On September 22-24, a joint expert panel from ANQA and the German Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programs (AQAS) conducts an external review of the APs "Dentistry" and "Pharmacy" at the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi (YSMU).
Joint accreditation allows the APs to be reviewed during a single site visit, drawing on both national and international professional perspectives. The criteria of both agencies are aligned with the ESG. The review is conducted by Armenian and German experts, including representatives of the relevant professional fields and labour markets in both countries.
The expert panel includes:
- Pd Dr. Christiane Keil, Oral Biology and Orthodontics, Dresden University of Technology, Germany;
- Prof. Dr. Angelika Vollmar, Pharmaceutical Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany;
- Karl-Heinz Baringhaus, site director R&D, Sanofi-Aventis Germany, labour market representative;
- Lusine Sahakyan, teacher at the Department of Biomedicine, Institute of Pharmacy, Yerevan State University, Candidate of Pharmaceutical Sciences;
- Hasmik Manukyan, orthodontist, teacher in Orthodontics at the National Institute of Health;
- Nzhdeh Shadoyan, dentist at Kamar Medical Center, labour market representative;
- Alexandra Vorik, graduate of Medicine and current student of Music at University for Music Weimar, Germany (student representative);
- Knarik Mesroyan, student of the Bachelor’s programme in Pharmacy at the Yerevan State University, student representative.
The process coordinators are Varduhi Gyulazyan, head of ANQA’s Institutional and Programme Accreditation Division, and Ronny Heintze, deputy director for International Development at AQAS.
During the site visit, the experts meet with YSMU’s management, AP coordinators, teaching staff, students, alumni and employers. The discussions focus on the content of the APs, teaching and assessment methods, the competences developed by students, and their relevance to the requirements of the respective professional fields. The experts also examine the governance and QA processes supporting the implementation of the APs. Following the site visit, a joint expert report will be prepared, presenting considerations and enhancement-driven recommendations for both APs. Through this format, the institution will receive consolidated feedback informed by national and international practice, which can support the further development of the programmes. The international comparability of the review outcomes may also contribute to the recognition of the APs and the expansion of opportunities for academic mobility.
At the next stage, ANQA and AQAS will each make separate decisions on the accreditation of the APs in accordance with their respective procedures.