News

In the first decade of April, the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice is facing an important challenge. From 7 to 11 April 2025, the international accreditation of the study programmes of General veterinary medicine in Slovak and English and Food hygiene in Slovak will take place. The accreditation will be carried out by an international team of experts from the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) in cooperation with the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE).

After ten years, the University is about to receive an important confirmation of its position among European veterinary educational institutions. The EAEVE/FVE international evaluation system brings guarantees to three groups:

• - for the public –  it means confidence in the quality of graduates, veterinarians, and the quality of the services they provide,
• - for students of veterinary medicine –  it confirms a high level of education that achieves agreed and acceptable standards,
• - for veterinary educational institutions - it gives confidence that the standard of the schools and the curriculum content of their programmes of study reaches an agreed benchmark.

The primary objective of the international team is to assess the harmonisation of the minimum standards set out in the curriculum for veterinarians with the European Union Directives 2005/36 and 2013/55 on the recognition of professional qualifications. During the visit, interviews with both staff and students, visiting facilities and discussions, the team members evaluate ten areas and assess whether the institution being evaluated is in compliance with Directives 2005/36/EC and 2013/55/EU with regard to the training of veterinarians. For the evaluation of the institution, a standard plan for the EAEVE/FVE visit is established, which is known in advance to all actors. The evaluation is carried out regularly at ten-yearly intervals in English only. According to the latest standard operating procedure, the interval has been shortened to seven years.

Successful completion of the international accreditation process is extremely important for the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, as it will confirm the University's stable position in the European educational space. Being an internationally accredited university for us means that when choosing a place of study, young people from all over Europe, as well as from other countries around the world, will choose Košice among others. They will choose a place that provides high quality education, knowledge and skills. It is therefore a question of the future of our educational institution, its prestige and international recognition, so that in the next decade it will continue to be one of the universities accredited by EAEVE. 

The last international evaluation and accreditation process was completed by our university in 2015. It took place in two phases, the school prepared two separate self-evaluation reports for the evaluation and accreditation process. In the first stage, compliance with Directive 2005/36/EC on the training of veterinarians was assessed and an evaluation decision was issued. The second stage evaluated the institution in terms of compliance with academic standards and quality of education and resulted in an accreditation decision. The whole process was successfully completed in 2016 by obtaining approval and accreditation status.

The international accreditation process has now been brought together. The University has produced a self-evaluation report and responded to a number of written questions from the assessors. The process will be completed by a visit by members of the international accreditation team who will verify the information obtained on site by visiting departments and interviewing staff and students. It is therefore extremely important that all staff and students approach the assessment visit with seriousness and responsibility. 

International accreditation is key to our long-term goals and strategic plans. We want to maintain and consolidate our position on the map of European veterinary educational institutions. This is important for our present and our future, because without international recognition we would find it difficult to withstand social and economic pressures.

We believe that by joint efforts before the members of the international evaluation team we will confirm that we are a school of quality and credibility, that we have a stable place in the European educational space and that in all respects we can meet the needs of Slovak and foreign students, to whom we will provide a quality study of veterinary medicine.