Professional and public accreditation of main professional educational programs of higher education

As shown by the Russian experience, state accreditation alone cannot ensure the quality of higher education: the educational programs of the vast majority of universities are accredited by the state, yet the society is convinced that the quality of education is low. One of effective tools to achieve world standards strived to by national systems of higher education is professional and public accreditation of educational programs. In this regard, the purpose for the article is to study the nature of the content, causes and features of legal regulation of professional and public accreditation of educational programs. To achieve the specified goal the article reflects foreign and domestic experience in the establishment of accreditation in higher education, provides a comparative description of types of accreditation existing in Russia - state, social and professional and public, and reveals significant differences between them. Federal Law “On education in the Russian Federation” provides the basis for the procedure for professional and public accreditation. The author also demonstrates the process of legal, methodological and infrastructural support of the institution at the current stage. Based on the research results of domestic researchers, the author identifies factors hindering the development of professional and public accreditation. The main result of the study is the identification of the need to develop and support the institution of professional and public accreditation both at the state level and at the level of employers and the public, as well as to stimulate the use of professional and public accreditation by higher educational institutions. The research materials can be used by educational institutions to address the issues of participation in professional and public accreditation, selection of an accreditation organization, preparation of documents, etc.