Quality Management
The University of Vaasa strives for high quality and social impact in all its activities. Following the model of continuous development, quality management is a key part of university management. The quality policy defines the university's quality goals, key players in quality management and a participatory quality culture.
Quality Policy
The University of Vaasa carries out its tasks guided by its vision, strategy and values. The university's goal is that its activities are internationally high-quality, responsible and socially impactful.
The university's quality management is an integral part of the university's management in accordance with the principles of continuous development. The rector is responsible for the total quality management, and each employee and student is responsible for the quality of results and operations in their own task and role, as part of the university community. Internal and external stakeholders participate in the various stages of continuous development. The university utilises national and international quality assessments and accreditations to support quality management.
The University of Vaasa's Steering Committee for Quality Management and Accreditations e.g. monitors the overall operation of the university's quality system as part of the university's decision-making and management system and develops the quality system as part of the university's management system.
The university's quality system provides a framework to help and ensure that the university is able to operate in accordance with its goals. The Quality Management Manual describes the whole of the quality system, responsibilities and key procedures.
Quality management and continuous development model
University of Vaasa’s quality management is in line with the principle of continuous development according to the European EFQM reference framework. The university’s operations are structured using the quality circle, or the PDCA circle - PLAN, DO, CHECK, ACT.
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Quality Management Manual
The university's Quality Management Manual compiles the university's quality system, i.e. the principles of quality management, the elements of the continuous improvement culture, the most important guiding regulations and the most important operational processes and responsibilities. Quality Management Manual serves as a reference guide for both the university community and stakeholders.
Links to quality management tools on the university's internal network have been compiled at the end of each chapter.
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Quality assessments and accreditations
The university’s quality management also uses the detailed tools of international quality accreditations of education programmes, educational fields, and universities.
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According to the University Act, universities must regularly participate in external evaluation of their operations and quality systems. The goal of the quality system audit is to ensure that the university has a system that supports the continuous development of operations. The audit assesses the appropriateness, functionality and effectiveness of the higher education institution's quality system. The subject of review are the procedures by which the higher education institution maintains and develops the quality of its operations.
The Finnish Education Evaluation Center (FINEEC) evaluates the operations of Finnish higher education institutions with audits that are carried out every six years. The current quality label of the University of Vaasa's FINEEC audit is valid until 17 December, 2030.