Programme description

Quality management programme is delivered in Lithuanian language since 1997 and it is the only such programme offered at Lithuanian universities. During the international accreditations conducted by The Center for Quality Assessment in Higher Education in 2005 and 2013 Quality management programme received positive evaluations and was accredited for 6 years. Accreditation experts from United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Greece, Hungary, and Finland have indicated such advantages of the programme:

• The curriculum of the programme is in line with the curriculums of analogous programmes of Western universities;
• The programme is carried out by a cohesive team of teachers;
• The programme provides strong skills and deep knowledge;
• The programme has strong links with the business, etc.

Most lecturers of the programme have international work experience, teaching in universities abroad, consulting and training employees in Lithuanian and foreign countries. Lecturers are president and members of Lithuanian Association for Quality Management and Innovations, accredited BVQI and EFQM quality auditors, members of the International Guild of Quality Professionals, assessors of National quality prize, Lean experts-practitioners, managers or heads of quality departments in different organizations, members and experts of quality related governmental and public organizations. Lecturers actively participate in different national and international projects. Quality management programme is one of the most attractive programmes for students of the Faculty of Economics: almost 90 percent of students and graduates would recommend this programme to others.

Quality management programme welcomes students from all countries, who are proficient in English and motivated to become high-level professionals in quality, able to guide organizations towards performance excellence.

THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAMME is to develop quality management specialists of a broad profile, who would know and apply quality management principles and methods in various fields of activity, would be able to recognize and analyze quality related problems, search for the ways to solve them, and would implement sound solutions of quality improvement in the dynamic environment.

KEY LEARNING COMPETENCES

Programme is designed to give knowledge and practical experience preparing students for the future work in quality management. Learning outcomes of the programme reflect EU Quality policy and meet international professional requirements for quality management specialists: European Organization for Quality. Requirements for Quality Management Personnel, EOQ CoS 9000, International standard ISO 19011. Guidelines for auditing management systems.

Quality management programme develops general competences: analytical, systemic and critical thinking; ability to perform scientific research; leadership, teamwork, interpersonal and intercultural communication skills; initiative, learning and personal development skills. Achieving programme goal such specific (professional) competences are developed: ability to demonstrate systematic knowledge and understanding of quality management and other fields; ability to design, implement and integrate organizational management systems; ability to integrate advanced business and quality management practices and use them solving organizational problems; ability to conduct the assessment and improvement of organization’s performance.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Quality management becomes inseparable part of management in business and public organizations, as they are more and more oriented towards the issues of quality improvement, environment protection, employee safety, corporate social responsibility. Solutions within all these fields are related to various actions and means of quality improvement, targeting towards a number of important stakeholder groups. Specialists whose knowledge and skills overwhelm not only quality management fields, but also other fields, such as social responsibility, sustainable development, employee health and security, risk management systems, become more and more on demand.

A graduate of Quality management programme will be qualified to work as a manager of organisation, quality manager, quality auditor, manager of quality systems, leader or assessor of total quality management, process manager, Lean expert, project manager, product quality expert, product manager in the companies of various fields, to work as a consultant in international and national consulting companies, to occupy managerial positions in business organisations and governmental or public administration institutions, to establish his (her) own company and manage it, to continue studies on a doctoral level and to be engaged in educational and scientific activities in educational and scientific institutions.

ACCESS TO FURTHER STUDIES

Vilnius University created opportunities for students interested in continuing their studies to proceed to doctoral studies, which are available in English language; also the best of our graduates might be employed at the Vilnius University.

EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS

The main form of evaluation is an examination or pass/fail evaluation.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Public defense of final thesis.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Each applicant is required to have a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. All applicants have to prove their English proficiency.