Pañstwowa Komisja Akredytacyjna (PKA)
PKA is the Polish State Accreditation Committee and was established in 2002. PKA is the only Polish statutory body entrusted with the responsibility of evaluating the quality of higher education. Its opinions and resolutions have a legally binding effect.
Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of PKA are:
- Quality assessment of education in a given field of study, including teacher training
- The compliance with the requirements for the provision of degree programmes as laid down in the legislation
- The establishment of a higher education institution
- An authorization for a higher education institution to provide degree programmes in a given field of study and at a given level of study, within a macro-field of study or as interdisciplinary programmes
- An extension of a permit for the establishment of a higher education institution
- The establishment of a teaching centre in another location by higher education institution
- The establishment of a higher education institution based on the territory of the Republic of Poland by a foreign higher education institution
Focus of accreditation
PKA accredits programmes. This means that an expert panel assesses wheter a programme is at the level it is supposed to be (e.g. Master's level) and if the programme achieves the intended learning outcomes in its specific subject.
All Bachelor and Master's programmes offered by all , both public and non-public, higher education institutions in Poland, have to be accredited.
The consequences of accreditation
If the accreditation decision is positive, the programme is accredited. This means that the programme and the degree awarded is legally recognised. The programme can obtain public funding and if the outcome of the accreditation procedure is a judgement that the programme is outstanding, additional public funds are available.
If the accreditation decision is negative, the programme can not legally be offered. This means that either the enrolment for a given field of study is suspended or the right to offer a given field of study is revoked. Additionally, there are consequences on public funding.
Publication policy
PKA publishes all its assessment results. Additionally, a report on the overall assessment of a given field of study is published after having finished a full cycle of assessment of programmes in this field of study.
Mutual recognition agreements
PKA has mutual recognition agreements with:
- Austrian Accreditation Council (AAC), Austria
- Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie (NVAO), The Netherlands and Flanders
PKA has signed a letter of intent with:
- Organ für Akkreditierung und Qualitätssicherung der Schweizerischen Hochschulen (OAQ), Switzerland
