Accreditation by Professional and Statutory Bodies

Many undergraduate and postgraduate award-bearing courses across College are designed to satisfy some or all of the requirements of a professional or statutory body in a particular area (e.g. Institution of Engineers of Ireland, Dental Council of Ireland, An Bord Altranais). The blanket term “professional accreditation” is used inside College to cover all the means by which professional or statutory bodies officially approve, monitor and review courses or programmes. In some areas this involves a regular series of College visits; in others the interactions are less frequent and are mainly by correspondence. The nature and outcomes of these interactions are monitored at Faculty and College level:

•  to ensure that College, which is ultimately responsible for the courses accredited by a professional or statutory body, is fully aware of the current status of all its courses and of potential changes as they develop, and of the information provided to external organisations;

•  to assist departments in discussions with professional and statutory bodies, particularly where academic policies and resources are at issue.

In September 2011, the University Council approved revised procedures for Professional and Statutory Body Accreditation and a Summary of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses that are subject to Professional and Statutory Body Accreditation. A schedule of upcoming accreditation visits for the 2011/12 academic year is available and updated on a regular basis.