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Universities in Panama

Universities in Panama by City:

Panama

About universities in Panama

Higher education in Panama comes under the purview of the Ministry of Education. However, universities in Panama remain autonomous when it comes to determining the curriculum of their programs. Until 1981, there were only two universities in Panama and both were publicly funded. Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic entry of private for-profit institutions of higher education in Panama. These institutions in Panama, though, still need to obtain recognition certificates from the Ministry in charge.
 
The academic year of universities in Panama begins in March and runs till December. Institutions in Panama offer courses primarily in Spanish language. 
 
Higher education in Panama follows the two stage structure with Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses. Undergraduate studies (estudios post-secundarios; post-media; estudios de pre-grado; estudios de licenciatura) can take four to six years while graduate level studies (estudios de postgrado; studios de maestría; estudios de doctorado) require an additional year or two after undergraduate course is successfully completed.
 
Bachelors Degree in Panama

Universities in Panama offer various bachelor’s degree courses that usually take four years to complete. Bachelor’s degree programs in medicine, however, take six years to complete. Upon successful completion of the course, students are awarded a bachelor's degree or licenciatura. Admission to regular bachelor’s degree programs in Panama requires candidates to have completed their high school, or bachillerato, and passed relevant entrance examinations, as necessary for their choice of program.
 
Masters Degree in Panama

Universities in Panama offer a variety of master’s degree programs. Some of the common master’s degree courses in Panama include business oriented streams, such as finance & accounting, and information technology. Other options available to students include political science and international relations.

The master’s degree programs usually take two years to complete and require submission of an original research by the students. Master degree programs in Panama dealing with medicine require four years to complete. Upon successfully competing these four years, students are still awarded a Bachelor’s in Medicine (MBBS) but it is considered to be equivalent to a master’s degree. 
 
Candidates interested in pursuing studies further have the option of researching and defending a thesis to obtain a Ph.D. (doctorado).
 
Higher education is primarily delivered at the public universities in Panama; they account for over three-fourths of the total student enrolment for higher education in Panama. With the increase in private institutions, the government has now undertaken an initiative to strengthen the accreditation system in order to enhance the overall quality of higher education in Panama. Furthermore, a new research centre for logistics and trade is also being setup to assist in turning the country into a trade hub.