Within the legal framework of its statutory agreements, E2C (named Pôle d'Extension Universitaire Euclide / Euclid Consortium) organizes specific activities and cooperative degree programs in the name of its constitutive parties.
The degrees are not issued by the Consortium: they are issued by EUCLID (Euclid University), an accredited intergovernmental university, and in some cases in conjunction with another public-governmental university (UNDT) which is also a Consortium member with Ministry of Education approval and accreditation.
Since July 2008, the degrees are primarily issued by EUCLID (Euclid University), under the authority of a multilateral agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) approved by the EUCLID Participating States (see www.euclid.int).
If requested by a student, the secondary joint degree issuer is UNDT, a public university which is also a member of the International Association of Universities.
Note: ULI and UL Burkina are educational partners but have no degree-granting role in the Consortium because they are private, not governmental schools. UBRC and UGB are public/governmental institutions but operate as members of the Consortium with rector-level, not minister-level approval, which is why they are not functioning a joint degree-granting universities.
ACCREDITATION OF THE PRIMARY DEGREE-GRANTING UNIVERSITY
EUCLID (Euclid University) is an intergovernmental organization holding a university charter with explicit accreditation by the Ministries of Education of the Participating States.
This is the highest form of governmental accreditation an institution can have.
The EUCLID charter / MOU, signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and/or Minister(s) of Education of the Participating Parties confirms the charter and accreditation in Article I which states:
"In order to ensure the international usefulness of the programs offered, EUCLID is chartered to confer diplomas, degrees and completion certificates accredited by the ministries of Education of the Participating Parties. EUCLID, a member of the Euclid University Consortium, receives the mandate to facilitate universal access to higher education and to foster the acquisition of knowledge and competencies under the supervision of the ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs of the Participating Parties."
MORE INFORMATION ON ACCREDITATION, RECOGNITION AND TRANSFERABILITY
E2C has a mission to serve students from the four corners of the world,
which makes the question of global accreditation, recognition and
transferability both extremely important and complex.
Accreditation is the formal recognition of an institution or degree
program by a governmental agency, or by an independent agency whose
judgment is recognized by a government. In most countries, universities
are considered government institutions and their degrees are issued under the direct authority of their Ministry of Education.
DIRECT GOVERNMENTAL ACCREDITATION OF SECONDARY E2C DEGREE-GRANTING PARTY
E2C is also the approved extension of UNDT, a public and national university accredited by the
Ministry of Education of the Republic of Chad (TC). The international agreement pertaining to the participation of UNDT in the consortium was signed by the Minister of Education with the explicit mention "for accreditation by the Ministry of Education". UNDT and its Euclid extension enjoy the international recognition associated with its full membership in the International Association of University and other leading international and regional associations.
By extension, this dual and direct accreditation of the constitutive parties means
that E2C-sponsored degree programs are normally recognized by all other governments, since most operate
on the basis of reciprocal recognition. This is obviously true of
France and of all countries whose academic systems are patterned after
the French university system.
Most other countries recognize that foreign degrees, when issued by an agency equivalent to their own Department of Education and evaluated by a credentials agency are recognized as equivalent to
those issued by their own nationally or regionally accredited institutions.
Because of the consortium's partnership with ULI (Brussels, Belgium) and its commitment to take into account the Bologna process and ECTS guidelines, our joint degrees are designed to be globally transferable within European Union member states and other signatories of the Bologna process agreement.
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* The Consortium functions in partnership with ULI/BE and UL/BE which hold governmental authorizations to
confer degrees (Belgium, degree 7/CDLF/14.774/S - July 11, 2002 and Burkina Faso, Ministerial Degree). However, this authorization is not equivalent to formal
accreditation or government recognition. For that reason, the Consortium considers ULI and ULB as educational partners but not joint degree-granters. Also, ULB is not authorized to issue doctoral degrees. |
It is important to note, though, that as the degrees issued by ULB were reviewed and accredited by the intergovernmental organization CAMES (Conseil Africain et Malgache de l'Enseignement) at the conference of Ministers of Education which took place in December 2005. As a result, E2C students may request a EUCLID / E2C to ULB degree conversion plan if CAMES recognition is important to their career plan.
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL RECOGNITION
Since December 2006, a landmark cooperative program signed by IOSD and ICCI has formalized the recognition of our programs by this major intergovernmental organization of 57 member states in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and South America. ("In order to ensure the international usefulness of the educational programs offered, ICCI recognizes the applicable governmental and multi-governmental accreditation of the constitutive universities of the Euclid consortium and therefore of Euclid sponsored joint degrees and certificates").
This official agreement ensures that students residing in OIC/ICCI member states will enjoy full recognition of their sponsored education by their national educational and governmental authorities.
Copy of the Agreement in PDF format 
SUMMARY
In summary, it should be clear that the Consortium does not issue degrees in its own name: E2C is a consortium of universities - not a free-standing degree-granting institution.
Hence, E2C programs result in a joint degree issued by the participating institutions, within the legal framework determined by the agreements signed by the parties.
All academic records are sent the participating universities for review and approval so that degree validation and verification can be done by each E2C member institution.
This clarification is important because the concept of a network or consortium of universities sponsoring a joint-degree program is uncommon in North America for instance. It is, on the other hand, quite usual in Europe.
As a result, accreditation confirmation regarding the degree programs offered at by the consortium is etablished by examining the participatory agreements and the individual accreditation of each participant.
For the purpose of establishing the governmental and intergovernmental accreditation of the program offered, academic and governmental partners are encouraged to consult the UNESCO database regarding UNDT and if needed to contact the supervisory Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education.
Ultimately, it must be stressed that acceptance of any academic title by another university or institution is always decided by the receiving institution and cannot be guaranteed or demanded.
Other university consortiums:
The EuroMBA Consortium
The Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley)
Joint Paris (Institut Catholique - Saint Serge - Sorbonne) Ph.D
University Consortium for Geographic Information Science
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
The Claremont University Consortium
The White Rose University Consortium
Useful Information:
Warning on Bogus Claims of accreditation or affiliation with UNESCO
Home : Accreditation of the Member Universities 
