The Centre for Quality of Studies was established as an independent department of Vytautas Magnus University in 2002. The Centre develops researches in the field of quality of studies, councils and organizes trainings on study quality assurance issues. The Centre for Quality of Studies carries outs its activities according to the rules of the Decision No. 23 approved by Vytautas Magnus University’s Senate on 26th September in 2002.

The aims of the Centre for Quality of Studies are to develop internal study quality assurance system in the university considering the tendencies of European higher education quality and support the processes university integration into common European Higher Education Area.

The Centre seeks its aims by counselling the university’s staff on the study quality assurance issues, carrying out scientific researches, developing questionnaires of stakeholders (graduates, employers, students and other persons or social groups, taking responsibility for the quality of the preparation a good specialist), summarizing data and giving recommendations for the staff how to improve the quality of studies.

Research activities in the Centre for Quality of Studies are developed in two fields: in the field of the quality of studies and career design. Assessment of the quality of studies and its development are the most important issues. Development of the quality of studies is closely related with the development of lecturers’ didactic competencies.

Researches of the Centre publish monographs and scientific articles, participate in the national and international projects, and organize conferences and seminars in cooperation with partners from Lithuania and foreign countries.

Since the year 2004 the Centre for Quality of Studies publishes the bilingual (in Lithuanian and English) journal "The Quality of Higher Education". All Lithuanian higher education institutions are collaborating in the journal’s activities. The journal belongs to the MLA International Bibliography, Index Copernicus, EBSCO Publishing Educational Research Index, EBSCO Educational Reseach Complete and to the CEEOL international databases.

The Centre participates in the international projects (European Union Sixth Framework Programme, Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates, Erasmus and etc.) as well as in the national projects. The Centre implements projects initiated by Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, European University Association, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), by other national and foreign institutions.

In the year 2003-2004 the Centre for Quality of Studies implemented project “Development of Study Quality Assurance System in Lithuanian Universities in the Context of World Wide Experience” supported by Open Lithuanian Society Fund Education and Science programme. The model of study quality assurance system was prepared as a result of this project, which formed the preconditions for the development of quality culture in Lithuanian higher education institutions.

In 2004 the Centre for Quality of Studies participated in the process of the institutional evaluation of Vytautas Magnus University carried out by European University Association. Co-workers of the Centre contributed to the preparation of the University’s self-evaluation report.

In 2004-2007 the Centre for Quality of Studies together with seven partners from Finland, Estonia, Italy, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Germany and Poland took part in the international project “Policy Responses Overcoming Factors in the Intergenerational Transmission of Inequalities” supported by European Union Sixth Framework Programme. Main project results were identified recommendations aimed at counteracting intergenerational inheritance of social inequalities in different socio-cultural contexts; identified possibilities and constrains for transferring good practice examples in different countries.

In 2005-2006 the Centre for Quality of Studies participated in European University Association (EUA) Quality Culture project Round III in which together with seven European universities from Belgium, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, United Kingdom and Greece analysed difficulties of internal study quality development procedures, prepared strategic plan for the internal quality development activities at the university and shared good practise.

Form 2005 till 2008 the Centre for Quality of Studies together with partners from Vilnius Pedagogical University, Šiauliai University and Klaipėda University implemented the project “Training of Educational Quality Managers to Develop the Quality Assurance System in Lithuania” partly financed by the European Social Found. Main project results: prepared “Qualification inventory of educational quality manager”; established master degree study programme “Educational Quality Management” in project partners’ universities; prepared 85 educational quality managers according to this programme.

In 2006 co-workers of the Centre produced the “Glossary of Quality Assurance for Vocational Education and Training” under the request of Methodological Centre for Vocational Education and Training for defining main quality’s concepts used in various institutions of education.
From 2006 till 2008 the Centre took part in the national project “Development and implementation of career guide system in Lithuania” run by the Ministry of Education and Science and partly supported by EU Structural funds. The co-workers of the centre produced normative documents, training and study programmes, and methodological tools; carried out various types of training for career councillors and accreditation experts of career counselling centres.

In 2007 the Centre together with Research Centre on Marriage and Family at Vytautas Magnus University and Mykolas Romeris University prepared project “Conception on Family Policy”, which was taken as a background for the conception approved by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

  The Centre for Quality of Studies collaborates with various foreign institutions of higher education from Austria, Estonia, United Kingdom, Poland, Finland, Germany, and etc.