Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.30925/zpfsr.47.1.20
Quality of Higher Education as a Public Service in the Context of Study Programme Accreditation
Ivica Šušak
orcid.org/0009-0007-2155-2778
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet
*
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
The paper examines the quality of higher education as a public service in the Republic of Croatia, proceeding from the premise that, within the accreditation regime, such quality is primarily manifested through the legality and procedural regularity of administrative acts and related administrative conduct enabling the commencement of programme delivery and the admission of applicants. The research question addresses the extent to which initial accreditation procedures and the associated administrative decisions ensure a lawful, procedurally coherent and timely start of programme implementation, as well as equal treatment of applicants in the admission process. Methodologically, the paper combines dogmatic legal analysis and interpretation of positive law, an institutional analysis of the role and powers of the Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) and the ministry competent for higher education, a qualitative analysis of relevant documents (statutes, secondary legislation, reports, and instruments adopted in accreditation procedures), and an analysis of different governance models of higher education in order to contextualise quality standards. The empirical part relies on two case studies – the dislocated university undergraduate programme in Speech and Language Therapy of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, implemented in Split, and the university graduate programme “Mediterranean Agronomy” of the University of Split – selected due to the availability of publicly accessible documentation and the absence of relevant case-law. The findings indicate deviations that call into question procedural predictability and coherence (particularly regarding admission deadlines and channels), as well as a temporal misalignment between administrative decisions and the normative prerequisites for the commencement of teaching, thereby weakening the preventive function of external quality assurance. In conclusion, the paper identifies a structural gap between normatively established standards and their practical effectiveness, and, de lege ferenda, proposes strengthening procedural safeguards, clarifying supervisory accountability, and further standardising (including through digital integration) admission procedures so as to enhance legality, transparency, and equal treatment of applicants.
Ključne riječi
public service; quality; higher education; accreditation; specific administrative procedure.
Hrčak ID:
346215
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.4.2026.
Posjeta: 196 *