Foreign experience of software testing engineers training: analysis of educational standards and programs of European universities

The article explores the European educational system's approach to training software testing specialists. It contains an analysis of certain key standards for IT engineers training in Europe, such as the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) criteria, and national accreditation standards like the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA), the German Accreditation Council (GAC), and the UK’s Engineering Council (ECUK). The study emphasizes the place and teaching methods of software testing theory and practice within university curriculum guidelines, assessing both an availability of dedicated testing disciplines and the appearance of testing topics/modules in more general engineering disciplines. Despite similar interpretations of basic concepts and practices in software testing, opinions on teaching methodologies and the representation of both theoretical and practical aspects of it vary among the reviewed standards. Additionally, the research examines training programs at leading European universities to identify how software testing and quality assurance are reflected in their curricula. This analysis covers full-time training programs for students in computer science, software engineering, and related fields. The study explores programs in both general and basic disciplines within IT and those specific to certain technological or organizational areas, such as mobile device development or IT project management. The content of subjects, modules, lectures, and extracurricular work tasks available in open sources was also analyzed. Furthermore, the research investigates how these institutions incorporate practical training, such as internships and project-based learning, to ensure students gain hands-on experience in software testing and quality assurance