Education in Moldova

Basic organization

Grading conventions

The lowest grade (mark) in Moldovan educational system is 1, the highest is 10. To pass a course, a subject, or an exam, the student must get 5 or above.

Kindergarten

Elementary and secondary school

Primary school

econdary school

High schools

"Liceum"

Technical and professional schools

The Baccalaureate exam

chools for disabled

Higher education

In Moldova, there are 16 state and 14 private institutions of higher education, with a total of 126,100 students, including 104,300 in the state, and 21,700 in the private ones. The number of students per 10,000 inhabitants in Moldova has been constantly growing since the collapse of the Soviet Union, reaching 217 in 2000-2001, and 351 in 2005-2006.

There are 6,200 faculty in Moldova's universities and collegies (on average 1 faculty for 20.3 students). Of these only 2,700 (43%) hold PhD degrees, including 358 (5.8%) that also hold
Habilitation. Moldovan faculty usually teach around 20 hours per week (one of the highest workloads in the world).

52.5% of students major in economics, law, social sciences, or in some fields that the Moldovan Ministry of Education calls on its website "professional formation fields", 18.4% study engineering and architecture, 16.0% - education. There are a total of 90 specialities (majors) offered.

101,100 students, or 80.2%, pay for their studies (from 2,000 to 7,300 Moldovan lei per year, i.e. from 120 to 430 euros per year). The state is trying to increase the number of free of charge places offered at the admission in the public universities: 5,085 in 2001, 5,290 in 2002, 5,628 in 2003, 6,354 in 2004, 7,048 in 2005, 7,835 in 2006, but this rate (54% over 5 years) is lower than the rate of increase (65% over the same period) in the total number of places. 15% of the free of charge places are reserved, and distributed to candidates from financially strugling families. Aiming to support them, the state gives scholarships to 70% of students who occupy the free of charge places, i.e. to 14.4% of the total number of students. As of January 1, 2006, these scholarships are of three categories: 210, 230, respectively 270 Moldovan lei per month, i.e. 12, 14, respectively 16 euros per month.

Despite the fact that 75.8% of the population of Moldova is Moldovan and 2.1% is Romanian, [ [http://www.statistica.md/recensamint/Nationalitati_de_baza_ro.xls 2004 Census results] ] only 65% of students study in Romanian. Russians represent 5.9% of population, but 29.8% of students study in Russian. There is little to no education in Ukrainian, Gagauz and Bulgarian, and these minority groups are forced to study in Russian, which is neither their native language, not the official language of the country. Also, 3.9% of students follow their courses in English, French, German, and other languages of international communication.

The National Council on Accreditation and Attestation is an organization that approves the examination programs for doctoral students, confers scientific degrees, and scientific and pedagogical ranks. The Council publishes online all PhD theses elaborated and defended in Moldova. [ [http://www.cnaa.acad.md/en/ NCAA website] ]

Public universities and colleges

#State University of Moldova ("Universitatea de Stat din Moldova"), Chişinău, str. Mateevici, 60, blocul 3 "tel: [phone]"
#Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova ("Academia de Studii Economice a Moldovei"), Chişinău, str. Bănulescu Bodoni, 51 "tel: [phone]"
#Nicolae Testemiţanu State University of Medicine and Farmacy ("Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie "N. Testemiţanu"), Chişinău,, bd. Ştefan cel Mare, 165 "tel: [phone]"
#Technical University of Moldova ("Universitatea Tehnică a Moldovei"), Chişinău, bd. Ştefan cel Mare, 168 "tel: [phone]"
#Agricultural State University of Moldova ("Universitatea Agrară de Stat din Moldova"), Chişinău, str. Mirceşti, 44, "tel: [phone]"
#Ion Creangă Pedagogical State University ("Universitatea Pedagogică de Stat "I. Creangă"), Chişinău, str. I. Creangă, 1, "tel: [phone]"
#Ştefan cel Mare Police Academy ("Academia "Ştefan cel Mare" a Ministerului Afacerilor Interne"), Chişinău, str. Gh. Asachi, 21, "tel: [phone]"
#Alexandru cel Bun Military Institute ("Institutul Militar al Forţelor Armate "Alexandru cel Bun"), Chişinău, str Haltei 21 "tel. [phone]"
#National Institute of Physical Education and Sport ("Institutul Naţional de Educaţie Fizică şi Sport"), Chişinău, str. A. Doga, 24/1, "tel: [phone]"
#Academy of Musics, Theatre and Arts ("Academia de Muzică, Teatru şi Arte Plastice"), Chişinău, str. Mateevici, 87, "tel: [phone]"
#International Relations Institute of Moldova ("Institutul de Relaţii Internaţionale din Moldova"), Chişinău, str. Puşkin 54, "tel: [phone]"
#Alecu Russo State University ("Universitatea de Stat "A: Russo"), Bălţi, str. Puşkin, 38, "tel: [phone]"
#Tiraspol State University (Chişinău) ("Universitatea de Stat din Tiraspol (cu sediul în mun. Chişinău)"), Chişinău, str. Iablocikin, 5 "tel: [phone]"
#Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu State University ("Universitatea de Stat "Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu"), Cahul, Piaţa Independenţei, 1, "tel: [phone]"
#Comrat State University ("Universitatea de Stat din Comrat"), Comrat, str. Galaţan, 17, "tel: [phone]"
#Taraclia State University ("Universitatea de Stat din Taraclia"), Taraclia, str. Păcii 4, "tel: [phone]"

