Quality of the master's program: factors and regulatory framework

The quality of educational programs and the assessment criteria is a debatable point. Universities pay special attention to the management and evaluation of the master's program quality to improve competitiveness. Approaches to an external and internal assessment of the quality of master's programs have changed over the past 20 years in Russia. The paper analyses the approach to internal university monitoring of the master's programs, taking into account external requirements and all stakeholders’ opinions. The analysis of the preferences of employers and students allowed us to determine the parameters of internal monitoring of the quality of master's programs. Focused interviews with representatives of local government bodies allowed to identify the blocks of disciplines that need to be further integrated into the master's program in public administration. It is emphasized that the approach to quality assessment should be more flexible in order to respond to the challenges of the external environment.