CHEQF · Part III
Status is a permission, not a title. It is granted, conditioned, suspended or withdrawn.
Institutional quality assurance·Articles 19–23
Who may teach, who may award,and how often we check.
The Standard applies to seminaries, theological institutes, academies, faculties, study centres and other institutions admitted to the system. Admission is a review; staying admitted is a five-year cycle.
Article 19
A seminary forms clergy. To award a degree it must also hold an academic status.
01 Institutional status categories
Four academic statuses,and the seminary beside them.
- 01
Approved Study Centre
Provides individual courses and non-award programmes; does not confer degrees.
- 02
Affiliated Institute
Delivers approved Level 5–6 programmes and selected Level 7 programmes; the degree is conferred by the central Awarding Body.
- 03
Accredited Faculty / Institute
Delivers and administers Level 6–7 programmes and has its own Academic Board; degrees are conferred within the authority granted under the CHEQF system.
- 04
Doctoral Faculty
Authorised to deliver Level 8 doctoral programmes; requires a separate external review of the research environment, faculty, and supervisory system.
- 05
Seminary
A Church institution for the formation of clergy. It may award academic degrees only if it additionally holds one of the academic statuses listed above.
Article 20
Nine items. An institution that lacks one is not yet an institution in the sense of the Standard.
02 Minimum institutional requirements
What must exist beforethe first student is admitted.
- 01a legally and financially sustainable programme provider
- 02an Academic Board with clearly defined powers and formally recorded decisions
- 03a programme, curriculum, learning outcomes, and assessment system approved before students are admitted
- 04a sufficient number of qualified faculty members and a procedure for managing conflicts of interest
- 05academic regulations, disciplinary rules, an academic integrity policy, and appeals procedures
- 06an archive of academic records and long-term preservation of the degree registry
- 07library/electronic resources appropriate to the level of the programmes offered
- 08a mechanism for protecting students if a programme closes (teach-out plan)
- 09public information on qualification status, fees, requirements, and refund rules.
Articles 21–22
Internal review is annual; external review is at least once in five years.
03 Internal and external review
Reviewed inside every year,reviewed outside every five.
Internal quality assurance (Article 21)
- annual review of learning outcomes and student achievement;
- regular feedback from students and graduates;
- review of teaching quality and the currency of required literature;
- analysis of academic integrity cases and complaints;
- an annual programme report to the Academic Board;
- a full review of each programme at least once every five years.
External review (Article 22)
- 22.1.Initial institutional approval requires expert review of documentation, resources, and staffing. External peer review is mandatory before Doctoral Faculty status may be granted.
- 22.2.Institutional re-evaluation shall take place at least once every five years. The review panel must include persons independent of the institution under review; for Theology/Canon Law programmes, at least one reviewer must possess relevant ecclesiastical academic expertise.
- 22.3.Outcomes of external review may be: accreditation/authorisation without conditions; accreditation/authorisation subject to conditions and a remediation deadline; probation; suspension; or withdrawal.
Five possible outcomes of external review, in order
- Authorisationwithout conditions
- Authorisationsubject to conditions and a remediation deadline
- Probation
- Suspension
- Withdrawal
Articles 13 and 15
Online delivery does not reduce the academic standard.
04 Faculty and mode of study
The same degree requiresthe same outcomes in any mode.
Faculty requirements (Article 13)
| Programme Level | Minimum Expectation |
|---|---|
| Level 6 | Core faculty members hold qualifications at no lower than Level 7 or a documented equivalent; at least 30% of key academic disciplines are taught by persons holding a doctoral degree or recognised scholarly qualification. |
| Level 7 | At least 70% of key academic disciplines are taught by faculty holding Level 8 qualifications or recognised equivalents; professional disciplines may be taught by practitioners with outstanding relevant qualifications. |
| Level 8 | The supervisor holds a doctoral degree in a relevant field and has a demonstrated record of research/publication. The doctoral committee includes at least three qualified members. |
| Ecclesiastical Disciplines | The competent Church authority may require a separate ecclesiastical teaching mandate for faculty teaching dogmatic theology, canon law, liturgics, pastoral studies, and other confessionally sensitive disciplines. |
Distance and blended learning (Article 15)
- student identity verification and account security;
- regular substantive student–faculty interaction;
- recorded learning activity in an LMS or equivalent system;
- access to library resources, academic advising, and technical support;
- reasonably secure examinations and oral verification of authorship for key assignments;
- for practical and pastoral programmes, verified supervised practice in the student's place of residence;
- for doctoral programmes, regular research seminars and a mandatory oral defence.
Expression of interest
There is no application form yet, because there is no approved Standard yet. There is an address.
05 For institutions
Tell us you exist.The procedure follows the approval.
Until the Standard is approved by the competent Church authority, no institution may recruit students in its name and no status can be granted. What an institution can do now is read the draft, comment on it, and register an expression of interest so that it is informed when the authorisation procedure opens.
Write with the name of the institution, its country, the programmes it delivers, the levels it intends to seek, and the person responsible. We answer from the same address.