Accreditation & Recognition
Triagon Academy is accredited and licensed (License Number: 2018 -021) as a “Higher Education Institution” by the Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) and is authorized to offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral programmes at Level 6, 7 and 8 of the Maltese Qualifications Framework (MQF) and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF).
Our institution meets the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG). This has been confirmed by the distinguished German accreditation agency ACQUIN, which is a full member of EQAR. The institutional accreditation and several programme accreditations were granted in full and without any conditions.
ACQUIN states: „Triagon prioritized student success as its primary goal, by providing high-quality academic programs and support services that enhanced the learning and career development opportunities of its students”.
In addition, all degree programmes are accredited by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA), at levels 6 (Bachelor), 7 (Master) and 8 (Doctorate) of the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) respectively.
All degrees awarded by Triagon comply with the Bologna Reform and can be internationally recognized. The legal basis for the recognition of foreign qualifications is the Lisbon Convention. Under this convention, there is no such thing as ‘state recognition’ of foreign qualifications. Information provided by the national information centres for foreign qualifications (the ENIC-NARIC network) is generally not legally binding. This applies to almost all countries that have ratified the Lisbon Convention, including, for example, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Individual institutions are responsible for recognition, namely companies, public authorities and higher education institutions.
The Lisbon Convention establishes a culture of recognition in which foreign qualifications are, in principle, to be recognised (principle: mutual trust). Rejection is only allowed if the institution responsible for recognition demonstrates a ‘substantial difference’ (principle: reversal of the burden of proof), whereby ‘substantial’ means that the differences in the specific learning outcomes of the degree programme are so significant that the intended occupation or subsequent degree programme is unlikely to be successfully completed. In the case of further studies, conditional recognition should be granted in cases of doubt, i.e. suitable bridging courses should be offered (principle: compensating rather than penalising). This assessment must be based on an individual case-by-case review of the foreign qualification. This is a high hurdle that was deliberately chosen in the Lisbon Convention and the implementing guidelines.
In practice, recognition procedures still sometimes deviate from these principles. This applies in some countries, particularly within the public administration and, to some extent, at state universities. Therefore, the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications, or at least the procedure involved, should be clarified in advance in these areas. In the private sector, recognition is well established. Companies across all sectors and of all sizes not only recognise our qualifications but are also happy to cover tuition fees in order to promote and retain talented staff. We can provide specific examples upon request.
ACQUIN Institutional Accreditation
