At the end of September, following an extensive evaluation process, the international quality assurance agency evalag confirmed the high quality and continuous further development of the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in the areas of teaching, research and administration. This sends a strong signal for its future viability and its role as a leading educational institution in Austria.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (SUAS) is legally obliged to carry out an audit every seven years to certify its internal quality management system in accordance with § 22 of the Austrian Higher Education Quality Assurance Act (HS-QSG). The certification is valid until 2031 and ensures that the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences continues to work at a high level and is constantly developing.
‘The successful re-audit is a significant confirmation of our continuous efforts to achieve excellence in all areas. This result shows that we are on the right track and motivates us to continue to pursue and expand our high standards,’ explains SUAS Rector and Managing Director Dominik Engel.
Reviewers are thoroughly convinced
The international team of experts came to the conclusion that the organisational development process launched by FH Salzburg in 2020 ‘was carried out prudently and with the best possible participatory involvement of all stakeholders (...) The QM department is actively and strongly involved in the efforts to streamline and consolidate internal processes (...) There seems to be an open, familiar atmosphere between students, lecturers and the administration, which opens up low-threshold feedback and exchange opportunities.’ The involvement of Master's students in research projects, topic-oriented research groups and the two Josef Ressel Centres ‘as the pinnacle of priority research’ as well as the UAS's internal research funding were also perceived positively. The reviewers had an ‘extremely positive picture’ of the current and planned continuing education programmes. The experts were also convinced that the FH Salzburg ‘has created suitable processes and structures for quality assurance in administration and uses sensible instruments.’ Recommendations that were still made will be incorporated into the university's continuous improvement processes and quality management.