3 GMBS ACCREDITATION COUNCIL

PART 3.1

STATUS OF THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL

Article 53

Status of the Accreditation Council

(1) This Internal Regulation, in Articles 55 to 75, regulates the status, scope, composition, responsibilities and powers, the activities carried out, the method of deliberation and decision-making of the GMBS Accreditation Council (hereinafter referred to as the "Accreditation Council") and its working groups.

(2) The Accreditation Council is the highest decision-making body in the creation, approval, implementation and modification of each study programme.

PART 3.2

THE OPERATION, COMPOSITION AND SCOPE OF THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL

Article 54

Activities of the Accreditation Council

(1) The activities of the Accreditation Council shall be governed by this Internal Regulation, which also includes the establishment of rules for the manner and conduct of the deliberations of the Accreditation Council and its working groups.

(2) Within the scope of its activities, the Accreditation Council shall mainly:

a) Discuss, and decide on the approval of, proposals for new study programmes and for the modification/cancellation of study programmes;

b) Set corrective measures resulting from the assessment of the proposals referred to in Point (a), discuss and evaluate the implementation of the corrective measures set;

c) Approve applications to assess the compliance of the existing study programme with the MFHEA Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and the MFHEA Study Programme Standards;

d) Review and approve an application for study programme accreditation, in which GMBS seeks MFHEA accreditation before it is sent to MFHEA;

e) Carry out regular ongoing supervision over the implementation of study programmes; carry out periodic evaluation and approval of study programmes; assess the compliance of study programmes with the MFHEA standards for the internal quality assurance system of higher education and the MFHEA Study Programme Standards;

f) Regularly assess the level of quality in research, development and other creative activities at the GMBS;

g) Approve the nominations of persons to the list of candidates for membership of the working groups in the Accreditation Council;

h) On the proposal of the Chairman of the Accreditation Council, approve the members of the working groups at

Accreditation Council;

i) where a conflict of interest is identified, the Accreditation Council shall remove the members of the working groups concerned on the proposal of any member of the Accreditation Council;

j) Carry out other activities resulting from the internal quality assurance system of higher education (hereinafter referred to as "IQS") of the GMBS.

Article 55

Composition of the Accreditation Council

VS 2.6.a.1, VS 2.6.a.2, VS 3.2.a.1, VS 3.2.a.2, SP 3.1.5

(1) The Accreditation Council shall consist of a Chairman, a first and second Vice-Chairman and members of the Accreditation Council.

(2) The Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall manage the Accreditation Council, substitute and represent the Council externally.

(3) The first Vice-Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall act in the full capacity of the Chairman of the Accreditation Council during a Chairman's prolonged sick leave of more than twenty-one (21) calendar days, or on the basis of a written assignment from the Chairman of the Accreditation Council.

(4) The second Vice-Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall replace the Chairman of the Accreditation Council in full during the long-term incapacity of the Chairman and the first Vice-Chairman lasting more than twenty-one (21) calendar days, or on the basis of a written assignment from the Chairman of the Accreditation Council.

(5) Membership of the Accreditation Council is non-transferable.

(6) A member of the Accreditation Council shall participate in the meetings of the Accreditation Council and in the meetings of the working groups, of which he/she is a member.

(7) The Accreditation Council has six (6) members.

(8) The Accreditation Council consists of:

a) Chairman of the Accreditation Council;

b) Vice-Chairman of the Accreditation Council;

c) One member upon a proposal from the departments;

d) One member of academic staff from outside GMBS working at a foreign higher education institution;

e) One member from an external background from an employer;

f) One member from among the student representatives.

(9) The function of a member of the Accreditation Council is incompatible with the function of a person responsible for the implementation, development and quality assurance of a study programme (study programme Sponsor). An exception may be made only in the case of the Chairman/Vice-Chairman of the Accreditation Council provided that these members were excluded from the activities referred to in Article 56 if they are involved in the matter under discussion.

Article 56

Establishment and Termination of Membership in the Accreditation Council

(1) Members of the Accreditation Council are appointed and dismissed by the Rector on the basis of a proposal by the GMBS Quality Board, and once approved by the GMBS Scientific Council.

(2) The term of office of a member of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Article 57 (8) (a) to (f) is six (6) years.

(3) The term of office of a member of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Article 57 (8) (g) is two (2) years.

(4) The basic criteria for a candidate for nomination as a member of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Article 57 (8) (d) and (e) are:

a) Minimum academic degree from a recognised university at EQF/MQF level 8;

b) The candidate is a recognized professional and moral authority.

