Quality assurance

UNIGIS MSc and professional programs are subject to the quality management system of the University of Salzburg. According to the Higher Education Quality Assurance Act, Austrian universities are obliged to submit their QMS to an external review every seven years. The quality management system of the University of Salzburg was certified during the latest quality assurance audit in 2022 by the national Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation AQ Austria.

The review refers to the quality of the education programs at Austrian public universities in terms of content and the compliance thereof with the market and European legal standards. With this, the qualifications are recognised in the European Union and consequently by most countries around the world. Specifically, UNIGIS professional meets level 6 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF), and UNIGIS MSc meets EQF level 7.

For the further development the students evaluate anonymously the modules in terms of:

• the contents (and suggest their for advancing or reducing individual topics)
• the applicability of the acquired knowledge & skills
• the didactic quality of the learning materials
• the balance between conceptual and practical parts
• the quality of the lecturer’s supervision and team’s support
• the actual workload

Our study programs curricula are designed within the UNIGIS International (the worldwide UNIGIS network of universities). A panel of experts assesses the programs and consider the students’ anonymous feedback for the constantly further development of the programs and the teaching materials. The professional development of our students and alumni is an another measurement of the quality assurance of the UNIGIS Salzburg study programs.

At the annual working meeting of the UNIGIS International Association (UIA), representatives from the universities of Salzburg, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Southern California, Székesfehérvár, Kraków, Girona, and Quito come together. All of these universities offer graduate-level distance learning programs under the shared umbrella brand “UNIGIS.” During the meeting, current trends in geoinformatics and distance learning are addressed, critically discussed, and evaluated for their relevance to the individual programs. Participants exchange experiences, present examples of best practices, and assess new technological and pedagogical developments with the aim of integrating them strategically into teaching. This ensures that the programs remain practice-oriented, scientifically sound, and technically up-to-date. Feedback from students, input from the academic community, and the expertise of the partner universities ensure the high quality and innovative strength of the UNIGIS programs worldwide