Abstract
Type of the article: Research ArticleResearch on quality management in higher education remains conceptually fragmented, with recurrent organizational issues examined across partially disconnected strands of literature. This study analyzes Scopus-indexed higher education research using quality management terminology and organizes its recurrent concerns into an integrated conceptual account. A two-level design combined bibliometric mapping of 1,829 records published between 2004 and 2025 with full-text thematic conceptual synthesis of 159 retained studies. Publication activity increased from 25 records in 2004 to a peak of 157 in 2019, while total quality management terminology remained prominent alongside quality assurance and quality improvement vocabularies. The conceptual synthesis organized recurrent concerns into four higher-order dimensions: strategic leadership and governance, implementation of QM frameworks and digital transformation, quality culture and organizational dynamics, and performance evaluation and external accountability. Studies situated in emerging and developing country contexts additionally highlighted external quality requirements, adaptation of established frameworks, institutional capacity for implementation, and supporting information systems. The four dimensions were integrated into a conceptual model spanning strategic, operational, organizational, and evaluation levels. Overall, the results place framework adoption within a broader organizational context by highlighting the conditions under which quality arrangements are implemented and sustained. For institutional leaders and quality managers, this suggests assessing whether formal arrangements become embedded in organizational practice and inform subsequent decisions.Acknowledgment This research was funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. BR28712521).