Accreditations

European Hospitality Schools Accreditations Council (EHSAC)

Accreditations

There are many reasons to become an accredited EHSAC member. For institutions it means that the courses and programmes accredited meet the requirements of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) as set out in the Bologna Declaration. This facilitates and encourages collaboration and joint research as well as faculty and student exchange, which will attract more and better students applying for admission. It also provides encouragement to continually improve and refine the knowledge and skills of the faculty to help keep your institution internationally competitive.

A great advantage for learners is that they find their credits are transferable across different schools, programmes and countries, making them more mobile which gives them greater life experience.

For employers, the rewards of developing a programme that is awarded accreditation status can be manifold: accredited programmes can mean the company receives international recognition and attracts better prospective employees; by helping these learners acquire valuable skills through real-life experience they are likely to be more motivated and productive which may result in improved cost effectiveness and staff retention.

Q: What is accreditation?

A: There are two types of accreditation: institutional and professional. EHSAC is a professional accrediting body. It specialises in reviewing the quality and integrity of post-secondary hospitality programmes in universities and colleges worldwide. Accreditation by EHSAC is based on an international and independent evaluation of an institution's post-secondary hospitality programmes by a group of professionals that include faculty and academic administrators in the field of hospitality. It is a programme of continuous quality development touching on all aspects of an educational establishment.

Q: Why is it important to have accreditation?

A: The award of accreditation demonstrates to professional academics and to the public that an institution’s post-secondary programme has attained an internationally recognisable level of quality allowing students, employers and parents to have confidence in the education that is being provided.

Q: What are the benefits of programme accreditation to an institution?

A: Support, motivation and advice to provide a dynamic quality programme of education meeting both the demands of students and the marketplace. It can also lead to an increase in demand for its courses.

Q: What is the value of accreditation for students?

A: A guarantee of a balanced quality programme resulting in an award recognised by other institutions and employers. Furthermore, it allows students to change institutions internationally while taking their course credits with them.

Q: What are the requirements?

A: An institution must offer hospitality programmes and demonstrably meet the criteria for accreditation. The institution, faculty, department or school must become a member of EHSAC prior to applying for accreditation.

Q: What type of institution may seek accreditation of its programmes?

A: All institutions that provide programmes as a part of life long learning. They may vary from traditional colleges providing undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degree programmes in hospitality or organisations providing professional development programmes helping to update or advance careers.

Q: What is the process for programme accreditation?

A: The accreditation process has three stages involving 1) the application; 2) an institutional “self-evaluation” producing direct and indirect evidence that the institution meets each of the accreditation standards and 3) the self-evaluation is then audited by a group of international experts.

Q: What is involved in terms of commitment, resources and expenses?

A: To apply for accreditation an institution – faculty, department or school – must be a member of EHSAC. Further the institution must be committed to providing quality in all aspects of its education and management. Initially investment may be needed to meet accreditation criteria plus the time required to fulfil the self-evaluation but provided there is a commitment to quality then "extra expenses" would normally be part of the annual budget for continuous development.

Q: Which institutions are accredited?

A: A list of institutions with their accredited programmes is available on this site.

Q: Do I need to translate / present all documents required for the accreditation in English?

A: Within the accreditation documents it is clearly stated those which must be presented in English.

Q: What are the costs of accreditation?

A: There is an application fee of five thousand euros (€5,000). The institution is charged at cost the fees and expenses of the evaluation visit. On being awarded accreditation an institution will be charged an annual accreditation fee of three thousand five hundred euros (€3,500) for four (4) programmes. Each additional accredited programme will be charged at five hundred euros (€500) per year.