Quality management at IMC Krems
Stakeholder satisfaction and continuous quality improvements are our leading priorities. With this in mind, our quality management (QM) system is geared towards achieving high-quality learning and teaching, research and development, as well as ongoing quality gains in every area covered by the system.
In addition, our quality management system is aimed at fine-tuning our university-wide culture of quality. We promote this by means of an unswerving focus on international quality standards, which in turn strengthens the sense of personal responsibility and management controlling capabilities at IMC Krems.
Quality management in line with international standards
Based on IMC Krems’ strategy, our focus on top-level international quality standards is firmly established in every part of the university – teaching and learning, research and development, as well as administrative activities.
Deeply rooted in our core processes
Our core processes for both teaching and learning and research and development are embedded in the current process map, and are also applied across the university.
The university sees its chief responsibilities as providing its students with the best possible education in order to prepare them for their future careers, as well as delivering outstanding performance in research, generating new knowledge in its various disciplines, and in turn creating added value for society.
Overall framework and culture of quality
In addition to a culture of quality, quality improvements require guidelines – in other words, specific quality management criteria, methods and tools – that form a framework for fulfilling the responsibilities that underpin academic study and research in an institutional context.
The PDCA cycle forms the basis for quality management throughout the university. Quality assurance and quality improvement for core higher education activities are based on an organisational quality management system, into which various quality assurance tools, methods and processes have been integrated with a view to generating synergies.
However, enhancing quality is also founded on a higher education culture of quality, to which each individual is required to make a personal contribution, reflecting the shared responsibility for achieving quality.
" We use domestic and international accreditation, certification, audits and benchmarking as tools for continually improving quality and the quality management system, and we do not shy away from international competition. In the course of our activities, we are committed to continuously enhancing the quality of our teaching, applied research and other services, reducing their impact on the environment and enhancing the effectiveness of our integrated management system. "
IMC Krems’ Targeting the Future 2.0 strategy
A long-standing quality mindset
Due to the course-providing body’s statutory obligation to put in place a quality management system in order to safeguard performance and quality standards, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems decided as early as 1995 to implement a comprehensive quality management system in line with the relevant international standard. The university was first certified in accordance with ÖNORM EN ISO 9001 in 1997.
One particularly important factor in this respect is that we constantly improve as an organisation. To do so, our organisational structures and processes develop in parallel with our strategic objectives.
However, quality also needs to be evaluated by independent third parties. For this reason the university undergoes voluntary external audits every year. We are also re-certified every three years by independent, external certification bodies in accordance with the international ÖNORM EN ISO 19011 standard.
Objectives of quality management
- Continuously safeguarding and improving on high quality standards in teaching and learning, and in research and development
- Implementing national and international higher education standards
- Constantly enhancing the culture of quality
- Ensuring the transparency of and safeguarding quality in all university processes
- Involving stakeholders in initiatives to enhance quality at the university
- Implementing strategic objectives for quality management on the basis of the university’s Targeting the Future strategy
Accreditations, awards and certifications
An overview of our accreditations and certifications
Evaluationsagentur Baden-Württemberg (evalag)
With regard to the assessment areas specified in section 22 of the Hochschul-Qualitätssicherungsgesetz (Quality Assurance in Higher Education Act), IMC Krems’ quality management system was reviewed in accordance with the evalag criteria for quality management.
Following a positive assessment, the evalag Accreditation Commission certified the university’s quality management system on 6 October 2017. The certification is valid until 5 October 2024.
IQNet
IMC Krems meets the requirements of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 international management standards. This is reflected in the two certifications obtained from IQNet, the world’s most extensive network of certification bodies.
Quality Austria
Our university was the first higher education institution in Austria to obtain certification from Quality Austria in accordance with three internationally recognised management standards: ISO 9001 (quality management systems), ISO 14001 (environmental management systems) and ISO 29990 (learning services for non-formal education and training - expired 21/11).
Diploma supplement
IMC Krems has obtained the Diploma Supplement Label awarded by the European Commission, Council of Europe and UNESCO three times: in 2006, 2010 and 2013. This quality seal is testimony to the levels of transparency and quality we have achieved in meeting the objectives of the Bologna Declaration.
Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA)
Expired
IMC Krems has earned the Institutional Accreditation quality seal of the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA), an international quality assurance agency specialising in education and science.
This certification covers not only our core activities – teaching and learning, as well as research and development – but also our entire organisational set-up.
Memberships
An overview of our current memberships
Austrian Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (FHK)
The FHK is a private, non-profit association dedicated to fostering and enhancing the quality of education, science, research and teaching at Austria’s universities of applied sciences. Moreover, the association promotes uniform standards and transparency in the higher education sector, and also carries out public relations work designed to raise the sector’s profile.
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Membership of the AACSB is IMC Krems’ first step towards obtaining the desired certification of activities in its core subject of business.
In order to achieve this, the university is undergoing a multi-year evaluation procedure with a focus on teaching and learning, research and development, continuing education and graduates’ career prospects. The degree to which the university is integrated into the economy and its economic impact are also being assessed.
European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD)
IMC Krems enjoys a high level of international recognition thanks to its membership of the EFMD’s global network. Based in Brussels, the foundation is Europe’s leading quality assurance and accreditation platform for information, research, networking, innovation and best practice in management development.
Austrian Agency for Research Integrity (ÖAWI)
The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity carries out professional investigations into alleged academic misconduct in Austria, assessing the severity of any violations and, if necessary, proposing corrective measures.
European Association for International Education (EAIE)
IMC Krems’ membership of the EAIE enables the university to network with fellow institutions, and to acquire and share expertise in the internationalisation of higher education.
Contact us
If you have any questions, just send an e-mail to: qm(at)fh-krems.ac.at
Quality Management and Accreditation
![Mag.(FH) Gebhard Binder | Head of Quality Management & Accreditation - IMC Fachhochschule Krems]()
Mag.(FH) Gebhard BinderHead of Quality Management & AccreditationHead of Quality Management & Accreditation
Mag.(FH) Gebhard Binder
![Mag. Dr. Thomas Veigl | Deputy Head of Quality Management & Accreditation - IMC Fachhochschule Krems]()
Mag. Dr. Thomas VeiglDeputy Head of Quality Management & AccreditationDeputy Head of Quality Management & Accreditation
Mag. Dr. Thomas Veigl
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Mag. Andrea MayrQuality Management & Accreditation![]()
DI Margarethe NaschbergerQuality Management & Accreditation![]()
Mag. Dr. Markus OppenauerQuality Management and Accreditation![]()
DI Dr. Marion PucherQuality Management & Accreditation![]()
Florian Seierl, BAQuality Management & Accreditation![]()
Dr. phil. Moriz Wilkens, M.A.Quality Management & Accreditation
