Internationalization of Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Romania

Abstract

Internationalization and quality assurance in higher education have been closely linked at a conceptual level. It is believed that quality assurance enables a higher degree of internationalization, allowing higher education institutions from different countries to promote cooperation and mobility for both students and scholars. This paper investigates the level of internationalization of several higher education institutions in Romania through an exploratory research addressed to those in charge of the master programs. Moreover, the paper aims to identify the connections between quality assurance and internationalization of these institutions, and uses a questionnaire developed around three dimensions: institutional capacity, educational efficiency and total quality management. The study shows that there are quite big gaps between the Romanian higher education institutions that offer master programs in a foreign language in terms of how they perceive the process of internationalization. At the same time, the results indicate that even colleges that are part of the same higher education institution may have different approaches towards internationalization, leading to considerable differences between them. The results of this study are of great importance for the key decision makers in the Romanian higher education institutions, as they may use the insights of this study to develop better strategies that will support the internationalization process within their institutions.