Quality Assurance

Overview

The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) is responsible for quality assurance of all publicly-funded universities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In addition, the Commission carries out quality assessments of degree providers established under provincial Degree Granting Acts.

Publicly-Funded Universities (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island)

The Commission's Policy on Quality Assurance brings together two major instruments:

When combined, both instruments ensure a continuum of quality: the program assessment process provides assurances to government, students, employers and the public at large that programs designed by publicly funded institutions in the Maritimes meet established standards of quality prior to implementation; and the monitoring process provides assurances that Maritime institutions have effective quality assurance policies and procedures in place to ensure that programs, once implemented, are reviewed internally and externally to provide continuous quality improvements.

Please note: The Commission is in the process of updating its Policy on Quality Assurance as it pertains to the program assessment process. A preliminary version of the updated Policy can be found here. The Commission encourages stakeholders to comment on the revised Policy prior to the development of the final version, scheduled for late 2011. Please contact us by email mphec@mphec.ca or by phone at (506) 453-2844.

The 2005 Policy also included a section on the quality assurance monitoring process; an update to that component is forthcoming.

Degree Providers under Provincial Degree Granting Acts (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)

Degree providers designated under provincial Degree Granting Acts must submit to the MPHEC program proposals prior to designation and again five years following designation. Whether an assessment pre-designation or five years after designation, institutions are required to submit a detailed program proposal and as well as evidence that they meet the Commission's assessment criteria.

New Brunswick

By request of the New Brunswick Minister responsible for Post-secondary Education, the Commission assesses proposals for degree programs submitted under the New Brunswick Degree Granting Act (Appendix II is downloaded separately). The Act, adopted in March 2001, establishes a framework to evaluate the quality of programs leading to a degree, offered by all public and private institutions, except those created by an Act of the NB legislature prior to the Act coming in force.

The designation process is made up of seven key steps:

evaluation by Business New Brunswick of the financial viability of the applicant;
assessment of the institution by the Commission
ministerial and government decision on proceeding with next step
assessment of the academic quality of the degree programs by the Commission
ministerial and government decision on designation;
follow-up assessment of the program and/or institution five-years following designation (Note: the policy for this does not yet exist); and,
Re-designation every ten years. (Note: the policy for this does not yet exist.)

Note: All applications for designation are made to the Minister and not the Commission. It is the Minister who forwards the application to the Commission for a quality assessment. The Commission's role is limited to conducting the quality assessment and providing advice to the Minister who in turn makes the final decision on all applications.

More details are provided in the document: Procedures and Information Requirements for Institutional Assessments of Degree Providers under the New Brunswick Degree Granting Act

Nova Scotia

The Government of Nova Scotia has defined its Regulations under the Nova Scotia Degree Granting Act. By request of the Minister, the Commission will carry out institutional and program assessments for applications under the NSDGA. Please contact the Commission at mphec@mphec.ca or (506) 453-2844 for further information on the MPHEC's assessment processes and information requirements.