Decree No. 245 has been issued; outlining the modified the academic semester system and university credit system of Damascus University.
For details:
Syrian Arab Republic
Decree No. 245
The President of the Republic,
Pursuant to the provisions of University Laws N 6 of 2006, especially Article 150 as well as the provisions of University regulations issued in Decree No. 250 of 2006,
Decrees the following:
Article 1: The following amendments are made to the provisions of University regulations issued in Decree No. 250 in 2006:
1) Article 81 is amended as follows:
A. The Council of Higher Education defines the study system in place at the faculties (the amended semester system, the credit system, the semester system and the year system) and program outlines are placed accordingly.
1) The Amended Semester System:
1- Under the amended semester system, the academic year is divided into two semesters.
2- The universities hold three testing sessions in each academic year, the lengths of which are determined in the yearly calendar issued by the Council of Higher Education. Each testing session includes the exams for courses taught only in that semester and the summer exam includes courses from both semesters.
3- Students have the right to sit for summer exams if they have no more than eight courses.
4- According to the provisions in this system, students are not availed of provisions in Paragraphs B and C in Article 102 in this bylaw.
5- Students in their final year who have exhausted the permitted period of registration are allowed to enroll in five consecutive testing sessions outside of the University, immediately following the session in which they exhausted the period of their registration.
6- For the remainder of provisions, students should refer to the (original) Semester System, as they are identical from here on out.
2) The Credit System:
1- The academic year in the Credit System is composed of two semesters of no fewer than sixteen weeks each. Students may enroll in the summer session for a minimum of eight weeks.
2- The Credit System measures students’ attendance by lecture hours per week or equivalent hours for a particular course for an entire semester.
3- Attendance is required for all students according to the Credit System for each course in the program outline. Upon failing a course, students forfeit the right to retain the grade from the works of the year.
4- Students must attend at least 85% of the total designated hours for each course.
5- Students may take on a study load with a maximum of eighteen credits or a minimum of twelve credits per semester, and are permitted three additional credits if they scored “excellent” (75-85) on previous evaluation. In the semester of graduation, students may take up to twenty-two credits, and in a summer session; up to nine, however exceptions are made for the purposes of graduation, and in these cases students may take twelve credits in a summer session. In the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutics, students are not permitted more than 25 credits per semester.
6- The internal regulations of each faculty determine the minimum amount of credits required for a bachelor’s degree, however no less than the following guidelines:
210 Credits Faculties with six-year study programs
180 Credits Medical faculties with five-year study programs
160 Credits Faculties with five-year study programs
128 Credits Faculties with four-year study programs
7- Undergraduate students enrolled in any of the facuties in the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth year will be classified upon the completion of number of credits outlined in the internal regulations of the particular faculty.
8- Upon the decision of the faculty council, students may be exempted from a maximum of 30% of the required credits in the event of a transfer, provided that the student passed his/her courses in the prior faculty or higher institute, and so long as the previous course and required hours are equivalent to that of the current course.
B. The internal regulations of each faculty define the program outlines which list all courses for the particular program, the yearly, semester, and hourly schedules for the courses, in addition to lists of the departments which teach and oversee them.
2) The following fees are added to those listed in Article 194:
-Fee for summer exams
- Fee for credit hours
- Fee for entrances exams and auditions
- Fee for special admissions
3) The following fees are added to those outlined in Section 1, Paragraph A, Article 196:
- Fee for summer exams
- Fee for credit hours
- Fee for entrances exams and auditions
- Fee for special admissions
Article 2: This legislative code is to be printed in the official newspaper.
Damascus, 27/6/1431 Hijri, 9/6/2010 Gregorian
President of the Republic
Bashar al-Assad
