Higher Education Council sets passing criteria for second semester master’s students

AMMAN — The Higher Education Council has decided to grant master’s degree students who obtained a bachelor’s degree with an “acceptable” ranking (third class honours), as well as those who were accepted on the condition of passing foundation courses, a 75 per cent pass regardless of their grade point average for the second semester only.

“For the purposes of continuing their enrollment in master’s programmes in Jordanian universities, a pass grade of 75 per cent will be granted to the mentioned segments of students, that arrangement being applied to the current second semester only,” stated the council.

It also decided during a meeting on Sunday not to count the duration of the current second semester as part of the required period for sitting for the foreign language exams, the national exam for the English language or the qualification programme exam, provided that the students sit for these exams in the following semester.

“These three exams can be quite challenging for students… in the midst of these challenging times,” said Mohammad Sharaydeh, the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at the University of Jordan.

He added that “this comes in the interest of both the students, their universities, and the council, all of which look for the best interests of postgraduate students in mitigating the negative effects imposed on them as a result of the coronavirus crisis.”

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research highlighted that the Higher Education Council “holds non-stop sessions to follow all the recent developments and take appropriate decisions regarding student concerns.”

Sharaydeh confirmed his university’s intention to hold the comprehensive master’s programme examination for the second semester next month if the university is reopened.

He added that “those who have already paid for the exam but wish to postpone it can choose to sit for it during the summer semester,” stressing that the comprehensive exam will be held on time in the summer semester.

Regarding the competency exam for PhD programme students, Sharaydeh said that the exam will be held during the summer semester, highlighting that the second semester exam has already been held.