05 - Bulgaria - Types of institution
Higher schools in Bulgaria are state and private. State higher schools conduct their activity on the
basis of an annual state subsidy, the state property and revenue they have raised themselves. Private
higher schools could have different structure, way of management and appointing of the managing
bodies as compared to the compulsory ones for state higher schools under the condition that this does
not violate academic freedoms. Both state and private higher schools are established on the basis of a
common procedure, by force of a decision of the National Assembly and are subject to equal rights
and obligations.
Higher schools are:
1) Universities – educate a wide range of specialists from professional tracks in at least three out
of four main scientific fields; have their own academic staff , equipment and facilities which
ensure practical training as well; conduct education in the Bachelor, Master and Doctoral
degree in the respective fields, have the necessary contemporary means for information
servicing of education;
2) Specialised higher schools- conduct education in one of the main fields in science, arts,
physical education and military science; the specific field of training of specialists is included in
the name of the higher school; can teach in the Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees of
education qualification. The specialised higher schools issue diplomas equal in value as the
one issued from universities and teach under the same legislative requirements;
3) Independent colleges – conduct training leading to the acquisition of a Specialist education
qualification degree; have their own academic staff; colleges can be established within the
structure of universities and specialised higher schools and in this case, in terms of structure,
they are considered main units of the higher school.
The Bulgarian higher education system differentiates between academic and vocational higher
education. The Specialist education qualification degree belongs to vocational higher education and is
closely related to immediately entering the labour market. Despite that, the law has provided
opportunities for continuing the education to a higher degree in compliance with the terms and
procedure established by the higher schools themselves.
Education in the Doctoral educational and scientific degree can be conducted besides at specialized
higher schools also at the structures of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the National Centre for
Agrarian Sciences, the National Centres for Public Health and other scientific organizations. Doctoral
students at scientific organizations have the same status and rights as those at higher schools.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文
