FEEM has continued to increase international competitiveness in which inter-cultural understanding and cooperation are the basis for successful future development. Internationalization strategy envisages concrete work in attracting students and international cooperation, so as to facilitate the implementation of university and faculty strategic goals, and to promote joint performance of the staff. FEEM’s commitment to internationalization is visible through intentions to become an internationally recognizable Faculty open to foreign students.
The faculty has set the following international development goals: – studies, training and research internationalization;
– international students’ experience enhancement; – local students’ international experience enhancement;
– development, fostering and maintenance of international partnerships and associations;
– development of the academic staff’s skills and motivating them to participate in internationalization;
– effective attraction of foreign students.
Each FEEM internationalization goal is described in detail with objectives and tasks to be performed, which are presented to the Faculty administration and academic staff.
FEEM is a member of various international organizations and participates in international projects. The most important partner organizations are:
– Baltic Management Development Association (BMDA)
– Central and East European Management Development Association (CEEMAN)
– New Initiatives and Challenges in Europe (THE NICE NETWORK)
The teachers of the Institute for Quality Engineering participate in the work of international organizations:
• Prof. J.Mazais is a member of American Society for Quality, has participated in the
ASQ ISO-TC 176 international education research group (ASQ ISO TC Study Group on Education)
• Prof. J.Mazais represents Latvia in Member States Mirror Group for European Steel Technology Platform – ESTEP
• Pr.doc. I.Mežinska is ISO Global Directory (standardization experts’ global
communication platform) expert.
10.1. Collaboration with employers
The Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management of RTU since its foundation has successfully cooperated with the business sector and government organizations. By every year, cooperation is expanding and developing, and new forms of cooperation emerge by the increase of mutual interest in ensuring the success of cooperation. The cooperation may be structured as follows:
– study process and quality assurance and improvement, – internship and students professional development, – study work, final study work supervision and review, – approbation of research results,
– participation in the State examination commission,
– other extra-curricular activities development and provision.
On 24 September 2001 the RTU Senate made a resolution to establish the RTU Advisory Board, incorporating 26 representatives of different enterprises, banks, associations and state institutions. This ensures even closer cooperation with employers.
The main areas of cooperation and current events are:
– to explore the necessity of programme and specialist development, – to provide internship locations,
– to identify the most urgent thesis topics (to identify the range of problems encountered by a range of companies to offer them to students during their internship),
– to invite professionals (company specialists) to join the study process, etc.
Employers participate in the State examination commission meetings, executing the duties of Head and members of the Commission (Appendix 8). A number of Master Thesis supervisors are professionals from the employers’ organizations. Timely contracts about internship as well as mutual cooperation and advisory agreements with the employers are signed.
Thus, the study process and professional skill development are provided according to the requirements of the labour market.
10.2. Cooperation with Latvian and foreign universities implementing similar study programmes
FEEM has a close cooperation with several Latvia universities (University of Latvia, Latvia University of Agriculture, Banking School, Rēzekne Higher Education Institution, etc.) and more than 20 universities abroad. A contract has been signed between the University of Latvia and Riga Technical University on mutual cooperation in the implementation of study process and scientific development, which envisages cooperation in all areas, ranging from the free mobility of students between universities and joint projects in various spheres (information in Appendix 12, p.12.10.).
Guest lecturers from universities – partners of cooperation – participate annually in the FEEM study process, both in teaching and research projects. Foreign guest lecturers participate in the implementation of all FEEM programmes. There is now a particularly good cooperation with many universities, including higher education institutions in Sweden, Germany and other countries.
The number of foreign universities – cooperation partners – increases each year, so the study programmes are updated and students have the opportunity to study or have internship abroad.
Students have the opportunity to apply for studies at foreign universities with the assistance of the Unit of International Relations of RTU. The academic staff can participate in the Erasmus / Socrates Teacher Exchange Programme.
Cooperation with foreign universities has been strengthened by cooperation agreements (that have been signed or renewed during the last two years) (see Appendix 12, p.12.11.), which ensure student and academic staff exchange, guest professor invitation to join the study process, and cooperation in research projects, textbook and teaching material development, etc.
The academic staff’s activities in foreign educational institutions are shown in every teacher’s CV (see Appendix 14). The teachers and researchers’ exchange / mobility programme activities within the framework of ERASMUS programme are described in section
8.3.
Students’ activities within the framework of Erasmus programme are:
– Oksana Burlaka in 2008 studied at the Technological University of Troyes (France); – Liene Āboliņa had an internship in Norway, Buskerud University, where she
developed and with the help of videoconference defended the Master Thesis project on “Quality Function Deployment – Tool for Designing Customer Friendly Teaching and Services at Riga Technical University” under the guidance of prof. Rolf Qvenild.
Programme in comparison with other universities’ programmes
Comparing the accredited Programme with similar programmes in Latvia, there is evidence that the RTU programme “Total Quality Management” is the only professional Master’s study programme in the field of quality management in Latvia. Only the University of Latvia offers an academic study programme “Business Administration” in a similar field of study “Quality assurance and evaluation”, however, the study courses in these programmes are significantly different. Similar subjects are only approximately 20 CP (~25%). But there are no differences in the Programme scope for 2-year Master’s programme (80 CP) and Master Thesis (20 CP) (see Appendix 10).
When the accredited Programme is compared with relevant study programmes abroad, there is evidence that:
– Similar programmes are implemented at Kaunas University of Technologies – Master’s programme “Leadership” with specialization in Quality Management and at Chalmers University of Technologies in Göteborg – Master’s Programme “Quality and Operations Management”.
– The compared study programmes abroad are only full-time studies, study duration and scope equal to the RTU Master’s programme (2 years, 120 ECTS).
– Each programme has its specific features, only certain study courses have very similar content – Strategy and Change Management (Institute for Quality Engineering), Strategic Management Techniques (KU), Operations Strategy (Chalmers); Research Methodology.
A more complete comparison of study programmes is given in Appendix 11.