Listing Awarding Bodies
WhichCollege.ie provides an overview of awarding bodies operating in Ireland, the UK, and internationally. While many postgraduate qualifications are issued by organisations with statutory authority, a wide range of professional bodies also grant their own awards linked to advanced study. Although most Irish courses lead to qualifications from domestic awarding bodies, some programmes result in international or non‑Irish awards, depending on the institution or field of study.
A number of Irish institutions act both as education providers and as awarding bodies in their own right. This includes the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), which have the authority to confer postgraduate qualifications.
An academic award (whether a degree, diploma, or certificate) is granted when a learner successfully completes a recognised programme of higher education at undergraduate or postgraduate level. These awards are issued by designated awarding bodies and are aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NFQ distinguishes between major and non‑major awards, with the latter covering minor, special‑purpose, and supplemental awards.
Major awards represent the primary qualification type at each NFQ level and correspond to substantial learning achievements. Examples include an Honours Bachelor Degree at Level 8, a Master’s Degree at Level 9, and a Doctoral Degree at Level 10.
Recent legislative changes have streamlined Ireland’s qualifications system, reducing the number of statutory awarding bodies. The responsibilities previously held by organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, CERT, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have been consolidated under the awards councils FETAC and HETAC.
Below, WhichCollege.ie outlines the awarding bodies responsible for certification across Ireland and the UK.
The CQI IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors) is the world’s original and largest international certification body for auditors of management systems. Located in London, the IRCA certifies more than 14,750 auditors in over 150 countries worldwide. IRCA has approved over 90 training organizations, who together provide training for over 50,000 students each year in over 100 countries.
CQI IRCA offers certification programmes that recognize the competence of auditors who audit quality, environmental, occupational health and safety, software development, information security and food safety management systems. For further information see https://www.quality.org/
CQI IRCA Registration Requirements
- To have completed a recognised course (which our courses are)
- To have relevant recent auditing experience..
- To have completed secondary level education *
- To have relevant work experience *
The work experience requirement is interdependent with the qualification. So, the higher the level of qualification the less work experience required. For example, applicants with a degree or near degree qualification need 4 years work experience of which at least 3 years are in a context where quality issues form a major part of their job. More experience is required with other qualifications.
