The European Association for Higher Education Advancement (EAHEA) announces the establishment of the EAHEA Credit Systems: four credit systems that state the workload and the level of a program in one clear, comparable way. They are MUC (Modular Units of Competency), PAC (Professional Advancement Credits), ILC (Institutional Learning Credits) and EUC (Executive Units of Competency). EAHEA invites education providers around the world to use them.
Why EAHEA Created the Credit Systems
State higher education systems rely on credit systems of their own, such as ECTS in Europe, CATS in the United Kingdom and credit hours in the United States. These systems were designed for degree programs given by universities. A large part of today’s education sits outside them: independent business schools, corporate academies, training providers, continuing education centers, distance education centers and online course platforms. Their learners, and the employers who read their credentials, have had no common way to see how much study a program contains and at what level.
The EAHEA Credit Systems close that gap. They give independent, professional and executive education one transparent, workload-based measure, one method of calculation and one standard notation for transcripts. EAHEA authorizes the providers and publishes directories in which anyone can verify a provider.
The Four Credit Systems
| Credit | Level | One Credit Equals |
|---|---|---|
| MUC, Modular Units of Competency | Micro-credentials, short courses, online courses, workshops and continuing education | 10 to 15 hours |
| PAC, Professional Advancement Credits | Professional certificates, associate and bachelor level programs, professional diplomas | 20 to 25 hours |
| ILC, Institutional Learning Credits | Postgraduate and master’s level programs, including MBA tracks | 25 to 30 hours |
| EUC, Executive Units of Competency | Doctoral level programs, DBA tracks and applied research for senior leaders | 30 to 35 hours |
All four are calculated in the same way, on the Total Nominal Workload of a program: the hours that a typical learner needs for instruction, practical work, guided self-study and assessment. A provider divides that workload by the conversion ratio it declares within the range of the credit system and rounds the result to a whole credit.
Who Is Invited to Use the Credit Systems
EAHEA invites the following institutions and organizations to use the EAHEA Credit Systems for their programs:
- business schools and independent private higher education institutions
- schools and colleges that offer foundation programs, pre-university vocational preparation tracks and lifelong learning programs
- corporate training academies and enterprise learning centers
- independent professional training providers, vocational skill centers, IT boot camps, coaching academies and industry certification bodies
- continuing education and lifelong learning centers
- distance education and open learning centers
- online course platforms, e-learning platforms, EdTech providers and course marketplaces
- instructors and independent course creators, through an authorized platform or institution
Learners, executives, professionals and employers need no authorization. They read, compare and verify the credits.
How the Credit Systems Are Used
A provider authorized by EAHEA calculates the credits of a program by the EAHEA method, states them on certificates and transcripts in the standard notation (for example 60 ILC), shows the conversion ratio and the grading scale, and adds the notice that the credits are independent of ECTS, CATS, U.S. credit hours and other credit systems of state higher education systems. Every program needs verifiable assessment, and credits are not given for attendance alone.
Two routes lead to authorization. Institutions accredited by EAHEA use the credit systems under the conditions of their accreditation and appear in the Accredited Institutions directory. Other institutions can apply to EAHEA for an ECS Provider authorization, which covers the credit systems alone, and appear in the ECS Provider Directory.
What the Credit Systems Are Not
The EAHEA credits are not degrees, and EAHEA does not award degrees. They are independent of the credit systems of state higher education systems, and EAHEA defines no conversion to them. A credential that carries them is a professional or executive qualification under the authority of the provider that issues it. Whether another institution or an employer accepts a credit stays its own decision. On request, EAHEA acts as an intermediary on questions of acceptance, free of charge.
Learn More and Get Started
The EAHEA Credit Systems page presents the four systems, and the Knowledge Base answers the most common questions. Institutions that wish to use the credit systems can read about the ECS Provider Certificate or contact the EAHEA Secretariat.
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Source: EAHEA website (https://www.eahea.org/blog/announcements/eahea-announces-the-eahea-credit-systems-muc-pac-ilc-and-euc-298.html)