External Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Bologna Process

External quality assurance and accreditation procedures in Europe are usually organised at the national level and the methods used differ as much as the education systems themselves. There is however a general trend, initiated by the Bologna Declaration Process, to stimulate the establishment of quality assurance agencies in all European countries and to develop a closer collaboration between such agencies on a European level in terms of procedures and criteria. Indeed, if higher educational programmes are to become more comparable and recognised at European level, the mechanisms for the assurance and enhancement of these programmes should also have higher levels of comparability and compatibility. An important document which was published by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) for the 2005 Bergen Conference of Ministers can be downloaded here:

Downloadable documents
Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area	English

The position and action of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC)

Few subject areas have such an intrinsic obsession with demonstrating quality as does music: students are constantly asked to perform for committees, auditions, competitions and (the ultimate test of all) the concert public. At the same time, a limited experience exists with external quality assurance and accreditation procedures in music. Further work is therefore needed not only to inform institutions on how to approach such procedures for the enhancement of their quality, but also to instigate a proactive approach of the sector itself in order to ensure that procedures will take into account the particular characteristics of music study that distinguish music from any other discipline in higher education.
 
In relation to quality assurance, the AEC is of the opinion that:

1. Quality assurance and accreditation must function as mechanisms that can assist autonomous higher education institutions in the enhancement of their quality instead of bureaucratic processes based on inflexible criteria and procedures.
2. Quality assurance and accreditation processes must take into account in their criteria and procedures the specific nature and characteristics of professional music training.

Downloadable documents
AEC Position statement on quality assurance and accreditation in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)	English

The project entitled ‘Accreditation in European Professional Music Training’ (2006-2007) studied the European dimension in quality assurance and accreditation procedures related to the field of higher music education with support from the SOCRATES Programme. More information about this project can be found on the dedicated section of this website.

External Quality Assurance and Accreditation in music worldwide

Two projects studying external quality assurance and accreditation in an international context have been initiated by the AEC :

1. The ‘Mundus Musicalis’ project (2005-2007), the first project in the field of music supported by the ERASMUS MUNDUS programme, has studied international cooperation and mobility in the field of higher music education. As the exchange of information on quality assurance and accreditation procedures is essential to the development of mutual trust necessary to underpin an effective recognition of qualifications, a document was also produced with a focus on quality assurance and accreditation procedures in music at international level, which lists, compares and analyses the existing procedures in 34 countries.

    

   Downloadable documents
   Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Music Education - an International Comparison Characteristics of an Effective Evaluation System for Music Schools and Conservatoires	English   English

    

2. In the framework of an international transatlantic project called ‘Music Study, Mobility and Accountability’ (2002-2004), the AEC worked together closely with the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) in the United States, which is a specialised accreditation organisation in the field of music. The project, which was supported by the EU/USA Programme, focused on two main subject areas: ’quality assurance and accreditation in professional music training’ and ’transatlantic cooperation in professional music training’. The main documents on quality assurance and accreditation in music can be downloaded here. 

    

   All other publications produced in this project can be downloaded on the extensive MSMA project website.