University of Zagreb School of Medicine was awarded the Certificate for Quality in Programme Internationalisation – CeQuint
University of Zagreb School of Medicine was awarded the Certificate for Quality in Programme Internationalisation – CeQuint, for Integrated undergraduate and graduate university studies in medicine (in English language) on Friday, February 27, 2015 in Paris. CeQuint is a European Union project, i.e., project of European Consortium for Accreditation in higher education (ECA). ECA consists of 14 national agencies that undertake licensing and accreditation of universities and faculties/colleges in EU member countries. Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) is also a member of the aforementioned consortium. The goal of CeQuint project is to set clear criteria for the assessment of success of internationalization of a higher education institution. This is of great importance since many European programmes are stimulating international cooperation and exchange in the field of higher education and scientific research. It is expected that in 2015, only in ?Erasmus plus? programme, around 3.5 million students and professors will participate in various mobility programmes. Therefore, internationalization, as well as incoming and outgoing mobility, are considered an important indicator of quality of higher education. CeQuint is assessing the success of internationalization of a study programme or an institution. Since Medical Studies in English programme has been successfully conducted for eleven years, ASHE and the University of Zagreb nominated this programme for potential certification in late 2013.
Medical Studies in English was founded in 2002, with its main goal to facilitate participation of University of Zagreb School of Medicine in aforementioned EU mobility programmes. Currently there are 250 students from 29 different countries enrolled in the MSE programme, mainly from Canada, USA, Israel, Germany, Austria, Sweden and France, with 4 generations of doctors of medicine who graduated from the MSE programme working throughout EU, USA and Canada. In spring of 2014, a special panel (consisted, among others, from former university rectors from Austria and Sweden) has highly evaluated the level and quality of internationalization of Medical Studies in English programme. This was preceded by a thorough report that consisted of self-evaluation report and annexes (monograph with more than 1000 pages, tables, and other materials) prepared by the working group. What followed after receiving good scores by the panel was the invitation to a workshop ?Good practices in internationalization of higher education? that took place in Warsaw, December 1 – 2, 2014. Professor Davor Jezek, Vice-Dean for International Relations and Head of Medical Studies in English participated in the workshop.
It should also be emphasized that University of Zagreb School of Medicine, apart from Medical Studies in English programme and participation in a number of prestigious international scientific projects, offers a PhD studies in English language Biomedicine and Health Sciences.
At Dissemination conference in Paris, the total of seven CeQuint certificates were awarded to study programmes, i.e. higher education institutions. The dean, academician Davor Mili?i?, received this award on behalf of School of Medicine, which made the University of Zagreb School of Medicine the first institution within the EU to receive such a certificate in the field of biomedicine.