Accreditation Time

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Amsterdam Academy of Architecture successful three times!

In the past one and half years, the Academy of Architecture has successfully undergone three accreditations. Each of these accreditations take place once every six years. In November 2019, a research assessment took place on behalf of the Commissie Evaluatie Kwaliteit Onderzoek (Committee for the Evaluation of Research Quality, CEKO) of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen). In the process, the assessment panel evaluated the research of the three Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape Architecture research groups as ‘excellent’. The panel said the research programmes of the research groups were ‘very ambitious, relevant and engaged, fuelled by and focused on urgent social themes that relate to the three disciplines.’ They also determined that ‘due to the quality and nature of the different research projects, the research groups are able to contribute in a very productive way to urgent challenges and issues that are of great importance to society.’

In November 2020, a combined assessment took place within the context of the educational accreditation of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) and the internationalisation accreditation of the European Consortium for Accreditation in higher education (ECA). In the educational accreditation report, the panel wrote that it was impressed ‘by the way in which the Academy has continued to develop its profile: a clearly-formed vision on the three disciplines, an interdisciplinary programme structure, strongly integrated research, and the positioning as a Dutch educational organisation that focuses on the international context of the disciplines. The panel had ‘great appreciation for the assessment method’ and thought the graduation designs were of ‘high quality’.

In the internationalisation accreditation report, the panel wrote that the Academy ‘has developed a robust framework with which the international aspects of the three Master’s programmes can be further developed.’ The panel also found ‘that all students from the three Master’s programmes – irrespective of their nationality or discipline – gain extensive international and intercultural experiences, both abroad and at home.’ The Academy will set to work in the coming period with the recommendations from the research and educational accreditation.

The committee is impressed by the way in which the Academy has continued to develop its profile a specific view on the disciplines, a common programme structure, strong integrated research, positioning as a Dutch organisation focusing on the international context of the disciplines. The committee thinks highly of the course assessment method. The final projects demonstrate that the three programmes are of high quality.

The Academy has developed a robust framework to enhance the internationalisation aspects of its three master programmes. All students – irrespective of nationality or discipline – can rely on a range of relevant services that facilitate their study period.

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