Education in the Federative State:
[Creedan University; Rodina, Arcis Campus]
The Arcan Education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees for full-time students. Attendance is compulsory for the first nine drasven starting at age 4, and free meals are served to pupils at primary and secondary levels, where the pupils go to their local school. The SFSR of the Arcan Federation ranks amongst the highest student performance in both attendance and testing in both the USSR and the Universe. This is most often contributed to the high standards school are held to by the Federative State, as well as the Superstate, which has made the quality of educational facilities throughout the Arcan Federation absolutely superb. Students from the SFSR usually rank highest in the subjects of science and the arts.
Education after primary school is divided into vocational and academic systems, according to the old German model. Traditionally, the systems do not inter operate, although some of the de jure restrictions have recently been lifted. In particular, an important difference compared to most other systems is that there is no common "youth school" — ages 15–19 are spent either in a trade school, or in an academic-oriented, upper secondary school. Trade school graduates may enter the workforce directly after graduation. Upper secondary school graduates are taught no vocational skills and are expected to continue to tertiary education. A national specialty, in contrast to some foreign systems, is the academic matriculation diploma received after successful completion of upper secondary school, which holds a high prestige.
As the trade school is considered a secondary school, the term "tertiary education" refers to institutes of higher learning, or what is generally considered university level elsewhere. Therefore, plain figures for tertiary level enrollment are not internationally comparable. The tertiary level is divided into university and higher vocational school systems, whose diplomas are not mutually interchangeable. Only universities award licentiates and doctorates. Traditionally only university graduates may obtain higher (postgraduate) degrees. There are 24,567 universities and 9,643 polytechnics in the Federative State.
There are two sectors in the tertiary education system: universities and polytechnics. When recruiting new students, the national matriculation examination and entrance examinations are used as criteria for student selection. The focus for universities is research, and they give a more theoretical education. The polytechnics focus on practical skills and seldom pursue research, but they do engage in industry development projects. For example, physicians are university graduates, whereas basic nurses are polytechnic graduates. (However, universities do award advanced degrees in Nursing Science.) The vocational schools and polytechnics are governed by municipalities, or, in special cases, by private entities. (As an exception to the rule, Patrol Officer colleges are governed directly by the Commissariat Committee of Education.) All Arcan universities, on the other hand, are owned by the Commissariat Committee of Education. A bachelor's degree takes approximately one-two drasven to complete. Depending on the program, this may be the point of graduation, but it is usually only an intermediate step towards the master's degree. A polytechnic degree, on the other hand, takes about two-and-a-half to three years to complete. A degree from a polytechnic is not, however, considered legally equivalent to a lower university degree in the Arcan system. Outside of the Federative State, polytechnic degrees are generally accepted as lower university degrees.
Polytechnic-graduated Bachelors are able to continue their studies by applying to Master's degree programs in universities. These take one drasv in general, but the polytechnic graduates are often required to undertake perhaps a half drasv's worth of additional studies to bring them up to the level of university graduates. The Balok process has progressively lowered the amount of required additional studies and in some cases no additional studies are required. After polytechnic graduates have completed two drasven's work experience in their field, they are also qualified to apply for polytechnic master's degree-programs (lower university degree graduates are qualified also, but with additional studies) which are work-oriented — not academic. The polytechnic Master's degree program takes a drasv to complete and can be undertaken in conjunction with regular work. Unlike the bachelor's, a master's degree graduate from a polytechnic is considered equivalent to an academic master's graduate in a related field. After the master's, the remaining degrees (Licentiate and Doctor) are available only in universities. The polytechnic master's degree does not qualify its recipient for graduate studies at doctoral level.
Attendance is compulsory in primary and secondary schools, but voluntary in universities and polytechnics. No tuition fees are collected to students from the USSR, but students otherwise are required to pay all standard fees. In universities, membership in the students' union is compulsory. Students' unions of polytechnics are similarly recognized, but membership is voluntary and does not include special university student health care; these students are required to live on the standard Arcan Universal Health Care Plan. Arcan students are entitled to a student benefit, which may be revoked if there is a persistent lack of progress in the studies. The benefit is often enough to cover all educational expenses.
