The EUR-ACE (EURopean ACcredited Engineer) Label is a certificate awarded to courses of study in Engineering that are accredited by authorised quality assurance and accreditation agencies in the European Higher Education Area.
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The European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) grants this authorisation to agencies that accredit degree programmes in Engineering in accordance with the European Framework Standards and ENAEE's Standards for Accreditation Agencies.
The EUR-ACE label may be awarded to First Cycle (Bachelor) and Second Cycle (Master) accredited degrees in Engineering.
History
The European Standing Observatory for the Engineering Profession and Education (ESOEPE) was established in September 2000. Its aim was to improve systems of accreditation of engineering degree programmes in Europe.
In 2004 ESOEPE submitted a proposal to the European Commission. This proposal envisaged the establishment of a quality label (the EUR-ACE Label) which could be awarded to engineering degree programmes which had reached certain educational standards, as defined by their learning outcomes.
The proposal was accepted by the EU Commission and funding provided for the project. ESOEPE was dissolved; ENAEE was established and implemented the EUR-ACE Project.
The EUR-ACE Project concluded on 31/03/2006 with the presentation of the results in a public workshop in which the EUR-ACE label was listed among the six EC-sponsored “European quality labels in higher education”. .
The approach to using learning outcomes in the ENAEE European Framework Standards has been corroborated in a number of publications and projects since the establishment of ENAEE. .
On 19 November 2014, the thirteen authorised agencies signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement whereby they accept each other's accreditation decisions in respect of Bachelor and Master engineering degree programmes which they accredit.
Agencies authorised to award the EUR-ACE label
As of 19 June 2014 ENAEE had authorised thirteen agencies to award the EUR-ACE label, which has been awarded to more than 1600 engineering degree programmes in over 300 universities and other higher education institutions in 21 countries both within and outside of Europe.
The seven agencies authorised to award the EUR-ACE label are as follows:
- ASIIN–Fachakkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik, der Naturwissenschaften, und der Mathematik e.V. Germany
- CTI – Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur, FRANCE
- Engineering Council UK
- Engineers Ireland
- Ordem dos Engenheiros, Portugal
- AEER – Association for Engineering Education in Russia.
- MÜDEK – Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programmes, Turkey.
- ARACIS – The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, Romania
- QUACING - Agenzia per la Certificazione di Qualità e l’Accreditamento EUR-ACE dei Corsi di Studio in Ingegneria, Italy
- KAUT - Accreditation Commission of Universities of Technology, Poland
- OAQ - Organ für Akkreditierung und Qualitätssicherung der Schweizerischen Hochschulen, Switzerland
- ANECA - National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain, in conjunction with IIE – Instituto de la Ingeniería de España, Spain
- FINEEC - Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvosto KKA, Finland