Higher education

How is Egyptian higher education organised? To which Dutch diplomas can you compare these Egyptian diplomas?

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Higher education in Egypt

Unlike Dutch higher education, Egyptian higher education is not divided into and . Egyptian 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.

Higher Diploma of Technology

Some Higher Institutes / معهد أعلى offer study programmes for a Higher Diploma of Technology.

We compare a Higher Diploma of Technology to 3 years of HBO.

Bachelor's degree from a Higher Institute

Students receive a bachelor’s degree (Bachelor) after completing a bachelor’s programme at a Higher Institute.

  • Duration: usually 4 years, sometimes 5 or 6 years.
  • Content: profession-oriented subjects.
  • Admission requirements: these vary per study programme. Usually, the requirements are as follows:
  • Function of the diploma: access to master’s programmes or work.
  • Diploma: Bachelor / بكالوريوس.

We compare a Bachelor from a Higher Institute to an HBO bachelor’s degree.

Bachelor's degree from a university

After completing a bachelor’s programme at a university / جامعة, students usually receive a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. The bachelor’s degree is sometimes called: Licence / ليسانس.

  • Duration: usually 4 years. Some study programmes take 5 years to complete. This is often the case for technical study programmes. Medical study programmes have a duration of 6 years.
  • Content: profession-oriented or research-oriented subjects. In case of study programmes from the Al-Azhar University, students also take a number of subjects about the Islam. This university also offers study programmes that are fully focused on the Islam.
  • Admission requirements: these vary per study programme. Usually, the requirements are as follows:
  • Function of the diploma: access to master’s programmes or work.
  • Diploma: a bachelor’s degree, such as:
    • Bachelor of Arts;
    • Bachelor of Business Administration;
    • Bachelor of Engineering;
    • Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS);
    • Bachelor of Pharmacy;
    • Bachelor of Science.

We compare a bachelor’s degree from a university (duration: 4 years) to an HBO bachelor’s degree or 2 years of WO. This depends on the content of the study programme.

We usually compare a bachelor’s degree from a university (duration: 5 years) to a WO bachelor’s degree, sometimes to an HBO bachelor’s degree. This depends on the content of the study programme.

We compare a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery to 1 year of a 3-year WO master’s programme in medicine.

Diploma of Higher Studies

After completing a master’s programme at a Higher Institute, students receive a Diploma of Higher Studies.

  • Duration: 1 or 2 years.
  • Content: usually profession-oriented subjects, sometimes research-oriented subjects.
  • Admission requirements: a bachelor’s degree in any field of study. The admission requirements are not very strict.
  • Function of the diploma: work.
  • Diploma: Diploma of Higher Studies / دبلوم الدراسات العليا.

We compare a Diploma of Higher Studies (duration: 1 year) to a WO bachelor’s degree or an HBO master’s degree. This depends on the content of the study programme.

We compare a Diploma of Higher Studies (duration: 2 years) to an HBO master’s degree or a WO master’s degree. This depends on the content of the study programme.

Master's degree from a university

After completing a master’s programme at a university, students often receive a Master of Arts or a Master of Science.

  • Duration: at least 2 years.
  • Content: research-oriented subjects (coursework) and a thesis, or only a thesis and no coursework.
  • Admission requirements: a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study and a study result of at least ‘good’.
  • Function of the diploma: access to PhD programmes or work.
  • Diploma: a master’s degree, such as:
    • Master of Arts;
    • Master of Business Administration;
    • Master of Laws;
    • Master in Oral and Dental Surgery;
    • Master of Science.

We usually compare a master’s degree from a university to a 1-year WO master’s degree, and sometimes to an HBO master’s degree. This depends on the content of the study programme.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Students obtain a Doctor of Philosophy after completing a PhD programme. PhD programmes can be taken at universities.

  • Duration: 3 to 5 years.
  • Content: academic research and a dissertation.
  • Admission requirements: a master’s degree in a relevant field of study and a study result of at least ‘good’.
  • Diploma: Doctor of Philosophy /دكتوراه الفلسفة.