Independent accreditation in higher education: landscape and design

The article presents the outcomes of research of the landscape and state of independent accreditation of higher education programmes in Russia. It gives definitions of accreditation types and evaluation criteria of performance of accreditation agencies; a group of leading agencies was identified on this basis. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the usage of open sources of information (official lists and registers of accreditation agencies, registers of accredited study programs) with presenting an analysis of a spectrum of activities of Russian accreditation agencies and the outcomes of their work. A ranking of such agencies also was made. Following the results of research, conclusions on relevance of independent accreditation of study programs and growth prospects of such accreditation were made.The results of the study can be useful to the heads of higher educational establishments, including the heads of educational programs, for the reasonable choice of accreditation agencies that are more appropriate to their mission and strategic objectives. It also can be useful to the governing bodies in the field of higher education to monitor the state of infrastructure and the effectiveness of independent accreditation of education in Russia. Also the article can be helpful for applicants and employers.