Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)

It is important to consider PSRB requirements when designing new courses and modules – and when making amendments to existing provision. Accreditation ensures that courses meet professional standards and provide students with the knowledge and skills required for their future careers.

Students may choose a course based on its PSRB accreditation, so it is essential that all published information about accreditation is clear, accurate, and up to date. This should include:

• Whether a course is currently accredited;
• What form of accreditation is available;
• What students must do to gain accreditation (e.g. is it automatic, or does it require a separate application?);
• Where accreditation has been applied for but is not yet confirmed, this should be clearly stated in published materials for both prospective and current students.

Methods and the frequency of accreditation (of any type) vary. Departments should ensure that clear information is provided on the PSRB requirements for accreditation when asking for approval of new and amended courses.

Information on accreditation is published in programme specifications, in Course Finder, and in the prospectus. It’s also collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) who share the information with public authorities who require it to carry out their statutory and/or public functions. The information is also published on Discover Uni, the official website that holds data on undergraduate courses at universities.

Departments are responsible for managing their relationships with PSRBs and for ensuring that all records and published information are accurate. Heads of Department/School and Department/School Managers should assign responsibility for the following tasks to appropriate staff members:

1. Maintaining contact with the PSRBs that accredit, approve or recognise departmental courses;
2. Submitting applications for PSRB accreditation (of any type);
3. Liaising with PSRBs regarding accreditation requirements and providing this information when seeking approval for new or amended courses/modules;
4. Maintaining records of PSRB accreditation, including key dates and the frequency of reviews or re-accreditation;
5. Ensuring all University records and published information are accurate and up to date. This includes: actively reviewing and confirming all course accreditations annually as part of Curriculum Update, and periodically reviewing information held in ESIS and in the centralised accreditation Box folders (or other platforms) to ensure accuracy. For Box folder access, contact the Quality and Academic Development Team (QUAD) at quad@essex.ac.uk.
6. Checking the accuracy of all PSRB-related information across systems — including ESIS, University webpages, and PSRB websites — and ensuring consistency. For help accessing accreditation records in ESIS, contact Course Records at crt@essex.ac.uk.
7. Notifying QUAD in advance of any upcoming PSRB accreditation visits or reviews and completing the forthcoming accreditation activity risk assessment. Please inform QUAD as soon as possible so that a representative (and/or Dean) can attend relevant meetings. This is especially important when accreditation activity coincides with Periodic Review or course validation.
8. Organising and managing arrangements for PSRB visits;
9. Sharing key correspondence and schedules for upcoming accreditation visits with QUAD and the relevant Faculty. Sending copies of accreditation decisions and reports to QUAD as soon as they are available. These will be reported to the Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
10. Including responses to PSRB recommendations in both the Annual Review of Courses and the Periodic Review processes.