Universities in Jamaica

The higher education in Jamaica is under the control of the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ). Universities in Jamaica are the only institutions that grant degree programs.  The UCJ registers institutions that have met the minimum criteria for providing tertiary education, which include appropriateness, scope, educational value of institutional programs, qualifications of staff, and adequacy of resources.

The University of West Indies at Mona, University of Technology, Northern Caribbean University and University College of the Caribbean are some of the popular institutions offering higher education in Jamaica.  Dental Auxiliary school, private institutes, community colleges, multi disciplinary colleges and teacher training colleges are some other important institutions that offer tertiary education in Jamaica. The average age of students enrolling into tertiary education program at universities in Jamaica is between 20 and 24.

There are three stages in higher education in Jamaica, which is similar to the UK and US models – Undergraduate level, Post graduate level and doctorate level.

First level -Bachelor’s Degrees in Jamaica

Bachelor’s degrees that are offered by Universities in Jamaica require students to have at least five passes in general Certificate of Education O level, or Caribbean Examination Council subjects, or their equivalent. The University of West Indies offers more than 100 undergraduate degree programs in areas like education, humanities, social studies, medicine and pure and applied sciences.

The prominent universities in Jamaica offer bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, psychology, counseling, and primary teach education and secondary teacher education.

In addition, the universities in Jamaica offer more than 100 programs in five faculties, which include Business and Management, Engineering and computing, health sciences, education and liberal arts and law.
The bachelor’s programs in Jamaica take three years full time or four years part time study to complete.

Second level- Master’s Degree in Jamaica

Master’s degree programs in Jamaica are offered in the fields of medicine, business, natural sciences and social sciences. These programs are typically provided by state universities in Jamaica. However, theological colleges in Jamaica also offer master’s degree program in the field of theology.

Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree from a university or accredited college can obtain admission for a master’s degree program in Jamaica. They need to have at least 2.5 cumulative Grade Point Average. Some universities in Jamaica, however, use their own criteria and admit students with lower grades. Post graduate study that leads to a master degree requires two years of study and students should submit a thesis or research paper at the end of the course.

Private sector institutes offer Master of Business Administration programs via alliances with universities in other countries.

Doctorate Degree in Jamaica

Doctoral degrees offered by universities in Jamaica typically take three years or more to complete. The length of time taken to obtain a doctorate depends upon the program chosen by a student.

Funding higher education in Jamaica is similar to the UK model. The Government provides the majority of funds and students also contribute to a portion of their fees.

The Jamaican Government focuses more on distance learning, as it considers distance learning as a means of improving the quality of education in a cost effective manner. The University of the West Indies and some private intuitions offer distant education facilities in Jamaica.