Overview
Scotland lies on the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the south, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Irish Sea. The population is 5,144,200 and the literacy rate is 99%.
After the Ice Age, hunter-gatherers arrived in the area of present-day Scotland. It was briefly occupied by the Romans. The Kingdom of the Picts was established in the 6th century AD and lasted until the late 13th century with the death of Queen Margaret.
This was followed by the Bruce Dynasty and then the Stuart Dynasty which ruled throughout the Middle Ages. The 1707 Act of Union united England and Scotland, and Great Britain was formed.
Education
The educational system of Scotland is different from the rest of the United Kingdom. There is a long history of formal education in Scotland. Schools run by churches were established during the Middle Ages, and the Scottish Parliament established schools
during the 17th century. Many acts during the 19th century established free and compulsory education, made schools the responsibility of local boards rather than churches, and required teachers to have some form of training.
English is the language of instruction, and some schools in the Gaelic-speaking part of the country teach some classes in Gaelic. Education is free and compulsory from ages 5 to 16. Currently, Scotland's Department for Education oversees the country's secondary education system while the Department of Education, Training, and Skills oversees tertiary
education.
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the national qualifications framework of Scotland and organizes the country’s qualifications in 12 levels. In the SCQF, levels 1-12 describe the degree of difficulty, with 12 representing the highest level of complexity (e.g., doctoral degree). The credit points, on the other hand, describe the size of the qualification and the time taken to complete it. One SCQF credit represents approximately 10 hours of learning, and one year of full-time academic study in Scottish higher education is 120 SCQF credits.
Primary and Secondary Education
Primary school (P1-P7) is 7 years. No credential is awarded after completion of primary school.
All secondary educational qualifications in Scotland are organized in the National Credit and Qualifications Framework which has 5 levels: Access (has 3 different sub-levels 1-3), Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher. Access 3 replaces
the former Standard Grade Foundation Certificate, Intermediate 1 replaces Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE) General level, and Intermediate 2 replaces SCE Credit level. The Advanced Higher Level replaced the former Certificate of Sixth Year
Studies.
Lower secondary (S1-S4) school is four years and after completion of S4, students sit for the Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) Intermediate 2. The SQC was formerly known as the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE). Upper secondary is two years
(S5-S6). After completion of S5, students sit for SQC examinations at the Higher level or at an appropriate National Qualifications Framework level. After completion of S6, students sit for SQC examinations at the Advanced Higher, Higher, or at a
lower level.
Post-Secondary Education
Universities were founded in Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries, and there are currently 14 universities operating in Scotland in addition to 6 other higher education institutions. All are funded by the Scottish Funding Council. There are no private
higher education institutions in Scotland. Admission to higher education institutions requires grades of A-C on the Higher or Advanced Higher level examinations, or a Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma. Applications to higher education
institutions in Scotland are centralized at the Universities and Colleges Admission Services (UCAS).
First Cycle, Academic
The first level of university study is 3 years and students are awarded a Bachelor's Ordinary or General degree, while the ancient universities (St. Andrew's, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow) award a Master's Ordinary or General degree after 3 years of study.
Bachelor's Honours degrees are 4 years and are more specialized than the Ordinary and General degrees, and the ancient universities award a Master's Honours degree after 4 years of study.
First Cycle, Vocational/Technical
Vocational/technical post-secondary education is offered at local colleges. The certificates were previously awarded by the Scottish Vocational Education Council (SCOTVEC), and are now awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The Higher
National Certificate is 1 year, and the Higher National Diploma is a 2-year program.
Second and Third Cycles
Post-graduate programs include the Postgraduate Certificate which represents 6 months to 3 years of study, the Postgraduate Diploma which represents 1-5 years of study, and the Master's degree, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Master of Letters (MLitt)
which are 1 to 3 years of study. Doctoral programs are 3 to 5 years longer and require a Bachelor's Honours, Master's Honours, a master's degree, MPhil or MLitt for admission. Upon successful defense of a dissertation and oral examination, students
are awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
The Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB), Bachelor of Dentistry, and the Bachelor of Veterinary Science are 5-year programs requiring a Higher Level certificate for admission, in addition to other entrance examinations.