15 - Lithuania - Certification

On completion of a consecutive study programme, a person is issued a diploma diplomas of an established form attesting to the education acquired. The diploma contains information identifying the qualification obtained according to the list of qualifications indicated in the General Classification of Study Fields and Areas comprising consecutive university and non-university studies provided in Lithuanian higher education institutions Since 2006, all HEI graduates, except doctoral and art postgraduate students, are issued with a diploma supplement, which follows the model developed by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES. Diploma supplements are issued free of charge in two languages – Lithuanian and English. If a higher education institution student has taken only separate subjects or a cycle of subjects, a certificate attesting to the fact and indicating all the subjects taken, their scope and the results gained is issued, in accordance with the procedure established by the HEI.

Diplomas Diplomas which are not subject to any particular recognition procedure are issued in Lithuania by public and private HEIs operating in compliance with the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.

University

A person is deemed to have completed a university education after s/he has satisfied all the requirements of the consecutive programme chosen. Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral degree studies are concluded with the defense of a Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral theses. A Bachelor’s thesis is prepared during one or two final years of the programme while the work on the preparation of a Master’s and Doctoral theses continues throughout all the respective programme. Graduation theses are defended in front of a special commission, usually the same for all the Bachelor’s and Master’s theses of the same study programme. However, a separate council is set up for the defense of each individual doctoral dissertation. The commission for the defense of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses is comprised of researchers and scientists working in the related study area or field, most of them from the HEI concerned. The doctoral thesis disertacija defense council must include leading scientists from other Lithuanian or foreign higher education and science institutions. The doctoral thesis disertacija defense is a public viva voce event; its time and place are published in advance in the media. On the successful completion of graduate studies and the defense of a graduation thesis (the total scope of studies comprising 160 credits), students are awarded a Bachelor’s qualification degree or a Bachelor’s qualification degree and a professional qualification.

There still are several study programmes on the completion of which persons are awarded only professional qualification (an engineer, teacher or artist with a university higher education professional qualification) but admission to these programmes has already been closed and the remaining students are doing their last year. Persons who have acquired a Bachelor’s qualification degree or a Bachelor’s qualification degree and a professional qualification are issued with a Bachelor’s diploma diplomas. Persons who have completed the above first or second cycle study programmes or integrated study programmes (medicine, veterinary medicine, law) and have obtained only professional qualification are issued with higher education Diplomas.

On the completion of Master’s degree studies and the defencse of a Master’s graduation thesis (the total scope of undergraduate and Master’s degree programmes comprising 240 credits) students are awarded a Master’s qualification degree in a respective field. Universities can also award a relevant professional qualification. Persons who have obtained a Master’s qualification degree or a Master’s qualification degree and a professional qualification are issued with a Master’s diploma. Persons who have completed doctoral study programmes and have submitted and defended a doctoral thesis disertacija are awarded a Doctor of Science degree and issued with a Doctor of Science diplomas.

Persons who have completed art postgraduate study programmes and obtained art licenciate qualification degree are issued with an art licenciate diploma. A diploma diplomas with distinction is awarded to graduates (Bachelor level, Master level and diplomaholding specialists level) whose average credit assessment has been at least 9.5, whose assessment in any module has been at least "good" and whose graduation project or qualification examination has been assessed as "excellent" or "very good". A diploma with distinction is awarded to diploma-holding specialists only if they had previously been awarded a Bachelor’s diploma with distinction.

College

Students who have satisfied all programme specific requirements qualify as college Kolegija graduates. On graduation, they are awarded professional qualification and conferred higher education diplomas.

The achievement results are assessed and qualifications are awarded by the qualification commission set up on the college director’ order. To be awarded a professional qualification, a student must have passed the graduation examination or defended a graduation project, or have passed a qualification examination and defended a graduation project. Students are allowed to sit their graduation examinations and defend their projects only after they have completed all programme specific requirements and only at the time set in the schedule.

A Diploma of Higher Education with Distinction is conferred to students whose final grade average of the subjects taught is not lower than 9 (very good), the final subject grades are not lower than 8 (good) and the final study results are awarded the 10 (excellent) or 9 (very good) grades. Upon passing special examinations, students can be issued international certificates (e.g. SPACE, ECDL).

Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe

Date: 2009
Privacy Policy