Government updates master's degree offer: new programs, adjustments and strict rules for specializations in liquidation

Last week, the Romanian Government approved, by decision, the update of the nomenclature of master's degree fields and programs, following the evaluations carried out by ARACIS between March 2025 and March 2026 and the requests received from universities. According to the Executive, the normative act establishes in detail: the accredited master's fields and programs, the locations of the programs, the number of transferable credits, the form of education and the language of instruction, the maximum enrollment capacity for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The measures aim to align the Romanian university system with the requirements of the labor market and European standards, with an emphasis on the faster integration of graduates into the workforce.

• ARACIS evaluations: new programs and restructuring

Following the analysis carried out by ARACIS, several significant changes were made: evaluation of 70 master's fields and 208 study programs, accreditation of 3 new fields, reduction of schooling capacity for 9 fields, total increase of capacity by 170 places. Regarding the typology of programs: 49 were classified as research masters, 158 as professional masters, 4 as didactic masters. Also, 12 programs went into liquidation, and 6 study fields were completely eliminated.

• University initiatives: expansion and reclassifications

Based on requests from higher education institutions: 42 new programs were introduced in existing fields, several programs were reclassified (research/professional), 44 programs were proposed for liquidation, 5 study fields were eliminated. These adjustments reflect the dynamics of educational demand and trends in the economy.

• Strict rules for programs in liquidation

The decision clearly establishes that universities - both state and accredited private - will no longer be able to organize admission in the first year for programs in liquidation, starting with the 2026-2027 academic year. At the same time, institutions are obliged to ensure the completion of studies for students already enrolled. No new students will be allowed to enroll, regardless of the form of admission or transfer.

• A step towards modernizing the university system

The Government's decision comes in a broader context of higher education reform, in which the emphasis is on quality, relevance and correlation with the labor market. Updating the nomenclature of master's degrees is seen as an essential tool for adapting the educational offer to the needs of the economy and for increasing the competitiveness of Romanian graduates on the European market.