diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 442ef49517..c566cb45f3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -513,6 +513,7 @@ add_subdirectory( potrace )
 add_subdirectory( bitmap2component )
 add_subdirectory( pcb_calculator )
 add_subdirectory( tools )
+add_subdirectory( qa )
 #add_subdirectory( new )
 
 
diff --git a/pcbnew/CMakeLists.txt b/pcbnew/CMakeLists.txt
index bcff86e935..3c7d4f567f 100644
--- a/pcbnew/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/pcbnew/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -393,14 +393,6 @@ if( KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES )
         ${Boost_LIBRARIES}      # must follow GITHUB
         )
 
-     # create .i files from XML doxygen parsing, docstrings.i will include all of them
-    add_custom_target( qa
-        COMMAND PYTHONPATH=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR} ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} test.py
-
-        COMMENT "running qa"
-        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/scripting/qa
-        )
-
     if( MAKE_LINK_MAPS )
         # generate a link map with cross reference
         set_target_properties( _pcbnew PROPERTIES LINK_FLAGS "-Wl,-cref -Wl,-Map=_pcbnew.map" )
diff --git a/qa/CMakeLists.txt b/qa/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..783987f585
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qa/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+if( KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES )
+
+    # build target that runs the QA tests through scripting 
+    add_custom_target( qa
+        COMMAND PYTHONPATH=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/pcbnew ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} test.py
+
+        COMMENT "running qa"
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
+        )
+
+endif()
diff --git a/pcbnew/scripting/qa/data/complex_hierarchy.kicad_pcb b/qa/data/complex_hierarchy.kicad_pcb
similarity index 100%
rename from pcbnew/scripting/qa/data/complex_hierarchy.kicad_pcb
rename to qa/data/complex_hierarchy.kicad_pcb
diff --git a/pcbnew/scripting/qa/test.py b/qa/test.py
similarity index 100%
rename from pcbnew/scripting/qa/test.py
rename to qa/test.py
diff --git a/pcbnew/scripting/qa/testcases/test_000_qa_works.py b/qa/testcases/test_000_qa_works.py
similarity index 100%
rename from pcbnew/scripting/qa/testcases/test_000_qa_works.py
rename to qa/testcases/test_000_qa_works.py
diff --git a/pcbnew/scripting/qa/testcases/test_001_pcb_load.py b/qa/testcases/test_001_pcb_load.py
similarity index 100%
rename from pcbnew/scripting/qa/testcases/test_001_pcb_load.py
rename to qa/testcases/test_001_pcb_load.py