The Accreditation Commission of the internationally renowned Centre of Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the Swiss Universities (OAQ) has decided to award the system accreditation to the University of Stuttgart after an examination procedure lasting over one year. The expert group of the OAQ rated the quality management at the University of Stuttgart as pioneering for other universities. Instead of individual courses of studies the system accreditation assesses the whole quality management in the field of studying and teaching throughout an entire university. At a ceremony in the senate hall of the university on 8th October 2012 OAQ Director Dr. Christoph Grolimund presented the accreditation certificate to the University Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel.
The University of Stuttgart developed the model of an integrated quality management system four
years ago and decided to take the path of system accreditation in the field of studying and
teaching. As the first university in the state of Baden-Württemberg and as the first university in
the association of the nine technical universities in Germany (TU9), the University of Stuttgart
has now received the certificate on system accreditation.
At the ceremony to handover the certificate University Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel thanked
all involved employees of the university for their months of work in the service of quality
development and emphasised: ”With the system accreditation for studying and teaching the University
of Stuttgart has moved one step closer to autonomy. We will continue to pursue the central topic of
quality management with great determination and integrate all core processes from the university.“
When presenting the certificate OAQ Director Dr. Christoph Grolimund underlined the model
character of the quality culture at the University of Stuttgart.
The accreditation system in Germany has three stages: the Conference of Education Ministers
(KMK) adopts resolutions in principle and determines common structural guidelines. The
Accreditation Council organises the accreditation system through determining rules and criteria.
The accreditation agencies then conduct the accreditation at the universities on the basis of the
KMK decisions and the criteria of the Accreditation Council.
Your contact persons:
PD Dr. Anneli Töpfer, Quality Development, University of Stuttgart
tel.: 0711/685-84283, email: anne.toepfer [at] qe.uni-stuttgart.de
Dr. Hans-Herwig Geyer, University Communication, University of Stuttgart
tel.: 0711/685-82555, email: hans-herwig.geyer [at] hkom.uni-stuttgart.de