Higher education
At the tertiary level, technical and professional colleges and institutes offer programmes leading to a diploma after two and a half years on a full-time basis. The University of Brunei Darussalam comprises the following faculties: Arts and Social Sciences; Business, Economics and Policies Studies; Science; Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education; Academy of Brunei Studies; and Institute of Medicine. For entry to first degree programmes only Brunei-Cambridge GCE A-level qualifications or equivalent qualifications obtained in not more than three sittings are considered, except for entry to first degree programmes offered by the Institute of Medicine where qualifications obtained in not more than two sittings are considered. Programmes leading to a diploma in health sciences (nursing, midwifery) normally last three years. Bachelor’s degree programmes typically last four years (eight semesters, or 124 credits). One or two years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree lead to the award of a master’s degree; the postgraduate certificate in education programme requires one to one and a half years of study. The duration of doctoral degree programmes ranges between three and seven years.
The number of school days in a year varies between 200 and 210. There are four school terms in a typical school year. The school calendar 2011 consists of 200 school days (including periods for examinations) divided into four terms. At the university level, the academic year is divided into two semesters (August-December, January-May), each consisting of 18 weeks.