Evaluation of residency studies

The external evaluation and accreditation of residency studies offered by a higher education institution are carried out at least once every seven years.

The external evaluation is conducted by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC), another quality assurance agency registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), or an agency specified in international agreements.

During the external evaluation, an expert panel evaluates and analyses the following five assessment areas:

• Study aims, learning outcomes and curriculum;
• Study process and assessment of achievements;
• Academic staff of the residency study programmes;
• Learning resources and facilities;
• Study management and public information.

If the expert panel awards at least 3 points in all evaluation areas, the study field is accredited for a period of seven years.

If at least one evaluation area is awarded 1 or 2 points, the study field is accredited for three years. Within two years, the higher education institution must submit to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport a report on the implementation of the recommendations provided during the externalevaluation. A commission appointed by the Ministry evaluates whether the institution has implemented the recommendations.

The study field is not accredited if, during two consecutive external evaluations, at least one evaluation area is evaluated at 1 or 2 points, or if the Ministry's commission issues a negative evaluation of the institution's report on the implementation of the recommendations, concluding that the recommendations have not been implemented.

Ex-ante evaluation of residency study programmes

A decision on the evaluation of the new residency study programme(and, where the higher education institution does not offer accredited residency study programmes in the respective study field, on the accreditation of the study field) is made following either:

• a simplified evaluation of the residency study programme
  or
• an external evaluation of the residency study programme.

The Centre carries out a simplified evaluation where a higher education institution submits a new residency study programme in a study field in which its residency studies have not yet been evaluated and accredited.

During the simplified evaluation, the Centre verifies whether the submitted documentation has been prepared in accordance with the established requirements and whether the new study programme complies with the legal requirements governing the duration of residency studies, the scope of theoretical and practical training, and the requirements for residency supervisors.

A higher education institution applies for an external evaluation of a new residency study programme in either of the following cases:

• the residency studies in the relevant study field have been accredited for a period of three years
  or
• the proposed residency study programme belongs to a residency study field that is not currently offered by the higher education institution.

The external evaluation is carried out by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC), another higher education quality assurance agency listed in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), or an agency designated under international agreements.

External evaluation of new residency study programmes are conducted by international expert panels, typically consisting of three experts with relevant expertise in the study field under evaluation and a student representative. The evaluation is based on an analysis of five evaluation areas, a site visit to the higher education institution, and consideration of the evaluation report by the Study Evaluation Commission.

The decision on the evaluation of the new study programme (and, where applicable, the accreditation of the study field if the higher education institution does not offer accredited residency study programmes in that field) is made on the basis of the expert panel's report and the recommendation of the Study Evaluation Commission.