Chapter I introduction to higher education system

Medical Master Programme
The Master level medical education - 2-3 years – includes the training of physicians in 39 narrow specialities (surgeons, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, infectiologists and others) who are trained to work at specialised units of health care, medical educational and scientific institutions.
Clinical Internship
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated by 18 of December 2009 "On improvement of the system for upgrading the qualifications and retraining of medical personnel" has approved the regulation on clinical internship, where physicians upgrade their qualification in 43 narrow
clinical specialities. The clinical internship is the main type of postgraduate medical education, which provides a two-year training as qualified specialist physician. All medical HEIs, as well as all Republican Scientific Medical Centres offer clinical internship in various medical specialities approved by the order of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Annually, the Ministry of Health, announces a competition for enrolment to clinical internship. The deadline for submission of documents for competition is 20 July of each year.
Documents are submitted to the admission commissions of medical HEIs or Republican Scientific Medical Centres. The competition consists of 2 stages: a test and an interview. The education starts on 2 September and lasts for 2 years. Upon completion of the first year of studiesmedical interns take an examination. Upon completion of the second year of studies, the interns have to pass a final attestation and receive a diploma of a specialist in a corresponding speciality. Unlike Master programme, when applying to clinical internship, it is necessary to provide a trilateral agreement for
training of a specialist.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master programmes follows procedures similar to those for Bachelor programme: it is organised by a HEI in accordance with quotas for entrance on the basis of state grants and contracts, which are approved, accordingly, by Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The admission to Master programmes is based on a principle of equal rights for all (both for those on state grants and contracts), common requirements for entrants and common test, which ensures admission of the best applicants for state grants. Other applicants have the right to be admitted based on collected scores within the limit of quotas for entrance.
The tests are organised separately in each HEI considering the Master degree specialities, languages of instruction and types of training.
Undergraduate students awarded with Presidential scholarship and other governmental scholarships are admitted to Master programmes on a state-budget grant without any entrance exams.
Curriculum
In contrast to the Bachelor degree programmes, Master degree programmes shift the emphasis from the theoretical study of basics of different subjects to an independent academic research. The total amount of study time should be allocated in the following way:
• theoretical training 25-30%;
• attestation 4-7%;
• holidays 13-16%;
• scientific work 50-55%.
Scientific work should be divided into the following:
• academic research work and preparation of a Master dissertation 70-75%;
• scientific-pedagogical work 25-30%;
The amount of theoretical training should be divided among the discipline units depending on the Master speciality in the following way:
• general methodological disciplines 30-45%;
• speciality disciplines 40-50%;
• optional disciplines 13-30%14.