Abstract:

Quality assurance in higher education has progressively evolved from externally driven compliance models toward integrated governance frameworks based on institutional self-regulation, strategic management, and evidence-informed decision-making. Nevertheless, international scholarship continues to identify a persistent misalignment between externally defined accreditation standards and universities’ internal capacity to operationalize these requirements coherently and sustainably. In Chile, the 2023 revision of the Master’s program accreditation criteria by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA in Spanish) have intensified this challenge by imposing heightened demands for traceability, internal consistency, and verifiable evidence of educational outcomes. Despite the existence of institutional Internal Quality Assurance Systems (IQAS), accumulated institutional experience reveals fragmentation, administrative overload, and limited strategic integration in postgraduate management.

This study analyzes the degree of coherence between the CNA (2023) accreditation standards for Master’s programs and the institutional IQAS of a Chilean university, with the objective of designing an integrative evaluation matrix to strengthen evidence traceability, academic self-regulation, and continuous improvement processes. Employing a qualitative case study design, the research undertakes documentary and analytical-comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks and institutional quality assurance instruments. The analytical process incorporates thematic coding and correspondence matrices to identify convergences, gaps, and levels of alignment across key dimensions, including governance, educational outcomes, faculty, resources, engagement, and improvement mechanisms.

Findings reveal discrepancies at conceptual, procedural, and instrumental levels, particularly in the interpretation of standards, coordination between academic units and central quality offices, and the robustness of information systems. The proposed integrative matrix aims to reduce operational fragmentation, clarify institutional responsibilities, and enhance strategic coherence between planning, academic management, and outcomes assessment. The study concludes that effective quality assurance in Master’s programs requires not only formal regulatory compliance, but also the development of an articulated internal system oriented toward institutional learning and sustained improvement.

Keywords:

Educational quality, accreditation, postgraduate education, self-regulation.