Regulations Regarding Licensing of Study Programmes

Issued pursuant to
Section 55.¹, Paragraph three and Section 55.², Paragraph seven of
the Institutions of Higher Education Law and
Section 14, Clause 11 of the Education Law

I. General Provision

1. This Regulation prescribes:

1.1. the procedures for the licensing of study programmes;

1.2. the criteria according to which study programmes shall be assessed during the licensing process of study programmes;

1.3. the procedures for establishing a committee for the licensing of study programmes (hereinafter - the Committee) which shall take a decision to license a study programme, to refuse to license a study programme or a decision to cancel a licence for the implementation of a study programme (hereinafter - licence), and also the rights and duties of the committee;

1.4. the sample of the licence.

II. Main Institutions Involved in the Licensing of Study Programmes, Duties and Rights thereof

2. The Academic Information Centre (hereinafter - the Centre) shall:

2.1. for ensuring of its activities, develop methodologies and procedures for the external evaluation of study programme quality which comply with the standards and guidelines developed by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education for the quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area;

2.2. nominate experts for the assessment of study programmes (hereinafter - the experts) for the performance of assessment in relation to the licensing of study programmes;

2.3. organise the work of experts, including organising of expert visits to higher educational establishments, colleges, affiliates thereof and participation therein;

2.4. develop the criteria for the selection of the members of the committee;

2.5. ensure the acquisition of information necessary for the licensing of study programmes pursuant to the requirements of this Regulation;

2.6. ensure the documentation and archiving of the process of licensing of the study programmes;

2.7. organise the meetings of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Council (hereinafter - the Quality Assurance Council) and of the Committee, request and receive the necessary information from the public registers;

2.8. post information regarding the licensing of study programmes on the website of the Centre;

2.9. provide information and consultations in issues related to the study programme quality assurance;

2.10. participate in the activities and events of international institutions in the field of higher education quality assurance;

2.11. perform other activities related to the improvement and provision of higher education quality.

3. The Quality Assurance Council, which is established in accordance with the Cabinet regulations regarding the accreditation of higher education institutions, colleges, and study directions, shall:

3.1. carry out the strategic management and planning for the organising of the licensing of the study programmes at the Centre;

3.2. confirm the criteria for the selection of members of the Committee;

3.3. confirm the composition, the chairperson and the deputy chairperson of the Committee;

3.4. confirm the regulations of the Committee.

4. The Committee shall be composed of seven members of the Committee. The members of the Committee shall have the following experience in aggregate:

4.1. in the assessment of higher education quality;

4.2. in the organising of the study process of higher education;

4.3. in the development and implementation of the higher education, science and cultural policy of Latvia;

4.4. in the development of European Higher Education Area (the Bologna process) and other international higher education processes;

4.5. in the promotion of the cooperation between the higher education and labour market.

5. The chairperson of the Committee shall invite the representatives of the sectoral ministries or experts delegated by the ministries to the relevant meeting of the Committee if a submission regarding the licensing of a study programme, which corresponds to the sector that is within the competence of the relevant ministry, is examined by the Committee, and also it may invite the sectoral experts who act in the capacity of an advisor and who enjoy the rights referred to in Sub-paragraph 7.2 of this Regulation.

6. The Committee:

6.1. shall examine a submission of an institution of higher education or a college for the licensing of a study programme (hereinafter - the submission);

6.2. shall confirm two experts from the sector corresponding to the study programme for the assessment of the study programme;

6.3. may confirm representatives of the Student Union of Latvia, the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees and one representative nominated by the Committee to act in the status of an observer (without the voting rights), who may participate in the assessment of the study programme and provide an opinion thereon to the Committee;

6.4. based on the submission and the documents attached thereto, the joint opinion of the experts, and also other information at the disposal of the Committee, shall take a decision to license a study programme or to refuse to license a study programme;

6.5. shall take a decision to cancel the licence;

6.6. shall decide on making changes in the licence if the name of the institution of higher education or college, the name, code, place, type and form of implementation of the study programme, and also the language for implementation of the study programme has been changed.

