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Universities in Sierra Leone

About universities in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a small country that has a population of about 5 million. Upon successfully completing secondary school, students can choose to pursue higher education in Sierra Leone at one of the institutes of higher education. The University of Sierra Leone is primary a public university in the country and is responsible for imparting higher education and accrediting the institutes and colleges in Sierra Leone. The university colleges in Sierra Leone fall under the purview of the University of Sierra Leone, Such colleges offer degree programs in science, environmental science, economics, education and agriculture. Recently, forestry and veterinary science programs have been initiated at the university colleges in Sierra Leone.
Professional programs are offered by a few schools, including the National school of nursing and the school of hotels and tourism.

Higher education in Sierra Leone follows the three tier structure, which includes the bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate programs.

Bachelor Programs in Sierra Leone

The West African Secondary School Certificate exam results are considered for admission into undergraduate degree courses offered at colleges in Sierra Leone. The minimum requirement is five passes in the exam at credit levels. The candidates need to have at obtained least two credits in English language.  The candidates who have five credits in the secondary school certificate exam but ar lacking English language skills need to take the University matriculation English exam to get admission for the bachelor degree program in Sierra Leone. Recently, access courses have been conducted for admission into the faculties of engineering and pure and applied sciences.

Bachelor’s degree programs in Sierra Leone typically last for 4 years, which include eight semesters. The duration of Bachelor of Engineering is 5 years. Bachelor of Arts and science programs are offered in two categories- general and honors.

Master Programs in Sierra Leone

Those who want to pursue a master degree in Sierra Leone need to have obtained a bachelor’s degree in a related subject with at least a second class from an accredited university.

Master of Arts, Science, Social Science and Social Science are the popular master’s degrees offered by the university and college in Sierra Leone. Those who want to pursue Master of Philosophy need to have obtained at least a 3.6 FGPA (Final Grade Point Average) in the taught master’s degree or a master’s degree with thesis.

Master’s degree programs in Sierra Leone generally span one year. However, an M. Phil takes 2 years to complete.

Doctorate Programs in Sierra Leone

Doctor of Philosophy or PhD is the highest level of university education in Sierra Leone. Candidates who have at least 4.2 FGPA in the taught Master’s degree, or have completed the M. Phil degree in a related field of study successfully, are eligible for enrolling into a doctorate program. PhD programs require students to complete eight semesters.

Before being admitted, applicants are required to present their research proposal in a public forum. They are allowed to pursue the doctorate program only upon getting the approval for their research.

Higher education in Sierra Leone suffers from various problems, which include limited higher education institutions, infrastructure and faculty. Hence, cross boundary education is becoming an attractive option for many students, who travel abroad to study.