Quality Management Method Integration into Engineering Study Program

Now, under circumstances of increased competition in labour market universities need to think how to educate students, capable to compete in this market and having lifelong learning abilities, which are able to decide on problems on the basis of analytical and critical thinking, and to integrate their knowledge and skills. This requires to find out new approaches for assessment and improvement of study programmes. The external quality evaluation of the study programmes inviting assessors from foreign universities is the main tool currently used in the higher education institutions (HEI) of Latvia. However, an understanding of necessity to combine the external evaluation and internal self-assessment methodologies in order to reveal strengths and weaknesses of the study processes in higher education institutions and to outline improvement paths is constantly increasing. Self-assessment covers all facets of HEI activities – learning, study and research, study administration and management processes. The internal Quality management system should be able to function at different levels – at individual, study programme, institute, faculty and the whole HEI level. One of the most effective self-assessment methods applicable to assessment of different processes of the HEI, including the study process, is a Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The QFD methodology and its application to the processes of HEI is considered in the article