Ministry considering ability to waive prior degree requirement for master's
A new higher education law is currently in the works in the Ministry of Education and Research which, among other things, may in exceptional cases waive the requirement of a previous degree for master's and doctorate programs.
According to the new law, it would be possible to enter a master's degree program without a bachelor's degree and a doctorate program without a master's degree, daily Postimees writes (link in Estonian).
The right to apply, however, does not guarantee that an individual would be accepted, nor would institutions of higher education begin accepting students who have not completed secondary education.
Aire Koik, a consultant in the ministry's Communications Department, stressed that in all likelihood, only very few people would qualify for the exception.
The University of Tartu has previously already proposed mitigating application requirements; in 2014, then-Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Martin Hallik noted that such climbing of the academic ladder has long since been possible in a number of other countries.
Editor: Aili Vahtla