Modernization of administrative procedures for licensing and accreditation in the field of higher education in Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to identify the main directions of modernization for licensing and accreditation procedures in the field of higher education in Ukraine. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are set: 1) to define the concepts of licensing and accreditation as administrative procedures; 2) to identify existing shortcomings for practical implementation of these procedures; 3) to outline the ways to improve the licensing and accreditation process in higher education. The following methods of scientific cognition were used while working on the article: structural and functional, comparative and legal, formal and logical, modeling, analysis and synthesis. Guarantee and quality assurance of higher education in Ukraine is impossible without the introduction of independent and effective administrative licensing and accreditation procedures. The content of licensing and accreditation as administrative procedures has been defined. The current state of regulatory procedures resolution for licensing educational activities and accreditation of educational programs has been considered. The main directions of the licensing and accreditation system modernization in the field of higher education in Ukraine have been highlighted. It has been emphasized that the solution of this problem requires the implementation of a number of measures to improve the licensing and accreditation procedures as components of the Ukrainian higher education control system. The study concluded that the main task in this field should be the optimization of the procedures by simplifying them, ensuring objectivity, transparency, anti-corruption; reviewing and simplifying licensing and accreditation procedures by reducing phasing and duplication of functions; possible reduction of some existing terms of case trying; introduction of a single electronic document flow during licensing or accreditation, etc.