Key features
- Qualification: Profesionālā maģistra diploms un augstākās profesionālās kvalifikācijas diploms
- Qualification in English: Professional Master’s diploma and higher professional qualification diploma
- EQF level: 7
- Cycle: Second cycle
- Thesis required: State examination, including the graduation thesis (at least 30 ECTS)
- Nominal length: At least 1 year or 60 ECTS, total duration of HE studies at least 5 years
- Access requirement: Academic or professional bachelor or second level professional higher education (after at least 4 years’ full time studies)
- Access to further study: Doctoral programmes
Programmes
The amount of professional master study programmes is at least 40 Latvian CP (60 ECTS), which comprises:
- Recent achievements in the field, theory and practice >7 CP (10.5 ECTS);
- Practice training >6 CP (9 ECTS);
- State examination, including the graduation thesis > 20 CP (30 ECTS);
- Courses in research, project design, management, psychology and other study courses.
The study programmes lead to the Latvian professional qualification level 5 (highest specialist qualification which provides for practical performance as well as abilities to plan and perform research and scientific work), i.e. EQF/LQF level 7.
According to the Vocational Education Law (1999), there is a system of five professional qualification levels in the Latvian vocational education, of which level 4-5 refer to higher professional education. Professional qualification levels are reflected in all formal education documents issued in Latvia when awarding professional qualification. The Latvian professional qualification levels concern only to vocational/professional education, and they are not automatically referred to the LQF/EQF levels, but used in paralel.
Degree titles
- Latvian: Profesionālo maģistra grādu [sector/inter-branch/co-sector/profession] (un [field] kvalifikāciju)
- English:Professional master’s degree in [sector/inter-branch/co-sector/profession] and [field] qualification
Examples: Profesionālo maģistra grādu vides plānošanā un dabas aizsardzības speciālista kvalifikāciju (professional master’s degree in environmental planning and qualification of environment protection specialist), profesionālo maģistra grādu lauksaimniecībā (professional master’s degree in agriculture), profesionālo maģistra grādu ekonomikā (professional master’s degree in economics).
Learning outcomes
Knowledge (knowledge and comprehension)
- Able to demonstrate advanced or extensive knowledge and understanding, a part of which conforms to the most recent findings in the concrete branch of science or professional field and which provide the basis for creative thinking or research, inter alia, working in the interface of various fields
Skills (ability to apply knowledge, communication, general skills)
- Able to use independently theory, methods and problem solving skills to perform research or artistic activities, or highly qualified professional functions
- Able to provide arguments when explaining or discussing complex or systemic aspects of the concrete branch of science or professional field both to specialists and non-specialists
- Able to guide independently the improvement of one’s own competences and specialisation, to assume responsibility for the results of staff and group work and analyse them, to perform business activities, innovations in the concrete branch of science or profession, to perform work, research or further learning under complex or unpredictable conditions, if necessary, change them, using new approaches
Competence (analysis, synthesis and assessment)
- Able to define independently and critically analyse complex scientific and professional problems, substantiate decisions and, if necessary, carry out additional analysis
- Able to integrate knowledge of various fields, contribute to the creation of new knowledge, research or the development of new professional working methods, demonstrate understanding and ethical responsibility for the possible impact of the scientific results or professional activity on environment and society