What does the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) do?
The Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA), previously known as the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE), is the national authority responsible for the regulation, licensing, accreditation, and quality assurance of further and higher education in Malta. It is also responsible for the development and implementation of the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF).
Malta established the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) in 2007, and the MFHEA is the competent authority responsible for recognising qualifications and accrediting courses against the MQF.
The Authority also acts as the National Coordination Point (NCP) for the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), ensuring transparency and comparability of Maltese qualifications at both national and international levels.
For more information, visit: https://mfhea.mt/
What is a qualifications framework?
A qualifications framework is a system used to classify qualifications according to a set of defined levels based on learning outcomes, knowledge, skills, and competences. In Malta, this system is known as the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF).
The MQF was established to reference academic programmes to a framework based on predetermined learning outcomes. It functions as a reference tool that helps individuals and institutions understand the level of qualifications and their equivalencies. The MQF promotes transparency, consistency, and mobility within Malta’s education and training systems.
For more information, visit: https://mfhea.mt/research-and-policy/malta-qualifications-framework/
What is the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF)?
The Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) helps make the Maltese qualifications system easier to understand, more transparent, and comparable at both national and international levels. It serves as a referencing tool that describes and compares Maltese and foreign qualifications, supporting quality, transparency, lifelong learning, and mobility across different forms of education and training.
The MQF is referenced to:
· the European Qualifications Framework (EQF);
· the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA);
· and other international qualifications frameworks, such as ISCED.
For more information, visit: https://mfhea.mt/interactive-mqf/
What are the reference levels?
The MQF reference levels help explain what a learner knows, understands, and is capable of doing after completing a qualification. These levels are based on learning outcomes and apply to qualifications gained through academic or vocational education, as well as formal, non-formal, and informal learning.
The levels provide guidance for learners, employers, and education providers by describing the knowledge, skills, competences, and expected learning outcomes associated with each qualification level.
The MQF consists of eight levels, ranging from Level 1 to Level 8, with qualifications such as certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees aligned to these levels.
What is the Referencing Report?
The Referencing Report is Malta’s official national document that explains how the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) is referenced and aligned to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA), and other international frameworks such as ISCED. The report demonstrates the compatibility and comparability of Maltese qualifications with European and international standards.
The Referencing Report provides information on MQF level descriptors, learning outcomes, credit requirements for each MQF level, quality assurance mechanisms, the validation of informal and non-formal learning, recognition procedures for foreign qualifications, and the comparability of Maltese qualifications with European and international frameworks.
The report also explains the legal and institutional structures underpinning the MQF, including the role of the MFHEA as the competent authority responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the MQF.
The Referencing Report supports transparency, lifelong learning, recognition, and mobility within education and employment sectors by making Maltese qualifications easier to understand and compare across Europe and beyond.
For more information, visit: https://mfhea.mt/referencing-report/