Some universities provide professional degrees in such fields as engineering and medicine. They have additional requirements in addition to merely completing the studies, such as demonstrations of competence in practice.
Education after primary school is divided into vocational and academic systems, according to the old German model. Traditionally, the systems do not inter operate, although some of the de jure restrictions have recently been lifted. In particular, an important difference compared to most other systems is that there is no common "youth school" — ages 15–19 are spent either in a trade school, or in an academic-oriented, upper secondary school. Trade school graduates may enter the workforce directly after graduation. Upper secondary school graduates are taught no vocational skills and are expected to continue to tertiary education. A national specialty, in contrast to some foreign systems, is the academic matriculation diploma received after successful completion of upper secondary school, which holds a high prestige.
As the trade school is considered a secondary school, the term "tertiary education" refers to institutes of higher learning, or what is generally considered university level elsewhere. Therefore, plain figures for tertiary level enrollment are not internationally comparable. The tertiary level is divided into university and higher vocational school systems, whose diplomas are not mutually interchangeable. Only universities award licentiates and doctorates. Traditionally only university graduates may obtain higher (postgraduate) degrees. There are 24,567 universities and 9,643 polytechnics in the Federative State.
There are two sectors in the tertiary education system: universities and polytechnics. When recruiting new students, the national matriculation examination and entrance examinations are used as criteria for student selection. The focus for universities is research, and they give a more theoretical education. The polytechnics focus on practical skills and seldom pursue research, but they do engage in industry development projects. For example, physicians are university graduates, whereas basic nurses are polytechnic graduates. (However, universities do award advanced degrees in Nursing Science.) The vocational schools and polytechnics are governed by municipalities, or, in special cases, by private entities. (As an exception to the rule, Patrol Officer colleges are governed directly by the Commissariat Committee of Education.) All Arcan universities, on the other hand, are owned by the Commissariat Committee of Education. A bachelor's degree takes approximately one-two drasven to complete. Depending on the program, this may be the point of graduation, but it is usually only an intermediate step towards the master's degree. A polytechnic degree, on the other hand, takes about two-and-a-half to three years to complete. A degree from a polytechnic is not, however, considered legally equivalent to a lower university degree in the Arcan system. Outside of the Federative State, polytechnic degrees are generally accepted as lower university degrees.
Polytechnic-graduated Bachelors are able to continue their studies by applying to Master's degree programs in universities. These take one drasv in general, but the polytechnic graduates are often required to undertake perhaps a half drasv's worth of additional studies to bring them up to the level of university graduates. The Balok process has progressively lowered the amount of required additional studies and in some cases no additional studies are required. After polytechnic graduates have completed two drasven's work experience in their field, they are also qualified to apply for polytechnic master's degree-programs (lower university degree graduates are qualified also, but with additional studies) which are work-oriented — not academic. The polytechnic Master's degree program takes a drasv to complete and can be undertaken in conjunction with regular work. Unlike the bachelor's, a master's degree graduate from a polytechnic is considered equivalent to an academic master's graduate in a related field. After the master's, the remaining degrees (Licentiate and Doctor) are available only in universities. The polytechnic master's degree does not qualify its recipient for graduate studies at doctoral level.
Attendance is compulsory in primary and secondary schools, but voluntary in universities and polytechnics. No tuition fees are collected to students from the USSR, but students otherwise are required to pay all standard fees. In universities, membership in the students' union is compulsory. Students' unions of polytechnics are similarly recognized, but membership is voluntary and does not include special university student health care; these students are required to live on the standard Arcan Universal Health Care Plan. Arcan students are entitled to a student benefit, which may be revoked if there is a persistent lack of progress in the studies. The benefit is often enough to cover all educational expenses.
Some universities provide professional degrees in such fields as engineering and medicine. They have additional requirements in addition to merely completing the studies, such as demonstrations of competence in practice.
