Engineering programs accreditation in Russia: An academic view

This paper provides an academic view on the process of professional (non-governmental) engineering programs accreditation in Russia, which is considered to be an effective tool to ensure quality of engineering education in accordance with the demands of industry and professional bodies. The observation is based on the results of a questionnaire launched by the Association for Engineering Education of Russia (AEER). The responses received from higher education institutions delivering AEER accredited educational programs are presented and analyzed. The focus is on the role of the initial program accreditation, its benefits and the contribution that it makes to educational programs and institutional development. The steps for improvement of the AEER accreditation system are defined based on the feedback from universities.