Higher Education

Government post-secondary and higher education institutions comprise the University, two institutes (Institut Teknologi Brunei–Brunei Institute of Technology–and Institut Pengajian Islam–Institute of Islamic Studies), the Nursing College, the Teacher Training (Islamic) College, and seven vocational/technical colleges.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UDB) is the only university in the country, established in October 1985. At present (1998), the University accommodates more than 200 academic staff and about 1,600 students (more the 2,800 in 2000) in six faculties, namely: arts and social sciences, management and administrative studies, Islamic studies, science, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, and Academy of Brunei Studies.

The University operates on a semester system. There are two semesters in an academic year, each made up of fourteen weeks of teaching periods with a one-week break in the middle, a week for revision and two weeks for examinations. The first semester is followed by five weeks of vacation and the second by a twelve-week vacation. The minimum period of study for degree graduation is normally four academic years (eight semesters). The maximum period is six academic years.

The academic programmes are based on a unit system under which a student has to accumulate a minimum number of credit-units for graduation. The minimum number of credit-units to be accumulated is 124 for most programmes. Each programme is made up of a number of separate courses in each year, and each course carries with it a specified number of credit-units. A single credit-unit is usually equivalent to approximately fourteen hours of lectures and tutorials in a semester (i.e. one hour per week). A practical session or a laboratory class of two or three hours is usually equivalent to a one-hour lecture/tutorial (or one credit unit).

The semester examination normally constitutes 60 to 80% of the total marks allocated to the course, and the continuous assessment of course work during the semester normally constitutes 20 to 40% of the total marks allocated to the course. At the end of each semester every student is required to take the examinations prescribed for the courses taken. If the student passes these examinations, he/she is credited with the credit-unit value assigned to the course. There is a supplementary (re-sit) examination and a student may be permitted to re-take only once any course examination that he/she has failed. A student who fails the supplementary examination must repeat the course if it is a compulsory course.

Results of the Brunei-Cambridge O-level examinations

If a student fails in a compulsory course, he/she is required to repeat that course in the following semester or academic year, depending on when the course is offered. Similarly, the student will be required to repeat a failed elective course or take another elective course in its place. Notwithstanding this, he/she can proceed to some courses prescribed for the following semester provided that the total number of credit-unit courses taken does not exceed the maximum allowed for that particular semester. A student enrolled in any programme is permitted to progress to the next academic year as far as he/she maintains an active registration status. To maintain this status, the student has to successfully obtain at least two-thirds of the credit units registered in each semester examination.

A student who fails to maintain an active registration status in any semester examination will be put on probation and given a probationary registration status. He/she may continue with this status for a maximum of three consecutive semesters. If he/she fails to achieve an active registration status within this period, his/her registration as a student will terminate. This system gives students the advantage of continuing their studies though they have failed a certain number of courses. It also enables the student to repeat a failed course beyond the minimum period of four years for graduation so as to make up the required minimum number of credit-units for graduation provided he/she does not go beyond the prescribed maximum period of six years.

Students are selected on merit and those with the best and most relevant GCE A-level passes will be selected for interview at UBD before the final selection is made. Other qualifications deemed equivalent to GCE A-level may also be acceptable. Applicants must be prepared to attend any interview and take any test required by the University Admissions Committee and after acceptance must be certified medically fit to follow the programme by any government or any recognized private doctor.

The degrees awarded on completion of the prescribed programmes are classified as follows:

First class honours;

Second class honours (lower division);

Third class honours;

Pass.

Nine honours degree programmes are offered, each normally spread over a minimum period of four years, and leading to the award of the following first degrees:

Malay Medium

Bachelor of Arts Education(BA Ed);

English Medium

Bachelor of Arts Education (BA Ed);

Bachelor of Science Education (BSc. Ed);

Bachelor of Arts Primary Education (BA Pr. Ed);

Bachelor of Arts (BA): (a) management studies; (b) public policy and administration; major in economics, geography or English language studies, and minor in economics, geography, accounting and finance, mathematics or English language studies

Bachelor of Science (BSc): mathematics with computer science;

Bachelor of Engineering (B Eng): electrical and electronic engineering, joint degree programme with the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (UK);

Bachelor of Science (BSc): computer science, joint degree programme with the University of Strathclyde, UK.
Other programmes include: certificate in education (English medium); post-graduate certificate in education (English or Malay medium); master in educational management (English medium and part-time); master in public policy (English medium); Master in petroleum geoscience (English medium); certificate in teaching of Malay language (Malay medium); certificate in educational management (Malay medium); certificate in early childhood education (English medium); and certificate in special education (English medium and part-time).

There is a year-abroad scheme, whereby students who have done well in their first two years at the University have the opportunity to do their third year at an overseas university and return to UBD to complete their degree.

The primary objective of the Brunei Institute of Technology (ITB) is to cater to a range of interests in technical and commercial education. In order to meet this objective, the Institute continually seeks close links with employers in both the public and private sectors with the purpose of determining their training needs and the appropriateness of the courses provided. Related to this objective is the Institute’s goal to train men and women to be professionally competent, inspired and dedicated towards personal growth and service to the nation.

The ITB has three well-established departments (business and management, computing and information systems, electrical and electronic engineering) and two new departments: civil engineering and mechanical engineering. Except for the Higher National Diploma (HND) course by part-time study, courses generally take two and a half years (five semesters) to complete and include a six-month period of supervised work experience.