Higher education
Higher education in Bangladesh
Unlike Dutch higher education, Bangladeshi higher education is not divided into and . Bangladeshi higher education institutions can offer both types of education. This often means that for each diploma we have to determine whether it is HBO or WO. Below, we describe the diplomas that we often see.
HBO
Higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). HBO is more oriented towards professions in specific areas than WO, and has traditionally been offered at universities of applied sciences (hogescholen).
WO
Research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). WO is oriented more towards theory and research than HBO, and has traditionally been offered at research universities (universiteiten).
Pass bachelor's degree
During a pass bachelor’s programme, student do not specialise in a certain subject, but they choose a track. For example, they choose the science track with the electives chemistry, mathematics and physics. They do not specialise in just 1 of these subjects.
- : 3 years.
- Content: the compulsory subjects are English and Bangla (Bengali National Language). Students also take 3 electives in 1 of the following tracks:
- arts or social science track with subjects like history, psychology and sociology;
- business administration or commerce track with subjects like accounting, business administration and marketing;
- science track with subjects like chemistry, mathematics and physics.
- Admission requirements: a Higher Secondary Certificate, sometimes with extra requirements, such as certain subjects and/or grades. An institution may also accept other diplomas.
- Function of the diploma: access to master’s programmes.
- Diploma: bachelor’s degree (Pass), such as:
- Bachelor of Arts (Pass)
- Bachelor of Business Studies (Pass)
- Bachelor of Commerce (Pass)
- Bachelor of Home Economics (Pass)
- Bachelor of Science (Pass)
- Bachelor of Social Science (Pass)
- Bachelor of Sports (Pass)
Sometimes, the term ‘general’ is used instead of ‘pass’.
Duration
The official length of the full-time programme (not part-time) without study delay.
We compare a pass bachelor’s degree to 3 years of HBO or 1 year of WO. This depends on the content of the study programme.
Honours bachelor's degree
During an honours bachelor’s programme, students specialise in a certain field. They only take chemistry courses, for example. This is different from the pass bachelor’s programme. In that case, students do not specialise.
- Duration: 4 years.
- Content: a specialisation within a track, such as:
- arts or social science track with a specialisation in English language and literature or political science;
- business administration or commerce track with a specialization in finance or marketing;
- science track with a specialization in electrical engineering or mathematics.
Sometimes students write a thesis or do a graduation project.
- Admission requirements: a Higher Secondary Certificate, sometimes with extra requirements, such as certain subjects and/or grades. An institution may also accept other diplomas.
- Function of the diploma: access to master’s programmes or work.
- Diploma: bachelor’s degree (Honours), such as:
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
- Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours)
- Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours)
- Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
- Bachelor of Education (Honours). Please note: this is a different diploma than the Bachelor of Education.
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
- Bachelor of Life & Earth Science (Honours)
- Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
- Bachelor of Social Science (Honours)
- Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Sometimes, ‘with Honours’ is mentioned on the diploma instead of ‘(Honours)’.
We compare an honours bachelor’s degree to an HBO bachelor’s degree or 2 years of WO. This depends on the content of the study programme.
Professional bachelor's degree
There are various professional bachelor’s degrees in Bangladesh. Professional bachelor’s programmes often prepare students for a certain profession, such as architect, dentist, doctor, engineering or nurse.
- Duration: 4 or 5 years.
- Content: students attend lectures. They often have practical training and/or do an internship, too. Sometimes they write a thesis or do a graduation project.
- Admission requirements: a Higher Secondary Certificate, sometimes with extra requirements, such as certain subjects and/or grades. An institution may also accept other diplomas.
- Function of the diploma: work or access to master’s programmes.
- Diploma: bachelor’s degree, such as:
- Bachelor of Architecture
- Bachelor of Engineering
- Bachelor of Law
- Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
- Bachelor of Nursing
- Bachelor of Pharmacy
- Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine
Sometimes,‘(Professional)’ is mentioned on the diploma, but often this is not the case.
We compare a 4-year professional bachelor’s degree to an HBO bachelor’s degree or 2 years of WO. This depends on the content of the study programme.
We usually compare a 5-year professional bachelor’s degree to a WO bachelor’s degree.
Postgraduate bachelor's degree
After completing a bachelor’s programme, students can continue studying for a postgraduate bachelor’s degree. An example of a postgraduate bachelor's degree is a Bachelor of Education.
Bachelor of Education
Students receive a Bachelor of Education if they complete a teacher training programme after their bachelor's degree. Please note: there are also 4-year teacher training programmes for students who do not yet have a bachelor's degree. After this study programme, students receive a Bachelor of Education (Honours), an honours bachelor's degree.
- Duration: 1 year.
- Content: a teacher training programme, usually aimed at teaching 2 school subjects. Students study educational subjects, such as pedagogy and education methods. They also do an internship, but do not write a thesis.
- Admission requirements: at least a pass bachelor’s degree, often with certain subjects and/or grades. Often, students also have to take an entrance exam.
- Function of the diploma: work as a teacher. Also, students can continue studying for a master’s degree.
- Diploma: Bachelor of Education.
The level of a Bachelor of Education varies. Please contact us for a credential evaluation.
Master's degree
It is important to check the admission requirements of a master’s degree. This gives you information about the level of the study programme. For admission to some master’s programmes, students need a pass bachelor’s degree or honours bachelor’s degree. You can find information about the admission requirements on the website of the Bangladeshi higher education institution. You cannot tell from the name of the diploma.
- Duration: at least 1 year. The duration differs per study programme. Also, it often depends on the previous education of students.
- Content: subjects in the chosen field of study, sometimes including an internship, research and/or a thesis.
- Admission requirements: these differ per study programme. Sometimes a pass bachelor’s degree is enough for admission, in other cases at least a 4-year bachelor’s degree is required. The bachelor’s degree does not always have to be completed in a relevant field of study.
- Function of the diploma: work or access to a PhD programme.
- Diploma: master’s degree, such as:
- Master of Arts
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Commerce
- Master of Engineering
- Master of Laws
The level of a master’s degree varies. Please contact us for a credential evaluation.
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a research master.
- Duration: 2 years.
- Content: usually coursework in the 1st year, research and writing a thesis in the 2nd year.
- Admission requirements: usually a master’s degree in a relevant field of study. Usually there are extra requirements, such as certain grades or an entrance exam.
- Function of the diploma: access to the 1st or 2nd year of a PhD programme.
- Diploma: Master of Philosophy.
We compare a Master of Philosophy to a WO master’s degree.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Duration: 3 to 5 years.
- Content: research and a dissertation, in some cases also several subjects about the research specialisation.
- Admission requirements: usually a master’s degree, often with a certain average grade and an entrance exam. For some study programmes, students must first get a Master of Philosophy.
- Diploma: Doctor of Philosophy.