Mozambique

Types of Higher Education Institutions: Public & Private: Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) is a public institution based in Maputo. Under the new Africanization policy of the Portuguese education authorities, general studies were offered from the early 1960s on. Later the faculty of general studies was designated as a university and, in 1970, a faculty of economics was added. Thus, the UEM was created in 1962 under the name Estudos Gerais. Later it was designated the University of Lourenço Marques; in 1976 it received its current name. The UEM enrolls 3,712 students, almost one-third of the nation's college students, and is provided with 23 percent of the government's education budget, along with 39 percent of the contributions to the nation's education system from outside donors.

The Pedagogical University (UP) is also a public institution based in Maputo, created in 1986. It has established branches in the cities of Beira and Nampula. The Pedagogical University is particularly involved in the pre-service training of teachers for secondary education. The Higher Institute of International Relations (ISRI) is the third public institution that was created in 1986. It, too, is based in Maputo. There are three private institutions of higher education. The first is the Higher Polytechnic University Institute (ISPU), created in 1996. It is based in Maputo and has branches in the town of Quelimane. The second private institution is the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM), which was founded in 1997 and is located in Beira. The third private higher education institution, also in Maputo, is the Higher Institute for Science and Technology of Mozambique (ISCTEM). It was founded in 1997 and offers both full-time and part-time study up to the master's degree level. In February 2001 it opened a new campus in the center of Maputo. The Mussa Bin Bique University is to be set up in the town of Angoche in the Nampula Province in northern Mozambique, just south of Cabo Delgado, and will primarily be a cultural center for the teaching of Arabic.

Courses, Semesters, & Diplomas: Higher education encompasses the 19 to 24 years age group and is designed to take 6 years, or 12 semesters, of study. Those who have completed the adult education cycle also have access to higher education. Depending on the combination of courses taken in school, those receiving an education at Eduardo Mondlane University can be divided into three groups that take a certain combination of courses: Group A's general subjects include Portuguese, English, French, history, and geography; university courses to which access is available include linguistics, Portuguese, law, history, French, diplomacy, English, geography, psychology, pedagogy, and economics. Specific subjects for Group A are English, biology, and mathematics. Group B's general subjects include Portuguese, English, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology; university courses to which access is available include geology, agronomy, medicine, veterinary science, biology, chemistry/biology, and physical education. Specific subjects for Group B are geography and biology. Group C's general subjects include Portuguese, English, mathematics/physics, drawing, and chemistry; university courses to which access is available include engineering, architecture, physics and chemical sciences, mathematics, and physics. There are no specific subjects in this group.

English and Portuguese are compulsory subjects administered at the UEM. English is a compulsory subject in the first two years of most courses, administered by the Department of English. French is an optional subject (either French or English) in the social sciences course at the UEM, and it may be reintroduced at the Faculty of Arts. The Bantu languages Emakhuwa and Xichangana are taught at the UEM in linguistics (four semesters) and history (one semester) degree courses.