Maintain accreditation and notify changes to accredited programmes
When accreditation is awarded, institutions are asked to confirm that they will abide by the following terms and conditions governing the accreditation scheme
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Payment of the one-off application fee in full, currently set at £500 +VAT per programme, which is invoiced at the point of application
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Payment of an annual registration fee, currently set at £150 +VAT per department
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Complying with the guidance for the use of the accreditation logo mark and statement
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Notification of any changes to programmes to us at the earliest convenience
Institutions will be contacted annually, on the anniversary of the initial award, to confirm that they wish to continue accreditation, which is also an opportunity to notify any changes to accredited programmes.
Changes to accredited programmes
The Society accepts that programmes of study evolve to reflect the latest developments in the subject and to meet the needs of students and employers. Providers offering degree programmes in geography are free to decide upon, and are responsible for, the details of content and organisation of their programmes.
If the content or delivery method of a programme will change substantially during the period of accreditation, departments are asked to send a summary of changes to us (accreditation@rgs.org) each year at the time of re-registration, and/or at the point in their institutional review process where input from an accreditation provider is normally expected.
The Panel expects to review any changes to accredited programmes that fall into the following categories:
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Any changes to credit weighting, content or assessment methods in core modules
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Changes that affect the mapping of the programme against the Geography Subject Benchmark Statement, especially the balance of human/physical geography across the programme (bearing in mind the expectation that an accredited programme adequately demonstrates Sections 3.2, 3.8 and 3.9 of the Subject Benchmark Statement)
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Any other changes that would trigger an institutional review, or which would require feedback from an accreditation provider before institutional sign-off may occur.
Changes to programmes accredited by the Society must conform to any relevant individual institutional policies and procedures regarding accreditation. Please refer to the Accreditation Handbook for further information about notifying changes to accredited programmes: