About AKAST

AKAST was first accredited as an accreditation agency in 2008 and entitled to accredit canonical study programmes and to award them the quality seal of the Accreditation Council. AKAST has been listed on EQAR since 10.12.2021. The listing was renewed on 12.12.2023. The listing confirms AKAST’s compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

AKAST operate primarily conduct of peer-review procedures of canonical study programmes in accordance with the Interstate Treaty.

The agency dedicate subject specific promotion of university didactic and information exchange about current developments in the field of higher education.

AKAST works in particular with the Accreditation Council on the one hand and Agenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Università e Facoltà Ecclesiastiche (AVEPRO) and the Holy See on the other hand.

What distinguishes AKAST:

  • over ten years of experience in the area of ensuring and developing the quality of study and teaching in canonical courses, especially Catholic Theology

  • the high level of expertise of the AKAST committees due to the specific construction

  • the transparent and efficient structuring of all procedural steps and consistent implementation of the evaluation and assessment process

  • a branch that is certified as highly professional and informal and competent in terms of content

MISSION STATEMENT

Our quality philosophy and the objectives for our work are set out in AKAST’s Mission Statement. The freedom to develop a profile in research and teaching is of fundamental importance for the work of AKAST.

AKAST’s quality concept as formulated in the Mission Statement is based on the principles of academic freedom and autonomy of higher education institutions and hence on the responsibility of institutions and faculties for study programme quality and for measurement and validation of the institutions’ objectives.

That quality concept is bound by requirements of higher education law (in particular the Interstate Treaty and the Specimen Decree), and by requirements under the body of law governing relations between the state and the churches, including relevant ecclesiastical stipulations made in concordats.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

AKAST’s internal quality standards and quality measures centre around the Agency’s basic purpose of providing external quality assurance in higher education:

  • Promotion of faculties and other institutes of Catholic theology;

  • Quality assurance of canonical courses in accordance with the universal ecclesiastical Higher Education Law in its currently valid version and its national application;

  • Carry out peer review processes and accreditation procedures of canonical study programmes;

AKAST’s quality concept has the following objectives:

  • To ensure AKAST’s establishment as a discipline-specific quality assurance agency in the national context;

  • To safeguard and further enhance the high quality assurance carried out by AKAST;

  • To support Catholic theology faculties and education institutions with the considerable expertise that results from AKAST’s unique structure and special status;

  • To ensure adequate staff and material resources on a lasting basis in all areas.

Um diese Ziele zu erreichen nutzt AKAST kontinuierlich ein formalisiertes System der internen Qualitätssicherung.
Die Grundlagen dieses Systems wurden zu einem “System der internen Qualitätssicherung von AKAST e.V.”  zusammengefasst.

Verfahrensauswertung im Zeitraum Sommersemester 2014 bis Sommersemester 2016

Um die Qualität der Prozesse zu verbessern wurde im Zeitraum Sommersemester 2014 bis Sommersemester 2016 die Verfahrensauswertung in Form von leitfragengestützen Interviews durchgeführt und Gutachter und Gutachterinnen sowie Vertreter und Vertreterinnen der Hochschulen in 20-minütigen Interviews befragt.

Ausgewertet wurden acht Programmakkreditierungsverfahren, darunter vier Verfahren, die an Staatlichen Fakultäten und vier Verfahren, die an Kirchlichen Hochschulen bzw. Theologischen Fakultäten durchgeführt wurden. Insgesamt wurden 64 Personen angefragt. 50 Personen erklärten sich bereit, für ein Interview zur Verfügung zu stellen (Rücklauf: ca. 78%).

In den Gesprächen wurden sieben Themenblöcke, die sich am Verfahrensablauf orientieren, angesprochen.

Eine Kurzfassung der Auswertung der Interviews sowie die Leitfäden für die Interviews finden Sie hier.

BOARD MEETINGS AND NEWS

Here you will find board meetings, news and current informations about AKAST.

Board Meetings

  • 16. September 2027
    39. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

  • 11. March 2027 
    38. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

  • 28. Januar 2027
    20. General Meeting of AKAST

  • 17. September 2026 
    37. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

  • 19. March 2026 
    36. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

  • 22. Januar 2026
    19. General Meeting of AKAST

18. September 2025
35. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

20. March 2025
34. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

23. Januar 2025
18. General Meeting of AKAST

19. September 2024
33. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

14. March 2024
32. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

25. Januar 2024
17. General Meeting of AKAST

14. September 2023
31. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

16. March 2023
30. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

19. January 2023
16. General Meeting of AKAST

15. September 2022
29. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

17. March 2022
28. Meeting of the Accreditations Committee of AKAST

27. Januar 2022
15. General Meeting of AKAST

News

May 2025: Workshop Discussion – „Theologie – und was dann?“
AKAST invites you to a Workshop Discussion on Oktober 9 – 10, 2025, at the Burkardushaus – Conference Center at the Cathedral in Würzburg.
Registration is now open, and you can view the program here.  The Workshop Discussion is aimed in particular at individuals who are involved in or interested in the (future) development of degree programs at universities and colleges.

April 2025: Workshop Discussion – „Theologie – und was dann?“
AKAST invites you to a Workshop Discussion on Oktober 9 – 10, 2025, at the Burkardushaus – Conference Center at the Cathedral in Würzburg.

Februar 2025: Future Workshop – „AKAST quo vadis?“
AKAST invites you to the „AKAST quo vadis?“ Future Workshop on March, 20 2025 (half-day) at the Burkardushaus – Conference Center at the Cathedral in Würzburg.

election General Meeting 2025

14. Januar 2025
Obitnary – Dr. Johann Komusiewicz

March 2024: Re-accreditation by the Accreditation Council: Based on its registration with EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register), AKAST was re-accredited as an accreditation agency in Germany for an unlimited period of time at the 120th meeting of the Accreditation Council. Renewals of EQAR registration must be reported to the Accreditation Council without delay.

December 2023: The European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies EQAR has once again confirmed AKAST’s compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). The registration is valid until October 31, 2028 and is also the required condition for re-approval as an accreditation agency in Germany by the Accreditation Council.

Further information can be found here.

November 2023: AKAST is currently in the process of renewing our registration on EQAR. The necessary external review of AKAST was coordinated by ENQA. You can find our self-assessment report and the result of the review by ENQA here.

02. August 2023
Obitnary – Prof. Dr. em. Winfried Haunerland

election General Meeting 2023

25., 26. October and 08., 09. November 2022
Online-seminars on programm accreditation for experts

3. December 2021
Obitnary – Prof. Dr. Joachim Schmiedl ISch

10. December 2021
First registration of AKAST by EQAR

05., 07., 19. and 21. October 2021
Online-seminars on programm accreditation for experts

23. November 2020
Obitnary – Prof. Dr. Stephan Haering OSB

23. December 2019
AKAST welcomes you to our new website.

At its 98. meeting on December, 6, 2018, the accreditations council reaccredited AKAST (under the old law) and approved it (under the new law) without any conditions.