Term Time (Duration)

There are several elements that can affect duration of study in a developing and third world country, the government legislature, union work force, student revolting disruption, strike actions and many more. The instability and uncertainty makes it very difficult to confidently enrol to an academic programme with the guarantee to complete the course within the set duration.

However, it is a different ball game within the international education system. The stability is highly predictable and completion is solely tied to the length of course enrolled for. The duration of study varies depending on the program and level but irrespective of these two factors the terms dates are guide as to start date and end date. Unlike the arbitrary 5-8 years duration of study that some nations in Africa are subjected due to several factors, only students who are enrolled into medicine, law, architectural and some specific engineering programs should expect to spend more than the average 3-4 years for the length of course in international study.

On the other hand, some programmes are designed specifically to their certification and hence various durations apply, that is; single degree course, joint honours, master degree and professional courses. Irrespective of all these, the standard terms is the guide used internationally as term time (autumn/fall is September to December, winter/spring is Jan to March and summer is April to June); July and August is majorly holiday period. In most countries, the semesters are split into two, first semester being between September and January; the second semester is usually between January/February and June. Students are accepted on a full-time basis mainly and the programmes are designed to fulfill minimum of 15hrs study time per week for most European countries (but 18hrs in America).