Unit Kualiti Universiti (UKU) ditubuhkan dalam tahun 2009 selepas penstrukturan semula sistem pengurusan kualiti Universiti Teknologi Malaysia yang dibuat pada penghujung 2008 dengan pengwujudan semula Majlis Kualiti UTM dan UKU bertindak sebagai Urusetia. UKU diletakkan di bawah struktur Canseleri dan Pengarah Kualiti bertanggungjawab terus kepada Naib Canselor.

Dengan penstrukturan semula ini, Unit Kualiti Akademik (UKA), sebelum ini di bawah Timbalan Naib Canselor (Akademik dan Antarabangsa), diserapkan ke bawah UKU dan sebahagian peranan Bahagian Pengurusan Sistem (sekarang dikenali sebagai Bahagian Pengurusan Organisasi) Pejabat Pendaftar diletakkan di bawah tanggungjawab UKU. UKU mula beroperasi di Aras 3, Dewan Sultan Iskandar pada 1 April 2009.

Pada tahun 2014, Universiti telah melaksanakan penstrukturan sekali lagi dimana UKU telah bergabung dengan Bahagian Transformasi dan Pengurusan Risiko (BTPR) dan dikenali sebagai Pusat Kualiti dan Pengurusan Risiko atau UTM QRiM dan diketuai oleh Pengarah Kanan.

Matlamat penstrukturan semula adalah untuk memantapkan struktur dan jaminan kualiti proses kerja yang berkaitan dengan kualiti akademik, kualiti perkhidmatan, pengurusan data dan pengurusan risiko bagi memenuhi keperluan pihak berkepentingan dan Universiti.

UTM menyemak dan mengemas kini aktiviti jaminan kualiti dalamannya secara berkala melalui kerjasama di semua peringkat bagi memastikan peningkatan kualiti berterusan untuk semua
proses terasnya. Usaha penambahbaikan berterusan ini diambil bagi mengikuti perubahan terkini dan amalan terbaik dalam jaminan kualiti. Mekanisme UTM untuk melaksanakan cadangan untuk penambahbaikan kualiti dan rancangan peningkatan kualiti dikaitkan secara dinamik dengan pencapaian matlamat insitusi dan pelan envision.
Dengan itu, pada 1 Oktober 2023, penstrukturan semula UTM QRiM telah berkuatkuasa dimana pengurusan jaminan kualiti akademik dalaman telah dipindahkan ke Pusat Kualiti Akademik dan Kurikulum (UTM CAQ) dibawah pejabat TNCAA. Pusat ini berfokus kepada jaminan kualiti akademik serta pembangunan dan semakan kurikulum program akademik
di UTM.
Manakala proses bagi menjalankan akreditasi program akademik dikekalkan dibawah Pejabat Canselari dan dikenali sebagai Pusat Akreditasi UTM (UTM ACe). UTM ACe yang juga urusetia JKAU berperanan secara independent dalam memantau/menilai program akademik melalui audit akreditasi sebenar. UTM ACe juga berperanan bagi memastikan panel penilai audit dalaman terlatih melalui latihan yang diberikan secara berkala. UTM ACe juga berfungsi sebagai urusetia bagi proses audit program akademik di bawah badan profesional.

The University Quality Unit (UKU) was established in 2009 following the restructuring of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s quality management system at the close of 2008, coinciding with the re-establishment of the UTM Quality Council. UKU serves as the Secretariat, operating under the purview of the Chancellery, with the Quality Director reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor.
As part of this restructuring, the Academic Quality Unit (UKA), previously under the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), was integrated into UKU. Additionally, responsibilities of the System Management Division (now the Organisation Management Division) of the Registrar’s Office were transferred to UKU. UKU commenced operations at Level 3, Sultan Iskandar Hall on April 1, 2009.

In 2014, another restructuring took place, merging UKU with the Transformation and Risk Management Division (BTPR) to form the Center for Quality and Risk Management, also known as UTM QRiM. This entity was led by a Senior Director.

The primary objective of these restructuring efforts is to optimize the structure and quality assurance of processes related to academic and service quality, data management, and risk management, aligning them with stakeholder needs and the University’s objectives. UTM consistently reviews and updates its internal quality assurance activities through collaborative efforts across all levels, ensuring continuous improvement in core processes. These efforts are aimed at staying abreast of the latest developments and best practices in quality assurance.
As of October 1, 2023, the management of internal academic quality assurance has been transferred to the Academic and Curriculum Quality Center (UTM CAQ) within the TNCAA office. UTM CAQ focuses on academic quality assurance, as well as the development and review of academic program curricula at UTM. Meanwhile, the accreditation process for academic programs remains under the purview of the Chancellor’s Office, facilitated by the UTM Accreditation Center (UTM ACe). UTM ACe acts independently in monitoring and evaluating academic programs through accreditation audits, while also overseeing the training of internal audit assessment panels and managing the audit process for programs accredited by professional bodies.