Accreditation 25 October 2017

Course accreditation

Report on accreditation of two higher education courses of study offered by The Australian College of the Arts

A delegate of TEQSA has accredited, under section 49 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (the TEQSA Act), the following higher education courses of study offered by The Australian College of the Arts (Collarts) for a period of four years until 25 October 2021.

• Diploma of Applied Business (Fashion Marketing)
• Bachelor of Applied Business (Fashion Marketing)

A delegate of TEQSA has imposed, under section 53 of the TEQSA Act, two conditions on the accreditation of the Bachelor of Applied Business (Fashion Marketing):

Condition 1: Prior to offering a student a place in the Bachelor of Applied Business (Fashion Marketing), Collarts must provide to TEQSA evidence of the appointment of a suitably qualified Program Leader. The appointee must possess:

1. a qualification in a relevant discipline at least at AQF level 8
2. demonstrated experience in overseeing the development and coordination of higher education academic programs.

Condition 2: Not later than four weeks prior to the commencement of each teaching period for the Bachelor of Applied Business (Fashion Marketing), in relation to each staff member at each location proposed to teach one or more units in the course, Collarts must provide TEQSA with:

1. the name of each staff member intended to deliver each unit in the course
2. the units proposed to be taught and delivery location
3. each staff member's qualifications in the discipline of the course being taught
4. if a staff member does not hold a qualification in a relevant discipline at least one AQF level above the course in which they are teaching, details of the basis on which Collarts determined that the staff member holds professional experience equivalent to such a qualification.

Main reasons for decision

The issues which led TEQSA to impose conditions and a shortened period of accreditation are:

a) This is the first course to be taught by Collarts with a focus on Fashion Marketing.

b) Whether the numbers, qualifications, experience, expertise and sessional/full-time mix of both academic staff who teach or tutor the course of study, and support staff, are appropriate to the nature, level, and mode of delivery of the course of study and the attainment of expected student learning outcomes.

c) The extent to which the staff who teach students in the course of study are appropriately qualified in the relevant discipline, and whether they have a sound understanding of current scholarship and/or professional practice in the discipline that they teach.

TEQSA's assessment considered Collarts' arrangements for delivery at all Australian sites.