Serbia: Serbia Education Profile 2011

Primary education

Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools (Serbian, osnovna škola) at the age of 6 or 7 and it lasts for eight years.

Secondary education

Secondary schools are divided in three types, and children attend one depending on their choice, their elementary school grades and their entrance exams results:

* Grammar schools (gimnazija) last for four years and offer general and broad education. Student usually choose their education orientation between languages and social sciences (društveni smer) and mathematics and natural sciences(prirodni smer).
* Professional schools (stručna škola) last for four years and specialize students in certain fields, while still offering relatively broad education.
* Vocational schools (zanatska škola) last for three years, without an option of continuing education and specialize in narrow vocations.

Tertiary education

Tertiary level institutions also accept students based on their grades in high school and entrance exams results:

* Higher schools (viša škola), lasts two years, corresponding to American colleges
* At faculties (fakultet) of various Universities (univerzitet) and art academies (akademija umetnosti) (see the list of universities in Serbia) last between 4 and 6 years (one year is two semesters long) and award diplomas.

Quaternary education

Graduate education (post-diplomsko obrazovanje) is offered after tertiary level and offers specialization education, Magister (degree)s and Ph.D.

Qualifications

* Diploma o završenoj srednjoj školi (secondary school certificate)
* Diploma (Diploma Višeg Obrazovanja) - equivalent of the U.S. Associate's degree.
* Diploma visokog obrazovanja
* Magistar nauka or Magistar umetnosti (Magister of Sciences or Magister of Arts)
* Doktor nauka (Doctor of Science)

After implementation of the Bologna system

Primary and secondary education remained the same. Universities offer bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. The previous Diploma has been equalized with Master's Degree, and Magister with the first two years of doctoral studies.

Multilateral agreements

* International Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees in the Arab and European States Bordering on the Mediterranean (signed 1976)
* Unesco Convention On the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees Concerning Higher Education in the Europe Region (signed 1979