(5) The same person may serve even more than one term as a member of the Accreditation Council.

(6) Membership of the Accreditation Council shall cease on a day of:

a) Expiry of the term of office of a member of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Paragraph (2) and (3);

b) Resignation from the Accreditation Council by written notice of resignation to the Chairman of the Accreditation Council;

c) Removal of a member of the Accreditation Council by the GMBS Scientific Council from

the Accreditation Council upon a suggestion by a member of the Accreditation Council.

Article 57

Responsibilities and Powers of the Members of the Accreditation Council

(1) Chairman of the Accreditation Council:

a) Manages the Accreditation Council;

b) Convenes and chairs meetings of the Accreditation Council;

c) Submits a proposal for the composition of the working groups to the Accreditation Council for approval;

d) Monitors the implementation of individual decisions and tasks assigned to members of the Accreditation Council or members of the working group;

e) Proposes the composition of the working groups in the Accreditation Council and appoints their members;

f) Delegates to the vice-chairmen and individual members of the Accreditation Council specific tasks related to the activities of the Accreditation Council.

(2) Vice-Chairman of the Accreditation Council:

a) Represents the Chairman of the Accreditation Council in full during his/her long-term sick leave within the meaning of Paragraph (3) or (4) of Article 57 herein;

b) Shall have the responsibilities and powers of a member of the Accreditation Council referred to in Paragraph (3) of this Article.

(3) Member of the Accreditation Council:

a) Participates in the meetings of the Accreditation Council and performs the tasks assigned by the Accreditation Council;

b) Comments on the materials discussed and proposed resolutions and votes on the resolutions of the Accreditation Council;

c) Participates in the meetings of the working groups of the Accreditation Council as an observer.

(4) All members of the Accreditation Council shall have the right to vote. Each member shall have one vote.

Article 58

Secretary to the Accreditation Council

(1) The Secretary to the Accreditation Council is not a member of the Accreditation Council and participates in the meetings of the Accreditation Council without the right to vote.

(2) The Secretary to the Accreditation Council supports the activities of the Accreditation Council and its working groups, provides organizational and administrative preparation and conduct of the meetings of the Accreditation Council and the working groups;

(3) Takes minutes of the meetings of the Accreditation Council and performs other tasks as delegated by the Chairman of the Accreditation Council.

Article 59

Conflict of Interest of a Member of the Accreditation Council and its Resolution

(1) If there is any conflict of interest for a member of the Accreditation Council, he/she shall immediately inform the Accreditation Council of this fact:

a) The Chairman of the Accreditation Council, if he/she is a member of the Accreditation Council;

b) The Accreditation Council through its Secretary, if it is the Chairman of the Accreditation Council.

(2) The Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall inform the Accreditation Council of this fact, which may subsequently decide to limit the scope of activities of the person with a conflict of interest in deciding on the matter under discussion. A written record shall be made of this fact.

PART 3.3

ACCREDITATION COUNCIL MEETING

Article 60

Method and Conduct of the Accreditation Council's Deliberations

(1) Meetings of the Accreditation Council shall be convened by the Chairman of the Accreditation Council as necessary, at least once per calendar year.

(2) The agenda of the Accreditation Council meeting shall be prepared and proposed by the Chairman of the Accreditation Council.

(3) In particular, the following form the background documents for the individual items on the agenda:

a) The submitter's request for the Accreditation Council's opinion and annexes thereto;

b) The evaluation report or the opinion of the Accreditation Council working group on the matter under discussion;

c) A draft resolution of the Accreditation Council;

d) Other opinions submitted in support of the application;

e) The submitter's statement.

(4) The deliberations and decision-making of the Accreditation Council shall take place in closed session.

(5) The Accreditation Council shall be competent to deliberate and adopt resolutions if an absolute majority of all members is present.

(6) Members of the Accreditation Council and invited persons may speak on each item of agenda.

(7) After the end of the deliberation on the agenda item, the Chairman will vote first on the amendments to the draft resolution as presented by the members of the Accreditation Council in the deliberation in the order in which they were presented. The Accreditation Council then votes on the draft resolution as a whole.

(8) The adoption of a resolution of the Accreditation Council requires the consent of an absolute majority of all members; in the event of an equality of votes, the vote of the Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall prevail. The members of the Accreditation Council, the Secretary of the Accreditation Council and members of the working groups are obliged to maintain confidentiality concerning the votes of the individual members of the Accreditation Council and the members of the working groups.

