Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education (ACQAHE) is the leading state body for external quality assurance in higher education, established in 2017 by the Law on Higher Education.
The main duty of ACQAHE is to manage the process of evaluation and certification of higher education institutions and study programmes in line with European Standards and Guidelines of quality assurance in European Higher Education Area (EHEA). At the same time, ACQAHE is in its work guided by the following principles:
- Transparency – ACQAHE publishes rules and criteria, as well as the results of evaluation procedures and research;
- Independence – ACQAHE strives to secure objective and independent procedures for rendering decisions related to evaluation of study programmes and establishments, evaluation outcomes as well as of organizational issues;
- Cooperation – ACQAHE cooperates with, trains and consults higher education institutions about how to apply European Standards and Guidelines. It cooperates with the relevant European organizations and registers ensuring that it meets the requirements for membership in such organizations; and
- Integrity – ACQAHE acts with integrity and fair, equal, objective and professional attitude to and treatment of all stakeholders.
History
Quality assurance of higher education through accreditation processes began with Montenegrin accession to the European Higher Education Area in 2003 and the obligation to meet European standards and guidelines in 2010.
Until the establishment of the Agency, the accreditation procedure was conducted by the ministry in charge of education, while the decisions on accreditation and reaccreditation used to be rendered by the Higher Education Council comprising reputable academic professionals.
ACQAHE was established in November 2017 by the Memorandum od Association of the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education. However, it started working in its full capacity in September 2018. In addition to taking over the processes of accreditation and reaccreditation, the Agency also assumed the duty to do research related to the quality assurance, as well as the system of higher education. The Agency also cooperates with international institutions and associations in the field of quality assurance in higher education and with respectable regional and international agencies.
Quality Control
The Agency is responsible for the control of quality of higher education in Montenegro. It implements the quality control by external evaluation, through the processes of accreditation of study programmes and reaccreditation of higher education institutions and accreditation of lifelong learning programmes. Likewise, the Agency performs periodic controls during the accreditation or re-accreditation period at the request of the Ministry or institution. Standards and criteria for evaluation procedures are based on European standards and guidelines. In this regard, the Agency strives for the full implementation of the ESG in external evaluation procedures and in its work.
Quality Assurance and Research
The Agency assures quality through a consistent application of the European Standards and Guidelines for quality assurance.. This application is manifested primarily in the strategic approach to development of higher education and the legal framework in this field. In its efforts to meet European standards the Agency works on strengthening its capacities , giving a special significance to the role of stakeholders in the higher education system. Better compliance with the ESG means higher credibility of the system and meeting the prerequisites for the membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and to be listed in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). By this membership and registration, the Montenegrin Agency shall speed up the processes of mobility, internationalization and recognition of Montenegrin diplomas.One of the instruments that the Agency uses in quality assurance is to do research of the higher education system and to exercise its power to propose measures for its improvement.
Higher education in Montenegro is obtained at the following institutions of higher education: university, faculty, art academy and college.
Studies differ according to:
- Types: undergraduate, master and doctoral;
- Undergraduate and master studies can be academic or applied;
- Ownership: public (Faculties do not have the status of a legal entity) and private (Faculties may have the status of a legal entity);
- Organization of study programs: independent, joint programs with a domestic or foreign institution;
- Method of teaching: traditional, distance and in English language.
The Degrees obtained at the higher education institutions are:
- degree of undergraduate studies: academic (180 ECTS) and applied (180 ECTS);
- master’s degree: academic (120 ECTS) and applied (120 ECTS);
- degree of completed integrated undergraduate and master’s studies of 300 and 360 ECTS;
- degree in the field of regulated professions (medicine, dentistry, architecture, pharmacy, higher medical school) in accordance with Directive 2005/36EC and Directive 55/13EC;
- degree of academic doctoral studies of 180 ECTS.
In addition to the amendment of the Law on Higher Education, which recognized the establishment of ACQAHE in 2017, the following key changes were introduced in the system of higher education in Montenegro:
- new study model 3+2+3, instead of the former model 3+1+1+3;
- undergraduate and master’s studies free of charge at the public institutions of higher education
- mandatory practical training of at least 25% of the total student’s workload, by course, i.e. a year, depending on the learning outcomes for an individual study programme.
Acting Director
Tatjana Ćalasan
