Criteria and Guidelines of Joining Institutions of Higher Education outside Bahrain

Part I: General Criteria and Guidelines:

1. Both the institution and the academic program of study should be licensed and approved by the higher education and the accreditation body in the country of study.

2. The institution must have a campus on the country of study.

3. In case the certificate issued by an institution in a country is in collaboration with another institution in another country, both institutions should be accredited and acknowledged in both countries.

4. The institution must not work as a broker for another institution granting the degree or issuing the certificate.

5. The institution admission policy and conditions must compromise with the common admission policies and conditions.

6. Teaching in the educational institution should be based on the methods and regulations that are academically recognized.

7. The content, language of study and methodology adopted in the institution during the years of study should be the same as those applicable to the citizen students in the country of study.

8. The higher education institution and the academic program must be listed on the e-Government platform Recommended Universities outside Bahrainthrough this link (https://Bahrain.bh/RUe).

9. The educational institution should be enlisted in the international ranking classification.

10. The duration and hours of study should compromise with those recommended by the international accreditation and recognition bodies.

11. The academic program should be sufficient in terms of the number of courses, the accredited hours, recommended period and related to the degree granted.

12. For the bachelors degree, study must be on regular attendance basis on the university campus in the country of study. However, Master and PhD degree students may attend as part-time students on condition of receiving academic supervision except for medical, engineering, health and scientific specialties, where study must be full time.

13. Academic sequence for previous qualifications has to be considered. In the sense that, the general secondary education certificate (GEC) or its equivalent is a requirement for Bachelor degree or lower degree, and the Bachelor degree or its equivalent is a requirement for Master and PhD degrees.

14. The student cannot skip foundation year unless he is a holder of A-Level, IB Certificate.

15. Transferring from an institution to another, a student must finish not less than 30% of the graduation requirements from the original institution.

16. Transferring from an institution to another, a student must finish at least 75% of the academic program recommended.

17. The student must obtain sufficient supervision and training in the research by the educational institution that grants the qualification as one of the requirements of its degree.

18. The students should not enrolled in “International Year One programs” offered by British institutions.

Part II: Criteria and Guidelines for some Specialties:

1. Medical Specialties:

a. The student wishing to study medicine and dentistry must have a cumulative average as follows:

• MENA Tawjihiya (Unified Tracks):

Science & Math Stream and achieve a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 90%.

• Private Schools Accredited Certificate:

Minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 90%.

• American High School Diploma:

Minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 90% (calculated over Grades 10, 11 and 12).

• IB (International Baccalaureate Diploma):

Minimum score of (27) out of (45) IB Diploma points (inclusive of bonus points) to include two Higher Level science subjects from English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics.

• IGCSE - GCSE:

Minimum grades of B to include three of the following four subjects: English, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics.

b. The period of study required to obtain the first university degree (Bachelor) in medicine and dentistry has to be at least five academic years (for universities that apply either the system of academic year or those that apply the system of credit hours.

c. The institution has to implement evaluation systems in Mid-Year Exams, final exams and practical training.

d. Ending an internship period (often referred to as a "residency period") in one of the government hospitals approved by the institution.

2. Engineering Specialties:

● A student wishing to get the first institution degree (Bachelor) in one of the engineering specialties in the United Kingdom, has to meet the Honours Degree requirements.

Part III: Criteria and Guidelines for Academic Degrees:

1- The Diploma Degree:

a. It must be preceded by the General Secondary Education School Certificate (GSEC) or equivalent.

b. The period of study to get the diploma must not be less than one academic year or 30 hours per semester (or equivalent).

2- The First University Degree (Bachelor):

a. It must be preceded by the General Secondary Education School Certificate (GSEC) or equivalent.

b. The period of study (together with requirements such as the Foundation Year) must be at least 4 academic years or accredited 120 semester system hours (or possibly 180 quarter system ones or any equivalent).

3- The Higher Diploma Degree:

a. It must be preceded by the first institution degree (Bachelor or equivalent).

b. The period of institution studies required to obtain the diploma must be not less than one academic year or 30 semester system hours or equivalent.

4- The Second University Degree (Master):

a. It must be preceded by the first institution degree.

b. The period of study required to obtain must not be less than one academic year.

c. Passing examinations in a number of specialty curricula covering no less than 24 semester system hours or their equivalent and presenting a research (Master Thesis) or studying a number of curricula covering at least 30 approved semester system hours. That could also be possibly done only through research.

d. The topic of the master thesis has to be related to the students specialty -or at least a similar field of study- during the first stage of their institution studies. Otherwise, in case of choosing a different specialty the student has to pass sufficient "bridging courses".

5- The Third University Degree (Doctorate, PhD):

a. It must be preceded by either the first institution degree or according to the institution system.

b. The period of study required to obtain it, must not be less than 2 academic years if it is preceded by the second institution degree (Master) and 3 years if it is preceded by the first one (Bachelor).

c. The topic of PhD studies must be related to the students specialty either in the first or second degree of institution studies, or in a similar topic. Otherwise, in case of choosing a different specialty the student has to pass sufficient "bridging courses".