Evaluation of higher education study programmes and their development trends as drivers of regional growth

The purpose of this study is to examine higher education programmes, concentrating on the strengths and defining challenges to be achieved for regional higher education institutions. The research was based on theoretical concepts and data gained within the framework of a project where more than 860 study programmes were evaluated, out of them more than 100 in regional higher education institutions; more than 200 experts participated in the evaluation. The main conclusions: there are a number of strong points - study programmes correspond to their objectives and students are involved in the decision-making process. At the same time, more critical thinking, as well as foreign language skills, should be integrated into the study process of regional higher education programmes. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.