7. The members of the Committee may:

7.1. request institutions of higher education or colleges and State institutions to provide information necessary for licensing;

7.2. visit an institution of higher education or a college in order to become acquainted with the study and informative resources (including the library), as well as the financial and material and technical resources corresponding to the study programme.

III. Procedures for the Licensing of Study Programmes

8. In order to receive a licence, a higher education institution or a college shall lodge to the Centre a submission for the licensing of study programme.

9. If a higher education institution or a college wish to license a study programme in a new study direction for the higher education institution or the college, the higher education institution or the college shall submit a submission to the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the introduction of a new study direction in the higher education institution or the college prior to the lodging of the submission.

10. The submission regarding the introduction of a new study direction shall be appended the following information regarding the new study direction of the higher education institution or the college:

10.1. information regarding the plan for development of the study programmes - study programmes, which the higher education institution or the college plans to license, by indicating the degree and professional qualification to be awarded, and also the type, form and language of the implementation thereof;

10.2. a list of all members of the teaching staff to be involved in the implementation of the study direction. The list shall specify the position, education, scientific, academic or professional degree and professional qualification of the teaching staff, the study courses and study modules to be implemented, and also information on whether the teaching staff has been elected to the academic position in the relevant institution of higher education or college. The list shall be signed by all members of the teaching staff referred to therein. Participation of foreign teaching staff in the study programme may be certified by signature of a director of the study programme, by attaching documents which confirm the participation of the foreign staff in the study programme;

10.3. a curriculum vitae (Curriculum vitae Europass template) of the teaching staff to be involved in the implementation of the study programme and a list of scientific publications of each member of the teaching staff to be involved in the implementation of the study programme, which are related to the study programme and have been published in reviewed journals within the last six years or a list of scientific or artistic creation achievements;

10.4. information regarding the material technical and financial base necessary for the implementation of the study direction, and also the informative resources in conformity with the plan for of study programmes referred to in Sub-paragraph 16.1 of this Regulation;

10.5. information regarding the financial investments carried out and planned for the development of the study direction;

10.6. information regarding the established and planned partnerships with employers' companies and organisations, other Latvian and foreign institutions, for example higher education institutions, colleges and scientific institutes, for the implementation of the study direction;

10.7. a decision taken by the senate of the institution of higher education or college council regarding introduction of the study direction.

11. The Ministry of Education and Science shall examine the conformity of the submitted documents to Paragraph 10 of this Regulation. If a higher education institution or a college has not submitted all the necessary information, the Ministry of Education and Science shall request in writing to submit the missing information.

12. The Ministry of Education and Science shall request the Ministry of Economics, the Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre, the Council of Higher Education, Employers' Confederation of Latvia and the ministry, in the competence of which is the study direction to be developed, to provide an opinion regarding the conformity of the new study direction of the institution of higher education or college with the national development priorities on the basis of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Latvia, the National Development Plan and other development planning documents. The Ministry of Education and Science shall provide an opinion regarding the conformity of the new study direction of the institution of higher education or college with the national development priorities on the basis of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Latvia, the National Development Plan and other development planning documents.

13. The Ministry of Education and Science shall submit a draft legal act to the Cabinet regarding the introduction of a new study direction or regarding refusal to introduce a new study direction in the institution of higher education or college. The opinions of the institutions referred to in Paragraph 12 of this Regulation shall be attached to the above mentioned draft legal act.

14. The following shall be indicated in the submission:

14.1. the name of the institution of higher education or college, the number of the registration certificate of the institution of higher education or college;

14.2. the legal address, telephone number and e-mail address of the institution of higher education or college;

14.3. the name of the study programme;

14.4. the name of the study direction corresponding to the study programme;

14.5. the code of the study programme according to the Latvian educational classification;

14.6. the amount of study programme, duration of implementation of full-time studies, type and form of studies, by indicating distance learning in particular, and the language of implementation;

14.7. the enrolment requirements;

14.8. the name of the degree to be obtained, the professional qualification or degree to be granted and professional qualifications;

14.9. the address at which the study programme will be implemented, indicating whether the study programme will be implemented by an institution of higher education, a branch of an institution of higher education, a college or a branch of college;

14.10. the given name, surname and contact information of the director of the study programme, and also the given name, surname and contact information of the person who has been authorised by an institution of higher education or a college to settle the issues related to the licensing.

