INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC STUDY PROGRAMMES COMPARED: RECENT GRADUATES’ PERSPECTIVE

Current internationalization trends in higher education requires more attention to the quality and attractiveness of international study programmes. Moreover, higher education institutions that are currently in the process of internationalization still rely heavily on domestic studies, therefore they face the need to maintain high levels of quality, strong curriculum and student satisfaction in both, international and domestic study programmes. In our study we aim at comparing dynamics of satisfaction with studies in international and domestic study programmes in the fields of economics and management. We disclose the topic from recent graduates’ perspective, as recent graduates can provide a broader view on study programmes’ theoretical and practical adjustment to latest trends in labour market by assessing satisfaction with abilities and skills obtained during their studies.

Our study is based on the longitudinal survey of recent graduates of international and domestic study programmes in the Faculty of Economics, Vilnius University. In addition to graduates’ satisfaction with study programmes’ outcomes and general satisfaction with studies, we explore satisfaction with programme design and teaching quality as paths for further improvement. Based on the results of comparative analysis of recent graduates’ satisfaction with studies we develop insights for minimizing the gaps between international and domestic study programmes’ design.