Awarding Institutions and Teaching Partners

When you read that a school offers a bachelor's degree in hospitality management, three separate questions are hidden in the sentence: where do you study, who teaches you, and whose name is on the degree certificate? In many hospitality programs the answers are the same institution. In others they are not, and the difference affects recognition, your rights as a student and what you can say about your qualification afterwards.

The three questions

1. Where do you study? The campus or location, which may be a branch campus, a partner's campus or online.
2. Who teaches? The institution that delivers the classes, the "teaching partner" or "teaching provider".
3. Who awards the degree? The institution with the authority to confer it.

Each program page on this site shows these three, and says whether they differ by campus.

Awarding arrangements used here

• Awarded by the institution itself. The institution is degree-granting and confers this degree.
• Awarded by a partner institution. A different university or body confers the degree. Check that institution's recognition and whether it covers the campus where you will study.
• Jointly awarded. Two institutions confer the award together.
• Taught by the provider, validated by another institution. The listed institution teaches the program; another university validates the curriculum and standards.
• Awarding arrangement not stated. The official pages do not say who confers the degree. This is not the same as "own award", and we never assume it.

Why it matters

Recognition follows the awarding authority. The authority to confer a degree belongs to the awarding institution. A teaching partner's own status may be different, and neither automatically covers the other. See recognition explained.

Campuses are not interchangeable. An institution's recognition does not automatically extend to a branch campus in another country, which may operate under a different license.

Your rights as a student. Complaints, assessment appeals and refund terms may be handled by the teaching provider, the awarding institution, or both. Ask which.

What the certificate says. Ask to see a sample certificate and diploma supplement, if one exists, so you know exactly how your degree and the issuing institution will be named.

How to check

1. Read the official program page for wording such as "awarded by", "validated by", "in partnership with" or "double degree".
2. Find the awarding institution in the register of its own country: ministry of education, higher-education regulator or accreditation body. We cite the register used on each record where we found one.
3. Check scope. Does the record cover the level, the subject and the campus?
4. Ask the institution in writing: which institution will issue my degree? Is this degree conferred on all students regardless of campus? Is my transcript issued by the teaching provider or the awarding body?
5. If you will use the degree abroad, ask the national information centre for academic recognition in that country. The ENIC-NARIC networks list the centres in participating countries. The UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education sets common principles for fair recognition between ratifying states, but it does not make any individual qualification automatically recognized.

Red flags

• The awarding institution is not named, or is named only in small print.
• A "partner university" is mentioned, but the program page does not say what the partnership means.
• Recognition claims for the institution are used to suggest that a different campus or program is recognized.
• Claims of being "recognized worldwide" without naming the authority.
• A name on the certificate that differs from the institution you applied to, with no explanation.

None of these proves a problem. Each is a reason to ask a clear question and get a clear written answer.

Double and dual degrees

A double or dual degree gives two awards from two institutions; a joint degree gives one award from both. Check which applies, how long it takes, which institution's fees apply for each year, and where you study in each year. Do not assume that a double degree is recognized as two separate qualifications everywhere.

Qualification levels

The EHEA framework provides a common reference for first, second and third cycle qualifications in participating countries, and national frameworks can be certified against it. This helps comparison within that area, but it does not make awards from different countries the same. We show a framework level only when a source states it.

Checklist

• [ ] I know who awards my degree and where it is recorded.
• [ ] I know whether the answer differs by campus.
• [ ] I have checked recognition for the awarding institution, not only the teaching provider.
• [ ] I have a written statement from the institution about the certificate I will receive.
• [ ] I know who handles complaints and appeals.

Next steps

Browse schools and programs, where the teaching and awarding institutions are shown separately, and read how to choose a hospitality management degree.