Public accreditation is a process of assessment and recognition of the high quality of the implementation of educational programs and preparation of peer reviewers in the fields of industry, economics, culture and social sphere that are in compliance with the Standards and Criteria for Public Accreditation developed by the National Center of Public Accreditation in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG-ENQA).
The main principles of public accreditation are: public character of external reviews, voluntariness, impartialness, periodicity of procedures, collective nature of decision making, and publicity of the positive results.
The purpose of public accreditation is to enhance the quality of education and form quality culture in higher education institutions, to determine the best practice in continuous enhancement of the quality of education and to ensure public provision of information about the quality of educational programs delivered by higher education institutions in compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area.
Standards
In carrying out its accreditation procedures NCPA uses standards that are in full compliance with the existing legislation of Russia in the sphere of education (the Federal Act «On Higher Education», the Federal Act «On Higher and Postgraduate Education», Regulation of state accreditation of educational institutions and research organizations (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 21, 2011 No.184) and the main principles of the Bologna process particularly the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area ESG-ENQA and «Dublin Descriptors».
“Dublin Descriptors” describe the main requirements for first cycle, second cycle and third cycle graduates: http://www.jointquality.org.
ESG
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG-ENQA) were adopted by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Education (ENQA) in 2005 by the mandate of the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Higher Education of the Bologna Process signatory states. The document was approved by the Ministers at the Conference held in Bergen (2005) and recommended for implementation in the contexts of the national quality assurance systems.
- All educational programs delivered in Russian HEIs participate in the project “The Best Educational Programs of Innovative Russia”. Programs recognized on the basis of the results of external evaluations as the best in the region, and with respect to specific fields of study, receive the status of “candidates for public accreditation”.
- A program of study holding the status of candidate for public accreditation submits an application for public accreditation. The HEI delivering the program receives a package outlining the informational and methodological documentation needed to prepare the program in question for undergoing the procedure of public accreditation.
- Internal and external evaluations are conducted for the educational program seeking accreditation.
- An accreditation decision is made regarding the educational program in question. The information on the accredited programs is published in the Russian and English languages.