WEP-Jamaica

World

Education Profiles

JAMAICA

Higher Education


Education at the tertiary level is mainly offered by community colleges, teacher colleges, the University of Technology, and the University of the West Indies.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
There are two levels of admission to first degree courses: students with the Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate or the General Certificate of Education, Ordinary level take a preliminary year’s study. Direct entry to degree programmes is based on the General Certificate of Education, Advanced Level.

PROGRAMME OF STUDY
Associate degree usually take two years’ duration beyond the Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate. They represent two years of a four-year degree programme; some universities accept an associate degree for admission to a bachelor’s degree programme, while others will regard the credential as the first year of a three-year bachelor’s degree programme.

Bachelor’s degrees normally take three years of study to complete; master’s degrees normally take one to two years beyond the bachelor’s, depending on the programme; doctoral degrees normally take at least three years beyond the master’s degree. Higher certificates and diploma courses are also available.

GRADING SCALE