About Latvia
Latvia which is officially known as the Republic of Latvia is a country with a democratic parliamentary structure situated in the Baltic region in Europe’s North.It shares its land borders with Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and by a coastal border to the west with Sweden. It has a unitary government of 118 divisions for administrative purposes with 109 municipalities and 9 cities.
A unique feature that stands out in the case of Latvia when students need to research about study in Latvia is that the education is administered at three levels.viz. the national, municipal and institutional. The policies regarding education are formulated by the Ministry of Education and Science and the elected members of the ministry.
Academic programs for higher education are based on the fundamental and applied science. Typically, they constitute a thesis at the end of every stage whether at the bachelor’s or the master’s. Although the structure and system seems to be complex to an outsider, the system ensures a tight framework that ensures that the graduate enters the professional world with the highest degree of competency thanks to the provision of study and research in Latvia This is applicable to both levels of higher education in the country.
Why Study in Latvia
Latvia is known as the land that sings and Latvians claim that their country is a symphony of sounds, sights and experiences. The Latvian government has laid special emphasis on education and have made several educational reforms that have made it an ideal study abroad destination.
Latvia has both fee paying as well as state financed higher education opportunities in universities. For scholarship schemes a careful process of student selection is carried out so as to offer government aid to the most deserving students. There are two types of higher education programs offered in Latvia: Professional and Academic. Latvian universities offer both these programs, but there are several non-university type institutes in Latvia that offer only professional education to students.
The Bologna System is followed in higher education, which is divided into three distinct levels – the Bachelor’s studies, the Master’s studies and the Doctoral studies. A bachelor degree is awarded are either three or four years of regular study. A master’s degree on the other hand can be achieved only after receiving the Bachelor’s and completing further one or two years of study. In Doctoral studies, the students should have a master’s degree or an equivalent diploma. Doctoral studies can take anywhere from three to four years and involve advanced studies and the preparation of a Doctoral thesis.
