Study in Latvia

There are several types of higher education institutions in Latvia:

• State Universities: These are the largest institutions of tertiary education in the country. They offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs. There are six in the country, with half of them located in the capital city of Riga. They function very similarly to other large Universities in Europe, with a primary focus on high quality teaching and research.
• State Colleges: These are also known as first level vocational colleges, and concentrate on imparting education in a specific area for employment purposes, usually in a field of engineering or technology. They have excellent ties with local and national companies in a bid to immediately place their graduates in employment after their training period is complete. Some examples include the Latvian Academy of Art, the National Defence Academy of Latvia, the BA School of Business and Finance, and the Latvian Academy of Sport Education.

Colleges of the non-University type: These are analogous to independent Schools or Faculties in other countries. For example, the Riga Graduate School of Law, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, and the Transport and Telecommunications Institute.

All institutions of higher education in Latvia provide short term programs for different kinds of students. Most of these are summer courses for tourists who wish to learn the language or for regular students who want to expand their academic qualifications. However, they also run longer term vocational diploma courses for students who wish to gain practical training for a period of time shorter than that of a full time UG or PG degree before joining the workforce.

There are several first cycle programs within the Undergraduate system at Latvian Universities. Those offered by State Universities and Colleges last 3 or 4 years (6 to 8 semesters) and lead to the award of a Bachelor’s degree in the relevant discipline. They usually start with a year or two of general studies in a broad set of related parent disciplines and encourage specialisation in the final year.

Short cycle professional programs last 2 or 3 years; they are primarily professional in nature, and lead to the award of a diploma in the subject.

Undergraduate programs in a professional field of study last four years on average, and culminate in the award of a professional bachelor’s degree. They have a significantly higher practical component than a typical Bachelor’s degree.

Candidates who have successfully completed a full Bachelor’s degree or four years of education leading to a professional degree in a related subject can apply for a Master’s program at a Latvian University. These typically last four semesters; the first year covers core advanced subjects in the field, and the second is devoted to specialisation and Master’s thesis preparation. Students enrolled in second cycle Professional degrees are also awarded a Master’s degree at the end of their thesis defense and final examinations.  State Colleges and Universities provide Master’s courses mostly in Latvian, with a few exceptions.

The highest academic qualifications awarded in Latvia are doctoral degrees, awarded for exceptional work in research conducted over a 3 or 4 year period. PhD studies in Latvian Universities take place in 5 broad areas:

• Social Sciences
• Law
• Humanities
• Fine Arts
• Natural Sciences
• Technology
• Medicine.

After completing a small number of compulsory courses,  PhD candidates are encouraged to spend their time on original research under the supervision of a faculty guide. It is essential that the final PhD thesis be defended in front of a qualified panel consisting of the guide, external examiners, and the PhD programme supervisor at the University. A foreign expert is also often called in to evaluate the quality of the thesis, in a bid to increase the quality and transparency of the overall process.