RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF STUDENTS
Students have the right to:
a) attend all educational activities that take place within the framework of the study program in which they are registered;
b) use the infrastructure that the institution of higher education makes available for the learning process, as well as benefit from the support services offered by that institution;
c) to participate in the decision-making processes of the institution of higher education, in accordance with the provisions of this law and the statute of the institution;
ç) express their appreciation for the quality of teaching and the work of the staff in the institution of higher education;
d) to sign a service contract, at the time of registration in non-public institutions of higher education. The elements of the contract and its form are determined by the instruction of the minister responsible for education;
dh) to be insured by the institution of higher education, in one of the insurance companies, for the entire anticipated duration of the studies, for the risk of interruption of the activity or other risks, according to the stipulations in the instruction of the minister responsible for education and the Minister of Finances.
Students are tasked with:
a) to implement the rules defined by the institution of higher education;
b) respect the rights of staff and other students;
c) to pay the fees defined in this law and by the institutions of higher education, as well as the fees of the services provided by the institutions of higher education;
ç) to respect the Code of Ethics of the higher education institution.
The repeating student is terminated from support from public funds, except in cases of force majeure.
Other rights and duties of students may be defined in the institution’s charter
Student card:
Students of public and private institutions of higher education are provided with the student card, which is a unique document. Through it, students benefit from services at reduced prices.
The Ministry responsible for education issues determines the criteria and procedures for the preparation and issuance of the student card.
Student benefits from the use of the student card are covered by the funds provided in the State Budget of the relevant ministry that covers the higher education institution or local government units that cover the services provided to students.
The categories of services offered by state entities are made by decision of the Council of Ministers and by agreement with organizations that have student interests as their object and with private legal entities that offer various services.
Professional study programs:
Higher education institutions can offer study programs with a professional character, after secondary education, with 60 or 120 training credits, referring to level 5 of the Albanian Framework of Qualifications. Their normal duration is one or two academic years and at the end a “Professional Certificate” or “Professional Diploma” is issued respectively in the field of completed education.
Credits accumulated during higher professional studies can be transferred to first cycle studies, which refers to level 6 of the Albanian Framework of Qualifications, according to the criteria determined by higher education institutions.
Admission to the first cycle of studies:
Admission to the study programs of the first cycle is possible for any candidate who has successfully completed the cycle of secondary education and who meets the criterion of the average grade defined every year by decision of the Council of Ministers.
Higher education institutions may also establish additional admission criteria for the selection of candidates, which are announced by the higher education institution and made available to the Center for Educational Services and the ministry responsible for education.
At the beginning of the academic year, higher education institutions send the list of registered students to the Center of Educational Services.
Programs of the second cycle of studies:
The second cycle of studies includes the study programs “Master of Science”, “Master of Arts” and “Professional Master”, referring to level 7 of the Albanian Framework of Qualifications.
All the criteria and modalities for obtaining the “Master of Arts” degree are the same as those for obtaining the “Master of Science” degree, with the difference that the “Master of Arts” degree is issued by higher education institutions that offer training in the field of arts.
The “Master of Science” study programs provide graduates with in-depth theoretical knowledge, as well as skills for scientific research in a certain field. These programs are organized in:
a) programs that are realized with no less than 120 training credits following the first cycle and with a normal duration of two academic years;
b) integrated programs of second cycle studies, which are realized with 300 and 360 credits and with a normal duration of five and six academic years, respectively. Integrated programs of second-cycle studies are offered in the fields of law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and architecture. The Council of Ministers determines other areas, in which the integrated programs of the second cycle studies can be offered.
The “Master of Arts” study programs provide graduates with in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of arts. These programs are realized with no less than 120 training credits following the first cycle and with a normal duration of two academic years.
The studies of the second cycle “Master of Science” are concluded with a diploma thesis and at the end of them, a “Master of Science” diploma is issued in the field of completed education.
“Professional Master” study programs provide graduates with in-depth, professional knowledge in a specific field. These programs are organized with 60 or 120 credits and their normal duration is one or two academic years. The studies of the second cycle “Professional Master” are completed with a final training exam or diploma thesis and at the end of them, a “Professional Master” diploma is issued in the field of education completed.
Admission to the programs of the second cycle of studies:
Admission to second-cycle study programs is possible for candidates who have completed a first-cycle study program and meet the admission criteria of the higher education institution where they apply.
Admission to integrated study programs is possible for candidates who meet the criteria defined in point 1 of article 74 of this law.
The criteria for the admission of candidates to the programs of the second cycle of studies are determined by the basic unit providing the program. Integrated study programs are an exception to this rule. The criteria are made public by the main unit and the QSHA and are approved according to the provisions in the HEI statute.
The criteria for admission to a second-cycle study program “Master of Science” is the candidate’s knowledge of one of the five foreign languages of the European Union: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish. If the individual has earned a degree from a study program conducted in one of these languages, the degree earned serves as evidence of meeting this criterion. The level of knowledge of a foreign language is determined by a sub-legal act of the responsible ministry of higher education.
Higher education institutions can recognize credits obtained in the second cycle “Professional Master” study programs, in order to transfer them to the “Master of Science” study programs.
At the beginning of the academic year, higher education institutions send to QSHA the list of registered students.