Academics
LMD system
Cycles, credits, assessment, grades and progression rules: the essentials of the LMD system as it applies at the University of Ngaoundere.
The essentials
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Common framework
The Bachelor-Master-Doctorate (LMD) system defines the general framework for higher education.
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Mobility and recognition
It promotes student mobility, allows credits to be validated and banked from one university to another, and harmonises assessment and academic records.
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Academic year
At the University of Ngaoundere, the academic year has two semesters, from October to July.
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Workload
Each semester (excluding research semesters) is worth 30 credits, or 300 hours of classroom teaching, supplemented by the student’s independent work.
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Course units
Programmes are made up of core, cross-disciplinary or elective, optional and free Course Units.
Three cycles
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Bachelor’s degree (Licence)
6 semesters 180 credits
Entry with the baccalauréat or GCE A Level. At least 6 and at most 8 semesters; at least 180 credits. Academic, professional or technological track (2018 Order, Arts. 7, 8 and 10).
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Master’s degree
4 semesters 120 credits
Entry with a Bachelor’s degree in a compatible field. At least 4 and at most 6 semesters; at least 120 credits. Research or professional track; dissertation defended in public (2018 Order, Arts. 13 to 17).
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Doctorate/PhD
6 semesters 180 credits
Entry with a Master’s degree. At least 6 semesters (3 years) and at most 10 (5 years); 180 credits. An article drawn from the thesis must be published before the defence (2018 Order, Arts. 19 to 21).
Key concepts
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Course Unit (UE)
The Course Unit, or “course”, is the basic unit of teaching and assessment. It is made up of no more than four Course Components (Arrêté n° 18/00035, Art. 29).
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Course Component (EC)
A Course Component is one part of a Course Unit. The credits of a Course Unit are the sum of the credits of its components (Arrêté n° 18/00035, Art. 29).
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Credit
A credit measures the student’s total workload: 10 to 15 hours per credit depending on the programme (Arrêté n° 18/00035, Art. 35). At the University of Ngaoundere’s Faculty of Science, one credit equals 15 hours, 10 of them in class.
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Semester
A semester lasts 14 to 16 weeks, including teaching and assessment. It carries at least 30 and at most 36 credits (Arrêté n° 18/00035, Art. 28).
Assessment
- Course Unit without practicals (University of Ngaoundere)
- CA 20% · independent work 10% · exam 70%
- Mixed Course Unit, with practicals (University of Ngaoundere)
- CA 20% · practicals 20% · independent work 10% · exam 50%
- Practicals-only Course Unit (University of Ngaoundere)
- CA 60% · exam 40%
- National rule: general case
- CA 30% · exam 70%
- National rule: Course Unit with lectures and tutorials or practicals
- CA 50% · exam 50%
Grading scale
| Grade | Mark out of 20 | Points | Descriptor |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | [18 ; 20] | 4,0 | Excellent |
| A | [16 ; 18[ | 3,7 | Very good |
| B+ | [14 ; 16[ | 3,3 | Good |
| B | [13 ; 14[ | 3,0 | Fairly good |
| B- | [12 ; 13[ | 2,7 | Fairly good |
| C+ | [11 ; 12[ | 2,3 | Pass |
| C | [10 ; 11[ | 2,0 | Pass |
| C- | [9 ; 10[ | 1,7 | Insufficient |
| D | [8 ; 9[ | 1,3 | Weak |
| E | [6 ; 8[ | 1,0 | Very weak |
| F | [0 ; 6[ | 0,0 | Fail |
Progression rules
Passing a Course Unit
A Course Unit is passed, with all its credits, when its mark is 10/20 or higher. A Course Unit is only assessed at the end of the semester if at least 70% of it has been taught (2018 Order, Art. 41).
Compensation
At the University of Ngaoundere, a Course Unit with a mark below 10/20 but at least 07/20 is passed by compensation if the credit-weighted average of its module reaches 10/20. Course Units are grouped into two modules: cross-disciplinary units on one side, all other units on the other. Under the national rules, compensation applies between Course Units of the same type, for marks from 35 to 49 out of 100 (2018 Order, Art. 43).
Credit banking
Banked credits are permanently acquired (2018 Order, Art. 44). Once banked, they can be transferred on the terms set by the receiving institution (Art. 37).
Progression
At the University of Ngaoundere, progression is assessed semester by semester:
- S1 → S2: automatic;
- S2 → S3: S1 or S2 passed, or at least 45 credits banked over S1 and S2;
- S3 → S4: one of the first three semesters passed and at least 60 credits banked over S1 to S3;
- into S5: S1 and S2 passed and at least 100 credits banked over S1 to S4;
- into S6: S1 and S2 passed and at least 135 credits banked over S1 to S5.
The GPA is used to rank students, not to decide progression (2018 Order, Art. 46).
Moving to the next cycle
Admission to a Master’s programme is open to holders of a Bachelor’s degree in a compatible field; direct entry into the third semester (M2) is possible on the proposal of the Doctoral School (2018 Order, Art. 15). At the Faculty of Science, progression from M1 to M2 is selective and requires at least 12/20 in M1. The Doctorate is open to holders of a Master’s degree or equivalent (Art. 20).
Repeating a year
Repeating a year and exclusion are governed by the regulations of each school or faculty. The 2018 Order only sets maximum durations: 8 semesters for the Bachelor’s degree, 6 for the Master’s degree and 10 for the Doctorate.
Mobility
Any duly registered student may change programme or institution. Mobility, whether temporary or permanent, requires an application from the student and an explicit decision by the head of the receiving institution. Credits are transferred within 30 days in the same institution, 45 days between institutions of the same university and 60 days between universities (2018 Order, Arts. 52 to 56).
Grade simulator
Enter the course units of your semester: credits and mark out of 20.
The simulator requires JavaScript. The calculation rules are detailed above.
Frequently asked questions
How many credits are there in a year?
60 credits: 30 per semester. A Bachelor’s degree requires at least 180 credits, a Master’s degree at least 120 and a Doctorate 180.
What happens if I get less than 10/20 in a Course Unit?
If your mark is at least 07/20 and the weighted average of the module reaches 10/20, the Course Unit is passed by compensation. Below 07/20 it cannot be compensated and must be retaken.
Can credits I have earned be lost?
No. Banked credits are permanently acquired and remain transferable to another institution.
What is the GPA used for?
The grade point average, calculated out of 4, is used to rank students. It does not determine progression from one level to the next.
Is there a resit session?
The 2018 Order leaves each institution to organise its resit session, which is open to students who have not banked all their credits. Check with your school or faculty for its timetable and rules.