Quality culture
Our commitment to quality
The QM system at FAU is based on the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG). Our quality culture focuses on a participatory exchange based on dialogue between the units of FAU and increasing the awareness of all members of the University of the aims of the QM system.
Our central ideas are participation, transparency and the principle of subsidiarity.

Our aim is to continuously improve the degree programmes offered at FAU and adapt the framework conditions in teaching and studying in the best possible manner. The requirements of good teaching and optimum learning conditions are characterised by the different situations and cultures in each discipline. We regard the diversity of our disciplines as one of our characteristic strengths which ought to be developed and supported by the QM system in order to further strengthen the quality culture across FAU.
Mission: teaching and studying
Our mission for teaching and studying defines FAU’s mission in more detail by defining six strategic goals for teaching and studying:
- Strengthen the unity of research and teaching
- Make FAU more international and cosmopolitan and increase mobility
- Encourage innovative teaching and creativity
- Develop opportunities for learning at all levels of university education
- Develop services and infrastructures
- Participation and identification – take responsibility and make decisions together
Principles of system accreditation
System accreditation is based on a university’s internal quality assurance system. System accreditation entitles universities to accredit their own degree programmes with the seal of the Accreditation Council. (German Accreditation Council)
During the system accreditation process, a university must prove that it systematically implements the formal and subject-related criteria laid down in the Council’s Specimen decree. To do so, the quality management system must schedule regular evaluations of the degree programmes and all areas relevant to teaching and studying. If a university has received system accreditation, it means that its quality management system is suitable for ensuring that qualification goals are met and its degree programmes are of high quality.
The system accreditation process focuses on the assessment of the QM system and its development. This process is as an opportunity to design quality management instruments, structures and processes on the basis of FAU’s targets, while taking into account the criteria for degree programme accreditation, and to ensure that these instruments and structures are also effective on the degree programme level.
System accreditation and re-accreditation at FAU

In 2009, the Executive Board decided that the University would develop an internal quality management system for teaching and studying for all faculties based on the requirements for system accreditation. After submitting an application, FAU was admitted to start the system accreditation process by the AQAS accreditation agency in November 2013. FAU was granted system accreditation by the accreditation agency AQAS on 9 May 2016 after successfully completing the process and fulfilling all requirements. The accreditation is valid until September 2023.
As a university with system accreditation, FAU can now award the Accreditation Council’s seal to its modularised degree programmes.
We have been continuously developing the QM system at FAU with all status groups since 2016 and are scheduled to begin the system accreditation process in 2021, once again with the AQAS accreditation agency.