15. The following shall be attached to the submission:

15.1. a description of the study programme, including the following:

15.1.1. a description of the study content and implementation of the study programme in accordance with Section 55, Paragraph one of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education;

15.1.2. the conformity of study programme with the national standard of academic education or the national standard of professional higher education;

15.1.3. information regarding the results of the independent expert-examination of the study programme referred to in Section 55, Paragraph four of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education;

15.1.4. the apprenticeship regulations and planning for students and a preliminary agreement with an employer on providing students with apprenticeship, indicating the planned number of places of apprenticeship;

15.1.5. a list of all members of the teaching staff to be involved in the implementation of the study programme. The list shall specify the position, education, scientific, academic or professional degree and professional qualification of the teaching staff, the study courses and study modules to be implemented, and also information on whether the teaching staff has been elected to the academic position in the relevant institution of higher education or college. The list shall be signed by all members of the teaching staff referred to therein. Participation of foreign teaching staff in the study programme may be certified by signature of a director of the study programme, by attaching documents which confirm the participation of the foreign staff in the study programme;

15.1.6. the study content, study results, comparison of the structure and amount of the study programme with at least two study programmes of the same level and corresponding sector implemented by institutions of higher education and colleges recognised in European Union Member States (except the Republic of Latvia), indicating the study courses or study modules and the amount thereof in credit points;

15.1.7. additional information necessary for assessment of the study programme according to the assessment criteria referred to in Paragraph 24 of this Regulation;

15.2. a decision taken by the senate of the institution of higher education or college council regarding introduction of the study programme;

15.3. a curriculum vitae (Curriculum vitae Europass template) of the teaching staff involved in the implementation of the study programme and a list of scientific publications of each member of the teaching staff to be involved in the implementation of the study programme, which are related to the study programme and have been published in reviewed journals within the last six years or a list of scientific or artistic creation achievements;

15.4. a certification signed by the teaching staff involved in the implementation of the study programme with regard to the relevant language skills according to the European language levels, if it is intended to implement the study programme or part thereof in a foreign language;

15.5. a conclusion of the Council of Higher Education in the case laid down in Section 55, Paragraph two of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education (not applicable to the study programmes developed and implemented together with other accredited institution of higher education or college in Latvia or a foreign institution of higher education or a college recognised by the relevant state (hereinafter - the joint study programme));

15.6. documents certifying that an institution of higher education or a college will provide students with opportunities of continuing education in other study programme or in other institution of higher education or college (a contract with another accredited institution of higher education or college), if the implementation of the study programme is discontinued, or documents certifying that an institution of higher education or college will guarantee compensation for losses, if due to the action (an act or omission) of an institution of higher education or a college the study programme is not accredited or the licence is cancelled and a student does not wish to continue studies in other study programme;

15.7. opinion of the institution which carries out the certification of persons in the field of regulated professions in the field in which the relevant institution of higher education or college is implementing study programmes;

15.8. information regarding employment forecasts of graduates according to the obtained degree or professional qualification and involvement of employers in the development of the study programme;

15.9. information regarding financial resources which are intended to be used for the financing of the implementation of the study programme;

15.10. certification that the payment for the licensing of the study programme has been transferred to the bank account of the Centre.

16. The following documents shall be attached to the submission for the licensing of the joint study programme in addition to the documents referred to in Paragraph 15 of this Regulation:

16.1. information regarding the conformity of the study programme with Section 55.¹, Paragraphs two and three of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education;

16.2. a written agreement with the institution of higher education or college involved in the implementation of the study programme regarding the development and implementation of the joint study programme.

