HIGHER EDUCATION

 

• Structure
• Admission Requirements
• Grading Scale

 

---

 

Structure

Higher education is provided by universities, universities of technology, medical universities, professional education institutions, teacher training colleges and centers, and private institutions. Most universities are state institutions. University activities are coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, the High Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Higher Council on Planning, and the Ministry of Health and Medicine.

 

Institutes of Technology offer two-year post-secondary programmes leading to the qualification of Fogh-Diplom or Kardani (Higher Technical Diploma/Technician 1^st Class), which is also sometimes referred to as an “associate degree”.

 

Universities offer four-year programmes leading to the Karshenasi (sometimes known as Licence or bachelor’s degree).  Universities follow the credit and semester system. The Karshenasi requires between 130 - 140 semester hours of credit to complete, of which at least 60 credits must be in a major field. In general, engineering degrees require a minimum of 140 credits.  Karshenasi programmes can be completed as either non-continual (Karshenasi-napayvasteh), with the award of a Fogh-Diplom (sometimes called associate degree) after two years and 67 – 72 credits, or as continual, after four years of study.

 

Upon completion of a Karshenasi or Licence programme, students with good grades are eligible to take entrance examinations for access to postgraduate study.  The degree of Karshenasi-arshad napayvasteh (sometimes called Fogh Licence or Master’s degree) can be completed in two years of study. The degree requires 32 to 36 credits and can be completed either through coursework or research. Karshenasi-arshad payvasteh (Integrated Professional Master’s Degree) programmes are offered in the health sciences and may be six years in length after completion of university preparatory education.

 

Doctor of Philosophy degrees can be completed with a minimum of three years of study beyond the Karshenasi-arshad-napayvasteh.  Students must sit for a comprehensive examination before moving to the research and dissertation phase of a doctoral programme.    

 

Admission

Admission to higher education requires completion of upper secondary school and the one-year university preparatory programme and the National University Entrance Examination. Admission to postgraduate study requires completion of a Karshenasi degree, good grades, and a competitive examination.

Length: 2 years for Kardani programmes; 2-4 years for Karshenasi programmes; 2 years for Karshenasi-arshad napayvasteh programmes; 3 years minimum for the Doctorate, after the Karshenasi-arshad napayvasteh.

 

Grading Scale

Grading is based on a 0 to 20 scale with 10 as the lowest passing grade, however, at some institutions a grade of 12 or 13 may be required for semester promotion or graduation.  At the master’s level a minimum passing grade of 12 is required and at the doctoral level the minimum passing grade in individual subjects is 14, with an average of 15 required in order to graduate.

Revised: May 06, 2004 .
Copyright © 2001 World Education Services.
All rights reserved.