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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Romania

Higher Education Law no. 199 / July 5, 2023, introduced the cycle of short-term university studies as a distinct form of higher education organization.

Short-term university studies correspond, as a rule, to a number of 120 transferable study credits, according to ECTS/SECT, and are completed through level 5 of the NQF.

The specific duration of short-term university studies is 2 years and corresponds to a minimum number of 60 transferable study credits for one study year.

The Bachelor studies have a length that varies according to the field:

The initial training, in higher education, is carried out through university study programs organized in 4 cycles: 

Higher education is accomplished through:

  • universities
  • institutions
  • academies of study.

The mission of the higher education institutions is:

  • either education and research, or
  • only education.

Establishment of the higher education institutions is possible only through dedicated laws, according to the institutions accreditation and diploma recognition procedures (Law 88/1993 amended through Law 144/1999).

According to the Higher Education Law no. 199 / July 5, 2023, universities and other higher education institutions are autonomous and have the right to establish and implement their own development policies, within the general provisions of the in-force legislation.

The Ministry of Education coordinates the activity of the universities and other higher education institutions, complying with their autonomy.

Post-secondary non-tertiary education is organized based on the vocational education and training qualifications for which the providing schools are accredited and which are in demand on the labour market. Post-secondary non-tertiary education ensures the specialised technical training of high-school graduates and the certification of the vocational qualification acquired at Level 5 of the National Qualification Framework. In Romania, the National Qualification Framework includes 8 levels of qualification.

Pupils/ Students assessment

In vocational and technical education, assessment is competence-centred, provides real feedback to students and underlies the individual learning plans. The overall purpose of assessment is to guide and optimize learning.

If in compulsory education assessment focuses on evidencing students’ acquisitions in the 8 areas of key competences defined by the National Curriculum:

  1. Communication in Romanian, and in the mother tongue for national minorities

  2. Communication in foreign languages

The curriculum associated with the qualifications in vocational and technical education is developed based on Vocational Training Standards (VTSs). VTS is a document describing the learning outcomes which a participant in a training programme, developed in the framework of vocational and technical education, must demonstrate upon its completion; VTS is also the document underlying the assessment for certification purposes.