17. Data regarding an institution of higher education or college necessary for the licensing of the study programme and included in the national registers and registers of the Ministry of Education and Science shall be requested and received by the Centre from these registers. The institution of higher education or college is allowed not to submit the documents referred to in Paragraph 15 of this Regulation for assessment, if they have been submitted within the framework of accreditation of such study direction, to which the relevant study programme conforms, and if the study direction has been accredited.

18. A submission and the documents attached thereto shall be submitted in a printed form by adding an identical version of the submission in electronic form in an electronic data carrier, or in electronic form. A submission lodged in the electronic form shall be signed by a secure electronic signature in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Electronic Documents Law.

19. After the receipt of a submission, the Centre shall verify the conformity of the submitted documents with the requirements referred to in Paragraphs 15 and 16 of this Regulation. If a higher education institution or a college has not submitted all the necessary information, the Centre shall request in writing the higher education institution or the college to submit the missing information by extending the time period for taking a decision accordingly in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Administrative Procedure Law.

20. If a higher education institution has submitted a doctoral study programme for the licensing, the Centre shall request the Latvian Council of Science to provide an opinion regarding the doctoral study programme submitted for licensing in accordance with the requirements laid down in Section 16, Clause 7 of the Law on Scientific Activity.

21. The submission shall be returned to the submitter in the following cases:

21.1. the payment for the licensing of the study programme has not been performed;

21.2. not all the requested information has been submitted in accordance with Paragraph 19 of this Regulation;

21.3. the documents have not been drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the laws and regulations regarding the drawing up of documents.

22. The Centre shall inform the relevant higher education institution or college regarding the confirmed experts within two working days after the approval of the experts referred to in Sub-paragraph 6.2 of this Regulation. A higher education institution or a college may reject the approved experts within two working days by submitting a justified written submission to the Centre, in which the reasons for the rejection of each rejected expert are explained. The Committee shall examine the submission of a higher education institution or a college. If the Committee finds the submission as justified, the Centre shall nominate other candidates for replacing the rejected experts.

23. The experts referred to in Sub-paragraph 6.2 of this Regulation shall visit a higher education institution or a college, assess the study programme and provide a joint opinion to the Centre in accordance with Annex 1 to this Regulation. When preparing the joint opinion, the experts shall mutually agree regarding the assessment of the relevant criteria. If the opinion of experts regarding any of the criteria to be assessed differs, the different opinion shall be included in the relevant section of the joint opinion.

24. The committee shall assess the study programme, taking into account the following criteria:

24.1. the study programme conforms to the study direction of the institution of higher education or college;

24.2. the submitted documents conform to the requirements of the laws and regulations in the field of education (including regulated professions);

24.3. the qualification of the academic staff conforms to the conditions for implementation of the study programme and the requirements of the laws and regulations in the field of education;

24.4. each member of the academic staff has at least three publications published in reviewed journals within the last six years, including one international publication (if the person has worked for a shorter period of time, the number of publications shall be in proportion to the work period) or artistic creation achievements (for instance, exhibitions, films, theatre performances and concert activity), or a five-year practical work experience (except the implementation of the study programme) in accordance with the Law On Institutions of Higher Education;

24.5. the foreign language skills of the academic staff conform to at least level B2 according to the European language levels, if it is intended to implement the study programme or a part thereof in a foreign language;

24.6. at least five persons with a doctoral degree in the branch of science corresponding or related to a doctoral study programme are participating in the implementation of the doctoral study programme, and they have been elected to the relevant institution of higher education, and at least three of them are experts in the relevant sector approved by the Latvian Council of Science;

24.7. the scientific and pedagogical qualification of the persons with a doctoral degree referred to in Sub-paragraph 24.6 of this Regulation conforms to the criteria laid down in the laws and regulations regarding assessment of the scientific and pedagogical qualification of an applicant for the position of a professor and associate professor;

