A credit point is defined as a one-week full-time study workload. Thus, an average workload of a full-time study year in most cases is 40 credit points. Transfer of Latvian credit points into ECTS credit points requires multiplication by a factor of 1.5.

Grading system. The ten-point grading system presented below is the one compulsory to all the secondary education institutions and recommended to the higher education institutions by the Ministry of Education and Science.

As to the higher education institutions, ten-point scale is used everywhere, but the interpretation of the meanings of each mark as well as the minimum pass mark may differ. The normal maximum grade is supposed to be eight, the grades nine and ten are reserved for students who perform above the estimated maximum level.

Institutions of higher education

Since all the institutions of higher education in Latvia offer both academic and professional programmes, they can rather be classified according to the level of degrees they offer than clearly divided into university and non-university type.

Universities cover one or several significant fields completely and are entitled to confer doctoral degrees. According to decision of Latvian Council of Higher Education the following institutions of higher education have university status:

 

 

• University of Latvia (with Riga Humanitarian Institute)
• Riga Technical University (with Riga Business Institute)
• Latvia University of Agriculture
• Daugavpils Pedagogical University

 

All the other institutions of higher education, which have no university status, are usually specialised in one or several specific fields.

Access to higher education. All holders of general secondary education certificates and 4-year vocational education diplomas meet the general requirements for admission to higher education. However, universities are free to set specific requirements, e.g. determining a list of elective subjects that should have been taken at the secondary school level to qualify for admission to a particular programme.

Admission procedure may vary depending upon the competition level to the state-financed study places in a given programme, the main forms being: one to four competitive entrance examinations or a ranking according to secondary school final marks, in some cases combined with an interview by the admissions board.

(NARIC 2001)

Das Notensystem der Hochschulen ist mit dem der Sekundarschulen identisch.    

Bakalaurs degree is awarded after completion of the first stage of studies. At most institutions of higher education duration of Bakalaurs programmes is 4 years. At some institutions however the Bakalaurs programmes last 3 years to ensure an early choice between further studies towards Magistrs degree or towards a professional qualification. The four-year Bakalaurs degree is legally seen as a completed academic higher education, while the 3-year Bakalaurs degree is seen as an intermediate qualification. A Standard to Bakalaurs programmes set by the Council of Rectors standardises at least 90 credit points in Bakalaurs programmes of a given subject thus ensuring a possibility for student mobility between institutions with different duration of Bakalaurs programmes.

Magistrs degree is awarded after the second stage of academic education and requires total duration of university studies 5-6 years The duration of Magistrs programmes is one or two years at the institutions awarding Bakalaurs degree after 4 years of full-time studies and it may be up to 3 years at these institutions where the studies towards Bakalaurs degree last 3 years.

Degrees in medicine and dentistry (6 and 5 years of studies respectively), are considered equal to Magistrs.

Doctoral studies. With the 1998 amendments of the Law on Scientific Activities the two-tier doctoral degrees system in Latvia is abolished and only one doctoral degree Doktors is awarded in Latvia after January 1, 2000.

The degree of Magistrs (or the equivalent) is required for admission to doctoral studies. The degree Doktors can be achieved at public defence of a doctoral thesis which may be a result of three to four years of full-time doctoral studies at an university or an equivalent amount of independent research while working at a university, research institution, hospital, enterprise, etc.

Latvian Council of Science sets the procedures for the awarding of doctoral degree and appoints promotion councils entitled to award doctoral degrees.

Institutions granting doctoral degrees:

 

• Latvian Academy of Music;

 

• Medical Academy of Latvia;

 

• Latvian Academy of Arts;

 

• Latvia Academy of Culture;

 

• Liepaja Pedagogical Academy,

 

• Latvian Academy of Sports Education;

 

• Police Academy of Latvia.

 

Das Notensystem der Sekundarschulen ist mit dem der Hochschulen identisch. 

Secondary education (duration -12 years)

School year. The regular school year (excluding examination periods at grades nine and twelve) lasts 36 weeks, from the beginning of September through to the end of May. The minimum total number of 40-minute lessons per week is 20 at grade one, 29 at grade five, 34 at grade nine and 36 at grade twelve.

Basic education (pamatizglitiba) begins at six or seven years of age and lasts a total of 9. Graduates receive a nine-year basic school certificate (aplieciba par pamatizglitibu).

General upper secondary education (vispareja videja izglitiba includes studies of at least 12 subjects, of which 5 (Latvian language and literature, mathematics, foreign language, history, physical education) are compulsory and no less than seven: physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and information technology, economic geography, basics of business, technical drawing, visual arts, housekeeping, second and third foreign language; human, nature and society; music, history of culture, history of religion, amateur performances; or other subjects proposed by the school and approved by the Ministry of Education and Science - are elective. Two different curriculum levels - basic (pamatkurss) and advanced (profilkurss) - are offered in each subject. Certificate of general secondary education (atestats par visparejo videjo izglitibu) is awarded upon completion of the courses of at least twelve elective subjects and successful passing of five final examinations (two set nationally, three upon choice of the candidate). One examination must be at the advanced level of the respective subject. Since 1999 in general secondary education a transition is carried out from choice of subjects to choice among four different programmes of general secondary education. However, the higher education graduates of 2001 still has completed their general secondary education as described above.Secondary vocational (arodvidusskola) programmes of four-year (but not 2 and 3 year) duration include the standard of general secondary education thus making the holders eligible for higher education studies.