PLA University own degree

The university own degrees are not to be confused with the officially recognised programmes and degrees with RVOE offered by the University and can be earned via the following ways/options:

1. Recognition of Transfer Credits.
2. Professional Certification.
3. Validation of Prior Learning.
4. Validation of Degree.

Título propio or Grado propio or University-own degree programmemes are a common academic and professional offer of numerous universities worldwide and are based on the respective applicable study laws. They are regulated in Austria as “Universitätslehrgänge”, “Fachhochschullehrgänge”, “Hochschullehrgänge”, in Italy, Spain (Arto. 34 Ley Organica de Universidades) and France they are known as “own degrees”, to name but a few.

The Mexican Constitution and the General Law of Education (Ley General de Educación) entitle a private Institution of Higher Education (IES particular) to offer programmemes with RVOE, „Reconocimiento de Validez Oficial de Estudios“ or „Official Recognition of the Validity of Studies“, which is a programmematic accreditation, and also entitle recognised private universities to offer programmemes and award degrees without programmematic RVOE in accordance with Article 59 of the General Law of Education.

The regulatory authority SEP has confirmed to the Rector of the University, that the University is entitled to offer national and international programmemes without RVOE and award university own degrees, however, students need to be made fully aware of this circumstance.

Título propio degrees are awarded by the University sui generis and are based on Article 59 of the General Law of Education (Mexico).

University own degrees are, therefore, legally awarded by the respective university, despite, they lack official recognition, a degree may be recognised as professional specialisations by Professional, Regulatory and Statutory Bodies and Guilds, independent and non-governmental credential evaluators as well as individual employers. Some university own degrees may also be accepted for credit transfer to official study programmemes (e.g. in Austria, or DEA in Spain). Some university own degrees are recognised for regulated professions (e.g. MBA in Austria for Unternehmensberater or licensed Management Consultants), others like the DEA in Spain and France qualify for admission to doctoral research without further coursework.

In either case, a título propio or university own degree reflects that the graduate has earned a degree at postsecondary education level awarded by an officially recognised university.

Modalities:

Recognition of transfer credits

Professional certification

Validation of prior learning

Graduation examination / By Thesis

Our University has developed a professional and academic certification programmeme and awards the university own „título propio“ degrees to persons meeting the corresponding degree requirements.

Students' prior learning is recognised regardless of how, where and when they have acquired it. The aim is that students can evaluate their competence in relation to the competence goals of their courses. Students are responsible for demonstrating, proving and providing adequate information on their competence.

The recognition of prior learning can take place through credit transfer or be based on evidence. We use different methods for recognising prior learning:

Transfer credits recognition

As a recognized university focusing on the needs of professional students, we accept transfer of credit from other institutions. All graduate and undergraduate students admitted to the University are eligible to apply for prior learning credit. However, a portfolio is evaluated only after transfer credits have been evaluated.

Automatic assessment of prior learning

There are certain qualifications which we will recognise as prior learning automatically, having assessed the courses of these qualifications and considering them to be acceptable for validation in the context of a given academic degree.

The University values professional experience and learning experience in order to transfer professional certifications into academic credit for a number of our online degree programmes. We offer transfer credit to members of professional organizations and to individuals who hold the professional certifications. Industry-recognized certifications, work-based trainings, and professional licenses might provide you additional opportunities for earning academic credit. There are a number of industry-standard certifications that have been evaluated as aligned to specific course competencies. Because you’ve already demonstrated your knowledge by earning your certification, all you need to do is submit the required documentation that verifies that you possess the current professional certification. Once approved, credit for the course is counted toward your degree.

To be considered for automatic accreditation you must make a formal application and provide the necessary evidence when you apply for your programmeme. The following programmemes will recognise and accredit specific prior learning, achieved for qualifications awarded by specified institutions or professional bodies.

Level 6 EQF qualifications	Award of a Bachelor´s degree
Level 7 EQF qualifications	Award of a Master´s degree
Level 8 EQF qualifications	Award of a Doctor degree

Individual assessment of prior learning

You may also apply for other courses you have studied to be recognised as prior learning on an individual - i.e. discretionary - basis. You need to include this in your programmeme application. The University offers credit recognition and opportunities for professional and experiential learning. Your previous learning may be recognised and validated if you have successfully completed a programmeme of study which compares in level, content and standard to a course or module of your degree programmeme. You will need to provide us with evidence of your previous learning.

Not all learning takes place inside a classroom. We respect your life experience and recognize that college-level learning often takes place outside of academic settings. Individualized Prior learning Assessment is the process by which students are able to explain and document their college-level learning and be assessed by an expert evaluator. The knowledge, skills and experience you have gained through training courses, employment, professional development courses, voluntary work, private study and previous attendance at college and university could be counted toward your degree. This learning is often unrecognised because it has never been formally assessed or because the course was not completed. This learning can be recognised and given credits that count to your degree. ​​​​​Prior Learning credit can be awarded for college-level learning students have already acquired from work, training, and life experiences. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a method of documenting a student’s experiences and to learn more about the knowledge gained from those experiences. The university does not grant credit for experience alone. The student must demonstrate an understanding of theory and application as they pertain to a specific set of competencies. Our Prior Learning model is based on “competencies” rather than on course “​equivalents,” and the credit awarded can be applied to your degree programme. The competency model allows you to have your college-level learning recognized. For any of your learning from work, training, and life experien​ces to be considered for credit, you will need to assemble a portfolio that explains and documents the experiences ​and what you learned from them (i.e., what “competencies” you have acquired). A key in component of the portfolio is your “self-assessment” of learning, which explains the learning that occurred through the experiences. Your portfolio will then be evaluated to determine whether credit can be awarded for undergraduate or graduate-level competencies. Many students bring a wealth of prior learning to their studies, and we offer the option to convert this learning into academic credit through appropriate documentation, self-reflection, and evaluation by a qualified faculty member.

Course Examination

Prior learning can be recognised either in full or partially. Partial recognition means that the student must supplement his or her competence in the manner determined by the degree programmeme.

Through Course Examination, you can earn credit by passing the equivalent of a final exam. Credit can be earned for almost any course for which the University can prepare and administer a suitable examination or assessment. Alternative methods, such as exams, are a convenient, affordable option for students to earn academic credit for some courses in their degree programme.

Duration

PLA for a complete degree programmeme lasts at least six months, a student will prepare a portfolio in as little as three months, but most take six months or longer. At the end of those 6 months, students may need to spend additional time completing their portfolios; the amount of time spent in the process can vary. The University assesses all applications for PLA to ensure the required learning and competency outcomes for a particular course have been achieved. The process of preparing a portfolio varies substantially from one student to the next. Students who make the portfolio a top priority often finish the project within one semester, even if the portfolio is a large one. The time involved will depend on work responsibilities, family obligations, volunteer activities. Other factors include the number of years to be covered, the number of experiences submitted, and the availability of verification documents. The processing time depends on the complexity of your application and the academic staff workload at the time. It also depends on you submitting a complete and signed application. Incomplete applications will be returned to you for correction. Under normal circumstances you could expect to know the outcome of your application within eight weeks. If you haven't received notification within this period contact your faculty or department.