24.8. the study and informative base (including library), and also financial and material and technical resources conform to the conditions for the implementation of the study programme;

24.9. the content and mechanism for the implementation of the study programme have been developed in accordance with the laws and regulations in the field of higher education;

24.10. the content of the study programme conforms to the objectives and tasks of the study programme, and also the defined study results;

24.11. the content of the study programme conforms to the degree to be obtained, the degree and professional qualification, or professional qualification;

24.12. graduates will have employment or self-employment opportunities according to the degree or professional qualification to be obtained;

24.13. at least three specialists of the relevant sector (except the academic staff of the institution of higher education or college) have been involved in the development of the study programme.

25. The Centre shall send the decisions of the Committee to a higher education institution or a college within 10 working days. If the Committee takes a decision to license a study programme, the Centre shall send a copy of the decision and the prepared licence of the study programme (Annex 2) to the Ministry of Education and Science within 10 working days after the taking of the decision. The Ministry of Education and Science shall send a licence of the study programme signed by the Minister for Education and Science to the Centre within 10 working days after the receipt of the decision of the Committee and the licence. The Centre shall issue the licence of the study programme signed by the Minister for Education and Science to a higher education institution or a college, and shall register it. The licence shall be valid for an indefinite period of time or valid until cancellation thereof in the cases laid down in the Law On Institutions of Higher Education.

26. The Committee shall take a decision to refuse to issue the licence for a study programme in the cases referred to in Section 55.², Paragraph four of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education.

27. The Committee may take a decision to cancel the licence for a study programme in the cases referred to in Section 55.², Paragraph six of the Law On Institutions of Higher Education.

28. A decision to license a study programme, to refuse to license a study programme or to cancel the license shall be drawn up by the Committee as an administrative act, and it shall be signed by the members of the Committee who participated in voting.

29. A decision to license a study programme, to refuse to license a study programme or to cancel a licence may be contested in the Centre. A decision taken by the Centre may be appealed to a court in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Administrative Procedure Law.

30. Expenses for the licensing of a study programme, including work remuneration for the experts referred to in Sub-paragraph 6.2 of this Regulation, shall be covered from the resources of the relevant institution of higher education or college in accordance with the price list approved by the Cabinet.

31. If the data referred to in Paragraph 14 or 16 of this Regulation have been changed in the study programmes which conform to a study direction not yet accredited, an institution of higher education or a college shall submit the relevant documents to the Centre within 30 working days after the making of such changes.

IV. Final Provisions

32. Cabinet Regulation No. 230 of 25 April 2013, Regulations Regarding Licensing of Study Programmes (Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2013, No. 82), is repealed.

33. The requirements of this Regulation in relation to the licensing of study programmes shall be applied from the day of coming into force of this Regulation. If a submission for the licensing of study programmes has been submitted until the day of coming into force of this Regulation, the Cabinet Regulation No. 230 of 25 April 2013 "Regulations Regarding Licensing of Study Programmes" shall be applied while the licence provided for in Annex 2 to this Regulation shall be issued.

34. A licence issued prior to the coming into force of this Regulation shall be valid for indefinite period of time or valid until cancellation thereof in the cases laid down in the Law On Institutions of Higher Education.

For the Prime Minister -
Minister for Transport Anrijs Matīss

Minister for Education and Science Mārīte Seile

Annex 1
Cabinet Regulation No. 408
14 July 2015

Joint Opinion of Experts for Receipt of a Licence for a Study Programme within the Framework of the Study Direction

The form shall be filled out on a computer and submitted in electronic and printed form.

Each field must be filled out, unless it is otherwise specified.

The expert assessment shall be published on the website of the Academic Information Centre.

I. Information regarding the experts

II. Information regarding the study programme

III. Conformity of the study programme with the criteria

Minister for Education and Science Mārīte Seile

Annex 2
Cabinet Regulation No. 408
14 July 2015

(Large Coat of Arms of Latvia)

LICENCE

Minister for Education and Science Mārīte Seile

Translation © 2016 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)