Basic Concepts of the External Evaluation of Graduate Programs at Institutions of Higher Education

In the present work aims to identify the basic concepts of the external evaluation of graduate programs at institutions of higher education in the Republic of Ecuador, from audit approach of quality management systems of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the strategic management of higher education of the National Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education of Ecuador (CONEA), with the aim of shaping and setting an object's basic frame of reference for the audit of management systems quality graduate programs in higher education institutions. This is considered the design of systems and models of categorization benchmark; the conceptualization of strategic quality planning; the definition of categories of the basic organization of the Graduate Program strategy of higher education on the lines hierarchies Authority; the functions of the graduate program and responsibilities of staff of the Graduate Program; the construction of performance measurement tool for graduate programs and the accreditation and certification of graduate programs in higher education. There has been a historical review, systematic and various measurement tools and non-bibliometric and bibliometric assessment models in the world like Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China; Times THES-QS; Research Assessment Exercise, U.S. News & World Reports, and CONEA and ISO-IWA 2:2003. Finally, we present in condensed form, some guidelines for categorization and assessment of the strategic objectives of graduate programs, at least in its foundations and principles, can be useful and extrapolated into an institution of higher education