- Higher
education in Saudi Arabia is offered at universities, girls’
colleges, and higher training institutes. Two types of programmes are
offered: western style and Islamic education. In addition, there are
several types of postsecondary programmes, which do not fall under the
responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education. These programmes
are offered at higher technical institutes, technical colleges, and
institutes of public administration. Matriculation into university programmes for graduates of
these institutions is somewhat limited and students may have to
complete additional admission requirements in order to be admitted.
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- The
length of higher education programmes ranges from two to three years
for postsecondary, non-university programmes to four to six years for
first-degree programmes at university institutions.
In general, bachelor’s degrees in the arts, sciences, and
education are four years in length; engineering and other professional
programmes require five years to complete; and programmes leading to
the Doctor of Medicine require six years to complete.
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- Students
who have completed bachelor’s degree programmes may continue their
studies at the postgraduate level. A Higher Diploma programme of one
year in duration is available to students who wish to teach in
intermediate and secondary level institutions. Master’s degree
programmes are offered at universities and girls’ colleges. The
programmes are two years in duration, uniformly structured, and
involve coursework and a minor thesis or project for completion. There
are few Doctoral degree programmes offered at Saudi Arabian
universities; in general they require three to five years to complete
after master’s study. Most students pursuing doctoral studies prefer
to do so overseas.
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- Female
students are admitted to higher education with the same standards as
males, however, their participation in higher education is completely
segregated from male students.
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- ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Admission
to higher education is based on the success in the General Secondary
Education Certificate Examination. An average of 60% is required for
admission to science programmes and 50% is needed to enter arts and
humanities programmes.
In addition, entrance examinations may also be required.
-
- Admission
to a master’s programme normally requires a bachelor’s degree for
admission with a minimum grade requirement in the field of study.
There may also be an entrance examination for some programmes.
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- LENGTH
- Programmes
are two to three years in duration for postsecondary, non-university
programmes; four to six years for first-degree programmes; two years for
master’s degrees; and three to five for doctoral degrees.
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- ASSESSMENT AND PROMOTION
- Students
are continuously assessed through coursework, examinations, projects,
and course papers. Each
higher education sets the academic standards which must be attained in
order to continue study.
