MSc in Economics adds dimension of internationalisation to its accreditation of excellence

The MSc in Economics at the Universitat de Barcelona School of Economics has been awarded the Additional Dimension of Internationalisation which adds on to the Accreditation with Excellence gained earlier this year. The programme achieved the maximum overall score of Quality-level Compliant by the external evaluation panel in the final assessment. It also obtained the maximum score in all the three specific internationalisation dimensions.

The internationalisation distinction by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) is an additional label to the aforementioned seal of excellence which recognises the added value of the programme in terms of academic and professional internationalisation of the programme. The three specific internationalisation dimensions are “study programme for internationalisation”, “internationalisation of teaching staff” and “internationalisation results”, all of which were awarded the Quality-level Compliant grade.

The accreditation process has revealed specific strengths, such as the highly internationalised study body and teaching faculty, the international nature and outlook of the programme, the establishment of new student exchange mobility agreements, the implementation of the visiting professor and teaching exchange programmes, as well as the support mechanisms in place, the individual assistance and personalised supervision. The internationalisation indicator results also show that the MSc in Economics is well-ranked among its international equivalents.

The programme also obtained the overall qualification of accreditation with excellence last February. This seal is acquired when a study programme successfully undergoes an evaluation process and complies to a high level with the majority of the accreditation criteria and numerous good practices exceed the required minimum. Training programme quality, lecturer suitability for the programme, efficiency of training support schemes and training programme results were just some of the accreditation criteria that were assessed.

Only programmes that successfully complete the process of accreditation according to the levels of “accreditation” and “accreditation with excellence” can apply for the review of additional dimensions, such as the international dimension. As a form of distinction, the name of the specific dimension is added to that of the quality label.

---