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The Romanian Higher Education System
The Romanian Higher Education System
The Romanian higher education system comprises numerous public and private universities. In Romania, undergraduate studies last three years for sciences and humanities, four years for technological sciences. and six years for medicine. A master degree requires two years of studies and a doctoral degree can be completed in three years. Several Romanian universities offer degrees in a language other than Romanian, including Hungarian, German, French, and English. International students seeking short semester programmes as well as bachelor, graduate, or medical degrees, can choose from a variety of courses in Romanian or English. International students may also elect to study Romanian language during a preparatory year before pursuing their degree.
An increasing internationalization of education provides students from Romania with opportunities to study abroad through programs such as Fulbright and Erasmus or other inter-university agreements and partnerships that facilitate learning mobility.
The Higher Education System, Short History
The Higher Education System, Short History
Academic studies have had a long tradition in Romania starting with the first modern universities created during the XIXth century. The oldest Romanian university, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, was established in 1860, in Iași, and is one of the leading centers of academic life in the country. The first engineering, experimental psychology, and chemistry laboratories in Romania were created here.
The University of Bucharest was established in 1864, in the capital city, as one of the most vibrant Romanian academic centers. The University Square where UB is located was one of the scenes of the Romanian Revolution in 1989. A research and education university, UB is part of numerous international organizations and inter-university partnerships. Every year, it welcomes a large number of international students from multiple countries.
One of the largest and most complex higher education establishments in Romania, the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca was created in 1919. It acquired its name from the Romanian bacteriologist, Victor Babeș, and the Hungarian mathematician, Janos Bolyai. Situated in the multicultural region of Transylvania, the university reflects this diversity through its many programs in several languages.
The West University of Timișoara is one of the youngest and most highly ranked Romanian institutions of higher education in Romania. UVT is known for its modern campus, attractive research, education resources, and diverse student community. International students have shared their thoughts about UVT here.
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Student Life
Student Life
University centers located in Romania's largest cities such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara offer various on-campus and off-campus cultural and recreational activities for students. Every large university hosts a Students' Culture House, a cultural center where students meet and organize various social and cultural activities such as art, theater, music, dance, literature, and sports. Romanian campuses have a privileged position in the center of the city which confers them a perpetual connection to the cultural life of the city. Student life becomes inseparable from the city life with its multitude of cultural events such as festivals, concerts, and museum exhibitions, as well as sport competitions that take place throughout the year.
Student pastimes include one of the newest trends in social interaction, cafe culture, which has expanded in Romania during the last thirty years. Some of the trendiest cafes in Eastern Europe are located in Cluj-Napoca such as Insomnia Cafe and Q Cafe where students meet their friends or attend public lectures.
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The Structure of Romania's School System
The Structure of Romania's School System
Education in Romania is compulsory, from preparatory grade (kindergarten) to grade ten (2nd year of high school). At the end of grade eight, students take a national examination in mathematics and Romanian language and literature which, together with their average grade of each secondary school year, determines their placement into one of the three types of high school: theoretical, technological, and vocational (Figure 1). All three types of high school follow an academic programme. In addition, the vocational high school has a special focus on arts, sports, theology, or the military. In order to be accepted into a university program, one has to successfully complete the baccalaureate, a highly competitive high school graduation exam. Communication in a foreign language has been a key competence in the Romanian school programme. Students learn one or two foreign languages in secondary school and some students start studying their first foreign language in primary school. They can choose from English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and other languages.
Read the PBS article "Students face high stakes in post-communist Romania" and watch WNET's documentary series " Time for School" which visits Bucharest to examine how academic life has changed for young people in the post-communist era.
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