(9) Minutes of any meeting of the Accreditation Council shall be drawn up. The minutes shall be drawn up by the Secretary to the Accreditation Council. The minutes include an attendance list, the agenda of the meeting, the adopted resolutions of the Accreditation Council and the annexes to these resolutions.

Article 61

The process for assessing applications submitted to the Accreditation Council

(1) The Accreditation Council shall register all submitted applications concerning the accreditation of a new study programme, modification of a study programme, lifting of restrictions on the accreditation of a study programme, and cancellation of a study programme, etc., and shall inform the applicant in writing of the commencement of the procedure.

(2) The process of decision-making of the Accreditation Council on proposals submitted within the meaning of Paragraph (1) of this Article shall commence on the date the submitter submits the application.

(3) If the submitted application or annexes thereto do not meet the required formal requirements, the Accreditation Council will invite the submitter to make good the documents within a time limit of thirty (30) calendar days from the receipt of the request for completion of the documents by the submitter. A record shall be made of this fact.

(4) If the submitted application and annexes thereto meet the required formal requirements, the Secretary to the Accreditation Council shall make the application and annexes thereto available to the members of the Accreditation Council in electronic form.

(5) The Chairman of the Accreditation Council may propose a working group according to the matter under consideration. Upon approval of the working group by the Accreditation Council, the Chairman of the Accreditation Council shall appoint the working group. The Accreditation Council shall request the working group consider the application and to prepare an opinion on the matter under discussion.

(6) When assessing the submitted proposal, the working group of the Accreditation Council assesses the compliance of the proposal with the Act on Quality Assurance of Higher Education, the MFHEA Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education, the MFHEA Study Programme Standards, and the Internal Regulation of the GMBS.

(7) The Accreditation Council shall issue a decision on the matter under discussion. The decision must contain the mandatory parts, which are the operative part, the statement of reasons and instruction. The decision of the Accreditation Council shall also contain other prerequisites depending on the nature of the matter under discussion. If the Accreditation Council needs further documentation on the matter under discussion in order to take a decision, the Accreditation Council shall adopt an opinion by setting a deadline for the completion of the documentation. The written opinion of the Accreditation Council shall be delivered to the submitter.

Article 62

Deciding on the new study programme accreditation

(1) The Accreditation Council decides on the accreditation of a new study programme at the GMBS upon an application for the creation of a new study programme. The Rector submits the application to the Accreditation Council.

(2) The Accreditation Council shall decide on the application for the creation of a new study programme within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application.

(3) After reviewing the application for the creation of a new study programme or an application for new study programme accreditation in which GMBS seeks MFHEA accreditation, the GMBS Accreditation Council by resolution:

a) Decides on the approval of a new study programme;

b) Identifies deficiencies in the proposal for the creation of a new study programme and proposes measures to eliminate them, taking particular care to align the study programme with the Study Programme Standards and the Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education; or

c) Decides not to approve the new study programme.

(4) If the proposal for the creation of a new study programme does not comply with the requirements of the MFHEA, the Study Programme Standards or the Internal Regulation of the GMBS, or if the deficiencies pointed out by the Accreditation Council during the approval process have not been corrected, the Accreditation Council shall not approve the proposal for the new study programme and shall issue a decision with reasons.

Article 63

Deciding on the Assessment of the Compliance of the Study Programme with the Standards

(1) The Accreditation Council decides on the assessment of the compliance of the study programme with the MFHEA Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and the Study Programme Standards at the GMBS upon the Rector's application.

(2) The Accreditation Council shall decide on the compliance of the study programme with the MFHEA Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and the Study Programme Standards within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application.

(3) After discussing an application for the assessment of the compliance of the study programme with the standards and based on the opinion of the working group of the Accreditation Council, the Accreditation Council by its resolution:

a) Decides on the approval of the compliance of the study programme with the Study Programme Standards and the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education; or

b) Identifies deficiencies in the proposal for aligning the study programme with the Study Programme Standards and the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and proposes measures to eliminate the deficiencies and bring the study programme into compliance with the standards; or

c) Decides on the cancellation of the study programme.

