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The Awarding Bodies - QQI

Awarding Bodies are organisations that are authorised to make postgraduate awards, certification, or award qualifications.

Listing Awarding Bodies

Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies in Ireland, the UK and abroad. Most major postgraduate awards are made by bodies with statutory powers, but there are also many professional organisations that make their own awards in relation to postgraduate study. While courses and educational programmes in Ireland lead to qualifications from Irish awarding bodies, it sometimes be the case that courses lead to non-Irish awards, for example awards from international bodies, or national awards from other countries.

Certain Irish institutions are both providers of courses and programmes and also awarding bodies for postgraduate certification in their own right: these are the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).

An award is an academic qualification (degree, diploma or certificate) conferred in recognition of the successful completion of a higher education programme of study, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and issued by a designated awarding body. The National Framework of Qualifications sets out the criteria for major and non-major awards. Non-major awards include, minor awards, special purpose awards
and supplemental awards.

Major awards are the principal class of awards made at a given NFQ level and reflect a significant volume of learning, e.g. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ, Level 8), Master Degree (NFQ, Level 9), Doctorate Degree (NFQ Level 10).

In Ireland, following the changes in the qualifications system as a result recent legislation, the number of statutory bodies has been reduced as the new awards councils FETAC and HETAC have assumed the the awarding functions previously fulfilled by several other Irish organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, the National Tourism Certification Board (CERT) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara.

Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies giving postgraduate certification in Ireland and the UK below.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is a state agency established by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012.

Their functions include those previously carried out by these bodies:

  • Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC)
  • Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC)
  • Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB)
  • National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI)

Qualifications, Standards, Awards, Recognition

Firstly, QQI is responsible for maintaining the ten-level National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). They are also an awarding body and set standards for awards they make in the NFQ.

Furthermore, the agency validates education and training programmes. They make extensive awards in the further education and training sector including in the Education and Training Boards.

They also make awards in higher education. These are mainly to students attending private colleges and educational institutions. Universities and Institutes of Technology generally make their own awards.

QQI also provide advice on recognition of foreign qualifications in Ireland and on the recognition of Irish qualifications abroad.

Quality Assurance

In addition, QQI review the effectiveness of quality assurance in further and higher education and training providers in Ireland. This includes the Universities, Institutes of Technology, Education and Training Boards. It also includes providers in the private further and higher education and training sectors (availing of QQI awards).

IEM

Another function of QQI is to authorise the use of an International Education Mark (IEM) for providers.

This is awarded to providers of education and training (including English language training) who have demonstrated compliance with a statutory code of practice in the provision of education and training to international students.

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