Researchers at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) have developed a new
index for assessing the standards of
43 Spanish state-run universities.
The study highlights the good results obtained by Pompeu Fabra University which obtained very high scores in all the areas examined. The Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Madrid, Córdoba University and Santiago de Compostela University also obtained high scores. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Social Indicators Research .
The quality of the state-run universities in Spain was measured using a new index based on a set of simple indicators that were aggregated and evaluated using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a graphic representation assessment model linking various parameters with quality, to construct synthetic indicators.
The UPF obtained a good score on this new index
The study identified the five best Spanish state-run universities with the highest scores, one of which is the UPF.
Using the new methodology developed in this study, each of the indicators regarding teaching standards, student preferences in making their first- and second-choice university applications, research resources, scientific productivity in terms of the number of doctoral theses completed, services and, especially, the degree of students' international mobility. It is in this latter sphere that Pompeu Fabra University and the Autonomous University of Barcelona stand out due to the large international component of their student body according to data on the number of students from the rest of Europe taking part in the ERASMUS programme.
Reference article:
Pilar Murias, José Carlos de Miguel, David Rodríguez (2008), "A Composite Indicator for University Quality Assesment: The Case of Spanish Higher Education System", Social Indicators Research, 89, 129-146. DOI 10.1007/s11205-007-9226-z.