This enables them to conduct procedures according to NVAO guidelines. Additionally, Dutch universities can voluntarily opt for international programme accreditation through FIBAA.

Institutional Accreditation

FIBAA has successfully carried out over 60 system and institutional accreditations. FIBAA offers foreign and German universities institutional accreditation to assess the management of the university institution in terms of its core areas (research, teaching, administration, public relations). This procedure is aimed at universities and faculties, departments, or schools that wish to document their quality through an institutional review, for example, to promote international cooperation. Upon successful completion, FIBAA awards the university its quality seal for institutional accreditation.

Internationally, FIBAA conducts institutional accreditation procedures in Switzerland and Austria. The institutional accreditation process in Switzerland (from the initial consultation to the final review report, including a statement from the university) leads to an accreditation decision by the Swiss Accreditation Council based on FIBAA’s review report and accreditation application. In Austria, FIBAA follows the procedures outlined in the Higher Education Quality Assurance Act (HS-QSG).

System Accreditation in Germany

System accreditation evaluates a university’s internal quality assurance system and enables the institution to independently award the Accreditation Council’s seal for reviewed programs. FIBAA offers system accreditation services to state and state-recognized private universities in Germany according to the Interstate Study Accreditation Treaty and the relevant state ordinances, based on its authorization by the German Accreditation Council.

Certification

With successful certification, FIBAA ensures transparency and comparability of continuing education courses at national and international levels (EQR Levels 5 to 8). The FIBAA quality seal confirms the quality and academic level of these courses.

Certification of Continuing Education Courses

FIBAA certifies continuing education courses at universities and educational institutions that do not lead to an academic degree, including micro-credentials and MOOCs. With a successful certification, FIBAA ensures the transparency and comparability, also internationally, of the respective courses (EQR Levels 5 to 8). FIBAA awards its quality seal to certified courses, documenting their quality and academic level. Continuing education courses with exceptional quality are awarded the premium seal.

Certification of Digital Education Concepts

FIBAA has developed the first certification procedure to address the digitalization of teaching and learning offerings in higher education institutions and educational providers with its "Excellence in Digital Education"® seal. This seal is a registered trademark in the EU and Switzerland.

Consulting: FIBAA Consult

FIBAA’s consulting division, FIBAA Consult, supports institutions in various stages of quality development and assurance. FIBAA Consult offers workshops and seminars on topics related to quality assurance in higher education, as well as individual consultations (including institutional procedures) and studies and commissioned projects.

See also

• List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations
• Higher education accreditation
• Educational accreditation

External links

• Official website