Chapter I introduction to higher education system

1.4.HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM OF UZBEKISTAN
The Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education has 31 higher education institutions under its mandate. There are also a number of specialized Higher Education Institutions coordinated by other sectoral ministries. For example, the Ministry of the Public Education is responsible for 4 pedagogical institutes, the Ministry of Health - 7 (and 7 more branches in regions),the Ministry of Culture and Sports affairs - 4 (and 1 branch in Nukus), the Ministry of Agriculture - 6 (and 2 branches in Bukhara and Nukus), the Cabinet of Ministers -
1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - 1, the Ministry of Justice - 1, the Ministry for development of information technologies and communications - 1 (and 5 branches in regions), the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan - "Uzbekiston temir yullari" (Uzbekistan railways) - 1 and the Navoi State Mining Combinat - 1. According to the National Programme for Personnel Training, higher education is based on academic achievements of specialised secondary education (academic lyceum) and/or vocational education (vocational college) and includes two levels: Bachelor degree and Master degree.
The MHSSE's responsibility is to organize the academic year, including the length of the semesters, examination periods and academic holidays.
The academic year starts on September 2nd and lasts until the end of June. The academic year is divided into two semesters with holidays ranging from 10 to 12 weeks:
• 1st semester - from early September to late January;
• 2nd semester - from the beginning of February to the end of June, although the duration of the semester can vary depending on the status of the HEIs or on the study programme.
First level - Bachelor programme
This basic higher education provides fundamental knowledge in one of the branches of higher education for a minimum period of study of four years. Upon completion of the Bachelor programme graduates are awarded Bachelor degree and a state diploma (in Uzbek: Bakalavr), which entitles them to start professional activity or to continue studies at Master level.