Montenegro

Overview of QA Bodies

Quality assurance of higher education is regulated by the Law on Higher Education and the relevant by-laws. Pursuant to the Law, the tasks of quality assurance in higher education are performed by the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education and the Council for Higher Education. By establishing of the Agency, for the first time in Montenegro, in accordance with EU legislation and recommendations in the field of higher education quality, quality assurance mechanisms will be improved. With the establishment of the Agency, the quality assurance system is harmonized with the recommendations of the European Union and the standards of the European Higher Education Area, which creates the basis for the essential integration of the Montenegrin higher education system into the European one.

According to the Law on Higher education, the responsibilities of the Agency are the following:

  • conducts study programme accreditation procedure and issue a certificate on accreditation of the study programme;
  • conducts higher education institution external evaluation procedure and issues a certificate on reaccreditation of the higher education institution based on the reaccreditation report;
  • conducts a periodic assessment of quality of licensed higher education institutions’ work, following the request of an authorized body of institution or the Ministry of Education;
  • establishes the list of experts for accreditation of study programmes, or reaccreditation of institutions based on a public call;
  • cooperates with higher education institutions with regard to matters of quality assurance and quality improvement;
  • analyses self-evaluation and external evaluation reports of institutions;
  • proposes measures for quality improvement of higher education based on recommendations put forward in re-accreditation reports of higher education institutions and present them to the Ministry and the Government of Montenegro;
  • keeps a register of accredited study programmes and reaccredited institutions;
  • establishes methodology for ranking of institutions and ranks higher education institutions;
  • performs other tasks prescribed by this Law.

Funds required for the work of the Agency are provided from the Budget of Montenegro and own revenues.

The Agency is managed by a director and a board of directors. The Director is selected on the basis of a public competition and is appointed by the Government of Montenegro. 

Activities of improvement and development of higher education are conducted by Council for Higher Education.

In performing the activities the Council:

  • analyses the condition and achievements in higher education and offer expert proposals to the Ministry and the Government of Montenegro;
  • provides opinion concerning the proposal of strategy for development of higher education;
  • prescribes conditions and criteria for appointment to academic titles;
  • provides opinion on the amount of resources required for funding public higher education institutions and students attending them, for each academic year;
  • provides opinion on the number of students and the amount of resources required for funding students that attend study programmes of public interest at private higher education institutions, for each academic year;
  • provides opinion on regulations in the field of higher education;
  • adopts standards for evaluation of institutions in compliance with standards in the European Higher Education Area;
  • cooperates with higher education institutions in terms of quality assurance and quality improvement;
  • performs other activities prescribed by the law.

The Council is appointed and removed by the Parliament on the proposal of the Government. The Council is composed of seven members appointed for a period of four years. Council members are appointed from among eminent experts in the area of higher education, science, arts, from among students and the area of economy, social matters and other relevant areas. Representatives from among students are appointed for a period of two years. Council members from among students are proposed by student parliaments of higher education institutions. The work of the Council is public.

Funds required for the work of the Council are allocated from the budget of Montenegro. Expert and administrative-technical activities for the Council are performed by the Ministry.

In April 2019, the Council for Higher Education adopted the Terms and Criteria for Academic Appointments.

Higher education institutions have offices or centers for quality assurance.

(Source: Eurydice, page updated 24 March, 2021)