Higher Education Systems - Portugal
Portugal has a dual system of higher education with traditional university institutions (Universitário) and polytechnic institutions (Politécnico). University institutions provide academic scientific education while Polytechnic institutions (equivalent to Universities of Applied Sciences) provide profession-based training focusing on applied research and advanced technical training. Both kinds of institutions award Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. Both kinds of institutions can be either public or private [PT1].
All higher education institutions are governed by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES). Each university awards its own degrees which are regulated by the Higher Education Assessment and Accreditation Agency (A3ES) and granted by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES).
Higher education in Portugal is organized according to the Bologna agreement in three levels:
- Bachelor’s programs leading to the academic degree of Licenciado (Bachelor);
- Master’s programs leading to the academic degree of Mestre (Master);
- PhD programs leading to the academic degrees of Doutor (Doctor).
This structure was introduced in 2006 and fully implemented in Portugal from the 2009/2010 academic year [PT2].
First cycle degrees (Licenciado) can be obtained after completing 180 ECTS and a normal length of 6 semesters, or, exceptionally, up to 240 ECTS and 7 or 8 semesters.
Second cycle degrees (Mestre) are taken after a Bachelor's degree or equivalent studies. To obtain a Mestre degree, students should complete from 90 to 120 ECTS (with a normal duration from 3 to 4 semesters), or exceptionally 60 ECTS (2 semesters), and publicly defend their dissertation, project work or traineeship report. In addition to the normal second cycle Master’s programs, Portuguese universities offer in some fields of education (e.g. medicine, engineering, pharmacy, psychology, architecture, law, etc.) long-cycle integrated Master’s programs (Mestrado Integrado) which has from 300 to 360 ECTS and a normal duration between 10 and 12 semesters. Access to this cycle of studies is governed by the same norms of the access to the first cycle of studies (Bachelor’s programs). In the case of engineering, the integrated Master’s programs are bound to be split into regular Bachelor’s and Master’s programs by 2021/2022 [PT1].
Third cycle degrees (Doutor) are taken after a Master’s degree or equivalent studies. The Doutor degree is awarded to those who have passed the Doctorate examinations and have publicly defended a thesis, usually to pursue a highly qualified teaching or researching career. The typical duration of PhD programs is from 6 to 8 semesters but there is no fixed period to prepare for the Doctorate examinations.
Admission and Grades
In Portugal, there is a “numerus clausus” system and each year, the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Higher Education publishes the number of study places available at public universities and polytechnics. Students apply to a General Access Contest (Concurso Geral de Acesso) and then are ranked on their grade point average for access to limited places. There are special provisions for international students, disabled students and students from Portuguese Peripheral Regions.
Applicants for the first cycle studies (Bachelor’s and integrated Master’s programs) are required to hold a secondary education diploma (Diploma de Ensino Secundário) or equivalent and take, or have taken within the last two years, the national exams (Exames Nacionais do Ensino Secundário). An extraordinary exam process is available to anyone aged 23 or older. Admission to private institutions is at the total discretion of each institution.
Applicants for the second cycle studies (Master’s programs) should possess a relevant Bachelor’s or equivalent diploma. To be admitted to a PhD program, applicants should have a relevant Master’s diploma or equivalent curriculum.
The grading scale at universities is from 0 to 20, with 10 as the minimum passing grade.