Quality Assurance

The Quality Assurance System at the University of Milano-Bicocca aims to ensure the continuous improvement of teaching, research, third mission activities, and other institutional and management functions across the University.

It is based on European standards defined by the ENQA – European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ESG 2015) and on the AVA 3 accreditation model for institutions and degree programmes, following the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

The Quality Assurance Model of the University of Milano-Bicocca

The University has designed and implemented a QA model that places quality culture at the centre through synergistic approaches and methods shared by University bodies, departments, and the wider academic community.

►View the 2024 Quality Assurance System document - [available in Italian]
►View the previous Quality Assurance System document (2018) - [available in Italian]

Quality Assurance Review

The functioning of the QA System is subject to internal review in order to strengthen its effectiveness.

► Consult the internal review document - [available in Italian]

Dashboards

To support strategic decision-making, University governance and stakeholders make use of Business Intelligence solutions for both standard reporting and high-level insights. These dashboards collect data from the University’s official systems, including:

• ESSE3 and UGov-GDA (teaching and student services)

• IRIS (research and third mission)

• UGov Human Resources, UGov Accounting, ministerial databases, and other internal and external sources

All data are validated by the University administration departments to ensure certification.

► Visit the dashboard site "Cruscotti" for data monitoring - [available in Italian] 

Data Analysis

Since 2007, the University has taken part in the Good Practice project, led by the POLIMI Graduate School of Management, involving dozens of universities. The project aims to identify good management practices through benchmarking based on performance indicators.

Each year, participating universities:

• Select the administrative activities and services to be compared

• Calculate indicators to evaluate these services, including:

  • Cost indicators to assess economic efficiency

  • User satisfaction indicators to measure perceived effectiveness

► View satisfaction survey analysis (restricted access)
► View organisational well-being survey analysis (restricted access)

Additionally, an annual survey is carried out to evaluate the organisational well-being of technical and administrative staff.

Policy

The Document Policy of the University of Milano-Bicocca sets out rules and procedures for effective management of documents and information across the institution.

Purpose:
The policy serves three main objectives:

• Document mapping – Identifies and classifies key University documents

• Access and sharing – Defines who can access what, and how documents are made available

• Quality assurance – Ensures that key operational documents are always up to date and easy to consult

Why it matters:
It improves transparency, efficiency, and organisation, ensuring that students, faculty, and staff have access to the information they need.

► Document Policy: mapping, dissemination, and sharing of documents and information [available in Italian]

Internal and external regulations underpinning the University’s Quality Assurance System:

• ANVUR AVA 3: Periodic accreditation model for universities and degree programmes
  Visit the ANVUR website

• ESG 2015: European Standards and Guidelines for QA in Higher Education
  Download the document

• University of Milano-Bicocca Quality Policy: Framework for the University’s quality objectives
  Download the document [available in Italian]

• ISO Certification: Project to implement a Quality Management System in line with UNI EN ISO 9001:2015
  Visit the dedicated page [available in iItalian]

The University’s QA System is implemented by a range of actors working in close collaboration:

• Governance

• Administrative organisation - General Director

• Degree programmes

• PhD programmes

Internal Quality Officers and Resources:

• University Quality Assurance Officer

• Departmental Quality Assurance Officers for Teaching

• Departmental Quality Assurance Officers for Research

• Departmental Quality Assurance Officers for Third Mission / Social Impact

• Quality Assurance Officers for Doctoral Programmes

Teaching QA includes all activities related to the planning, design, and continuous improvement of the University’s educational offerings.

The QA cycle involves monitoring teaching processes and implementing improvement actions that enhance academic programmes in response to continuous dialogue with internal and external stakeholders, while ensuring overall sustainability.

Guidelines on teaching QA – available on the Quality Unit’s dedicated page [available in Italian]
Student feedback – dedicated site for survey results [available in Italian]

The University’s QA System for Research ensures quality in research activities, with Departments as the key drivers of implementation. It emphasises a clear, shared strategic vision and includes regular monitoring and evaluation of processes and outcomes.

Research QA guidelines – Quality Unit's page [availalble in Italian]
Facts and People – portal with information from SUA-RD reports by department [available in Italian]

The QA System for Doctoral Education ensures that PhD programmes meet high standards and are able to continuously monitor and enhance their activities.

PhD guidelines – available on the Quality Unit's page [available in Italian]
AVA 3 and PhD programmes at UNIMIB – dedicated page [available in Italian]

The list of training activities aimed at the academic community, designed to promote and spread a culture of quality, is available on the Italian version of this page.