(4) If the Accreditation Council has decided pursuant to Paragraph (3) (b) of this Article, i.e., identified deficiencies in the proposal for the alignment of the study programme with the Study Programme Standards and the Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and proposes measures to eliminate the deficiencies and achieve compliance of the study programme with the Standards, returns the submitted proposal to the Rector. The Accreditation Council shall set a time limit for the correction of the deficiencies, which shall be a maximum of ninety (90) days. The Accreditation Council will ask the submitter to eliminate the deficiencies and to ensure that the proposal complies with the Study Programme Standards and Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education. The Rector will request the appropriate Curriculum Council to correct the deficiencies and ensure compliance with the standards.

(5) If the Accreditation Council has decided pursuant to Paragraph (3) (c) of this Article, they justify the decision to cancel the study programme; the decision of the Accreditation Council shall be final. The Rector shall ensure the cancellation of the study programme in the Register of Study Programmes and inform the MFHEA of this fact.

Article 64

Deciding on the Modification of a Study Programme

(1) The GMBS Accreditation Council decides on the modification of a study programme at the GMBS upon the Rector's request.

(2) The Accreditation Council shall decide on the modification of the study programme within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application.

(3) After discussing the application for modification of the study programme, the Accreditation Council by its resolution:

a) Decides to approve the modification of the study programme; or

b) Identifies deficiencies in the proposed study programme modification and proposes measures to remedy them, taking particular care to align the study programme with the Study Programme Standards

and the Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education; or

c) Decides not to approve the modification of the study programme.

(4) The decision of the Accreditation Council on the modification of the study programme pursuant to Paragraph (3) (a) of this Article contains the specification of the modifications of the study programme.

(5) The Rector will request the MFHEA to change the study programme.

Article 65

Deciding on the Suspension of a Study Programme Implementation

(1) The decision to suspend a study programme at the GMBS may be taken by:

a) The MFHEA;

b) The Accreditation Council.

(2) If the GMBS Accreditation Council finds that a study programme does not meet the Study Programme Standards, it will decide to suspend the study programme.

(3) If, after the suspension of a study programme, the Rector submits to the Accreditation Council a proposal for the modification of the study programme, which will create a prerequisite for the fulfilment of the Study Programme Standards, the Accreditation Council shall proceed in accordance with Article 66 hereof.

(4) If the Rector submits a proposal to the Accreditation Council for the cancellation of the study programme after the study programme was suspended, the Accreditation Council shall proceed in accordance with Article 68 hereof.

Article 66

Deciding on the Cancellation of a Study Programme

(1) The Accreditation Council decides on the cancellation of the study programme at the GMBS upon an application for cancellation of a study programme. The Rector submits the application for the cancellation of a study programme together with the justification to the Accreditation Council.

(2) The Accreditation Council shall decide on the cancellation of the study programme within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application for cancellation of the study programme.

(3) After discussing the application for cancellation of the study programme, the Accreditation Council by its resolution:

a) Approves the cancellation of the study programme;

b) Does not approve the cancellation of the study programme;

(4) Upon the decision of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Paragraph (3) (a) of this Article, the Rector shall ensure the cancellation of the study programme in the Register of Study Programmes.

(5) Upon the decision of the Accreditation Council pursuant to Paragraph (3)(a) of this Article, the GMBS shall provide prompt notice of the cancellation of the MFHEA study programme.

(6) If the Accreditation Council has decided pursuant to Paragraph (3) (b) of this Article, it gives reasons for the decision; the decision of the Accreditation Council shall be final.

Article 67

Continuous Monitoring, Periodic Evaluation and Periodic Approval of Study Programmes

(1) The Accreditation Council conducts ongoing oversight of the implementation of study programmes and periodically evaluates study programmes at the GMBS to ensure that the study programmes are in compliance with the Standards for the Internal Quality Assurance System for Higher Education and the Study Programme Standards, and that the objectives and learning outcomes achieved are consistent with the needs of students, employers and other stakeholders.

(2) In the periodic evaluation of study programmes, the Accreditation Council shall follow the provisions of this Internal Regulation.

Article 68

Regular Assessment of the Level of quality in providing Research, Development and Other Creative Activities at the GMBS

(1) The Accreditation Council evaluates the level of quality of research, development and other creative activities at the GMBS at regular intervals with the intention of achieving the very highest international quality in the study programmes provided at all levels of higher education.

(2) The Accreditation Council shall proceed with the evaluation in accordance with the provisions hereof.

PART 3.4

ACCREDITATION COUNCIL DOCUMENTATION

Article 69

Accreditation Council documentation

(1) The documentation of the Accreditation Council and its working groups shall be produced in electronic form.

(2) Electronic means of communication may be used for the transmission of documents to, and communication between, the members of the Accreditation Council and the members of the working groups.