Private universities and colleges

#"Universitatea Liberă Internaţională din Moldova", Chişinău, str. Vlaicu Pîrcălab 52, "tel: [phone]"
#"Universitatea Cooperatist-Comercială din Moldova", Chişinău, bd. Gagarin, 8 "tel: [phone]"
#"Institutul Internaţional de Management "IMI - Nova", Chişinău, str. Hristo Botev, 9/1 "tel: [phone]"
#"Institutul de Studii Politice şi Relaţii Internaţionale", Chişinău, str. Gheorghe Caşu 32, "tel. [phone]"
#"Universitatea de Studii Europene din Moldova", Chişinău, str. Iablocichin 2/1, "tel: [phone]"
#"Universitatea de Studii Aplicate din Moldova", Chişinău, bd. Ştefan cel Mare 200, bir. 109 "tel: [phone]"
#"Universitatea "Şcoala Antropologică Superioară", Chişinău, str. Zimbrului 10 "A", "tel: [phone]"
#"Institutul Umanistic Contemporan", Chişinău, str.Albişoara 78/4, "tel: [phone]"
#"Academia de Transporturi, Informatică şi Comunicaţii, Chişinău", str. Munceşti 121a "tel. [phone]"
#"Universitatea "Perspectiva - INT", Chişinău, str. Alba Iulia, 75 "tel. [phone]"
#"Universitatea Slavonă", Chişinău, str. Florilor 28/1, "tel: [phone]"
#"Institutul Nistrean de Economie şi Drept", Bălţi, str. Ştefan cel Mare 82, "tel: [phone]"
#"Filiala instituţiei nestatale de învăţămînt "Балтийский Институт Экологии, Политики и Права" din Moldova", Bălţi, str. Sorocii 21 (şcoala nr.3) "tel: [phone]"
#"Universitatea Real-Umanistică din Cahul", Cahul, str. Victoriei 16 "tel: [phone]"

The curriculum

At present, the graduates get two types of diplomas: one type for fulfilling the curriculum and the "Licence" examination, and a second type, if in addition they write a Licence Diploma paper. The Ministry of Education defines its strategic objective for higher education to be "the integration into the European common space for higher education, and active participation in its construction". In 2005 Moldova signed the commitment to implement the Bologna process agreements. In view of this, several changes have been operated since:
*reorganization from September 1, 2005 of the higher education into an undergraduate cycle of 3-4 years, and a master cycle of 1-2 year
*commitment to copy European laws and adopt them wholesale
*elaboration and implementation of a "Framework Plan" for the first cycle (undergraduate)
*elaboration of a new "Classification List of Specialities" for the undergraduate cycle
*elaboration of an "Implementation Guide" for a to be "National System of Transferable Credits", and institutionalization of this system in all universities and collegies
*implementation of the introduction of an "educational record from" in a unique European format, as a supliment to the "Licence diploma"

The Ministry of Education's declared objectives in taking these actions are:
* improvement of the quality of the country's higher education
* increasing the national and international mobility of students and faculty
* taking and implementing "European university education values" into the educational system of Moldova

The quality of the higher education has been declared a priority. In this context, a prime priority is declared to the implementation of the "National Framework of Qualifications for Professional Formation", which will determine the "educational finalities and competences", the "compulsory minimum of realization in higher education", and will somehow facilitate the rise in "the quality of the preparation of graduates for the national edonomy", and will also somehow contribute to "ensuring the continuous rise of the quality of education".

Universities and collegies are told to start creating own "systems of internal management of quality", with the aim of "organizing the internal process of ensuring the quality, in accordance with national standards, and the demands of external evaluation systems".

Postgraduate programs

Researchers and professors

Moldovans pursuing higher education abroad

Additional types of education institutions

Private institutions

Religious institutions

Minority institutions

References

External links