Education System
The Ministry of Education is predominantly responsible for education in Denmark. Private elementary schools and state run schools (‘folkeskoles’) provide basic education for children from the age of 6 to 16. The first and final (10th) years are not compulsory however. During basic education students are not formally graded or examined until the 8th grade. In the final optional year students have the option of completing their examinations.
On completing year 9 or 10 of folkeskole students can then complete a 2-3 year vocational training course (erhvervsuddannelse) or 3 year Academic Preparatory Education at upper secondary school which can be general or geared towards a vocation. Both further education options prepare students for either higher education or direct employment.
Students entering higher education can study at any of the 12 state funded universities (5 of which are multi-faculty universities and the rest are specialist universities), university colleges or academies of professional higher education. There are three levels of study offered within universities including the Bachelor's Degree (3 years of study), the Candidatus Degree (i.e. Master's Degree) and the Ph.D. Degree.
