Web Office – Student information system: https://vis.ps-zrc-sazu.org/

Upon enrolment, each student receives a password to access the online student information system, which enables:

Insight into the electronic grade book,
Registration / withdrawal from exams,
Insight into the schedule,
View notices on the bulletin board,
Submission of applications for recognition of exams,
Submission of applications for advancing to a higher year if all conditions are not met,
Submission of appeals against applications,
Insight into resolved appeals and applications
Ordering certificates of enrolment, passed exams.

1. Student Council

1.1. Operation of the Student Council (SC PGS ZRC SAZU)

According to the school’s statute, the Student Council of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU is the representative body of all students, facilitating communication between students and the PS ZRC SAZU. Members of the Student Council are elected by the students for a one-year term and represent students in all school bodies and working groups. The SC enables students to actively participate, propose initiatives, and address current student issues at PGS ZRC SAZU.

1.2. President of the Student Council

The President of the SC PGS ZRC SAZU for the academic year 2023/2024 is Pia Rednak.

The contact address of the Student Council is: studentski.svet (@) ps-zrc-sazu.org

1.3. Student Journal

Platforma: The Journal of the Students of the Postgraduate School of ZRC SAZU is a space where students from all study programs and modules can present their current research work. The journal does not bind authors to the same theme nor unite them according to a predetermined set of research questions. Quite the opposite, it aims to connect contributions from various fields of humanities and social sciences, each stemming from a diverse spectrum of research questions.

Three issues of the journal have been published so far: Platforma 1, Platforma 2, and Platforma 3, all of which are available online.

The editorial board of Platforma 4, which is expected to be published in 2023, consists of: Dragan Petrevski, Ana Reberc, and Marko Senčar Mrdaković.

The editorial board of Platforma 5, for which a call for contributions will be announced shortly, includes: Dragan Petrevski, Doroteja Pospihalj, Lucija Mandić, Manca Koren, and Vesna Liponik.

The contact address of the editorial board is: zbornik.platforma (@) gmail.com

2. Student Affairs Office

Secretariat office of PS ZRC SAZU, first floor, Novi Trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana

Office hours for students: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Phone: +386 1 470 64 52

Email: podiplomska.sola (@) zrc-sazu.si

3. Admission Requirements

3.1. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF IDEAS AND CULTURES, Doctoral Program (3rd Cycle)

Applicants must satisfy one of the following requirements for admission to the 3rd cycle (doctoral) study programme Comparative Study of Ideas and Cultures:

completion of a 2nd cycle (master’s degree) study programme;
completion of at least an accredited four-year academic undergraduate programme with 240 ECTS credits;
completion of a uniform, accredited five-year master’s degree programme with 300 ECTS credits;
completion of a specialization following a previously completed professional study programme, and successful completion of additional study obligations amounting to 30 to 60 ECTS credits;
completion of an equivalent programme abroad.

If the number of applicants exceeds the available places, the Senate of the Postgraduate School of ZRC SAZU ranks and selects candidates based on their academic success (average grade of completed exams).

3.2. EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, Master’s Program (2nd Cycle)

3.2.1. General enrolment conditions:

Applicants must satisfy the one of the following requirements for admission to the 2^nd cycle (master’s degree) study programme Earth and Environmental Sciences:

completion of a 1^st cycle (bachelor’s degree) study programme of at least 180 ECTS, of which at least 30 ECTS in the fields of geology, geography, biology, and/or environmental protection;
completion of a 1^st cycle (bachelor’s degree) study programme of at least 180 ECTS in natural sciences other than those specified in point a). Prior to enrolment, the applicant must fulfil the study obligations required for enrolment in the 2^nd cycle (master’s degree) study programme Earth and Environmental Sciences. The study obligations, ranging from 9 to 24 ECTS, are determined by the Commission for Study Affairs of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU, which is a working body of the Senate thereof, in cooperation with the coordinators of the modules of the study programme;
completion of a 1^st cycle (bachelor’s degree) study programme of at least 180 ECTS from study areas other than those specified in points a) and b). Prior to enrolment, the candidate must fulfil the study obligations required for enrolment in the 2^nd cycle (master’s degree) study programme Earth and Environmental Sciences. The study obligations, which range from 15 to 42 ECTS, are determined by the Commission for Study Affairs of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU, which is a working body of the Senate thereof, in cooperation with the coordinators of the study programme modules;
completion of a comparable degree programme abroad and permission to continue studies in the Earth and Environmental Sciences study programme;
students of the study module Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution without previous biological knowledge must take the course The Basics of Biological Processes.

3.2.2 Specific enrolment conditions

Prior knowledge for enrolment in specific modules will be obtained during the common mandatory courses Scientific Approaches in the Natural Sciences, The Earth System, Biodiversity and Evolution, and Fundamentals of Karstology, in the 1^st semester of the 1^st academic year. In addition to providing horizontal connectivity and interdisciplinarity, the listed courses will deepen and upgrade participants’ knowledge within the selected module. In order to ensure an appropriate level of knowledge before intensive study within the selected module, passing all mandatory courses in the 1^st academic year related to the selected module is obligatory for enrolment in the 2^nd academic year.

If the module Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution is chosen by students lacking prior knowledge, the course entitled The Basics of Biological Processes will be obligatory in the 1^stsemester of the 1^st academic year.

3.3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND REGIONAL STUDIES, Doctoral Program (3rd Cycle)

3.3.1. General enrolment conditions:

Applicants must satisfy one of the following requirements for admission to the 3rd cycle (doctoral) study programme Environmental and Regional Studies:

completion of a 2nd cycle (master’s degree) study programme;
completion of at least an accredited four-year academic undergraduate programme with 240 ECTS credits;
completion of a uniform, accredited five-year master’s degree programme with 300 ECTS credits;
completion of a specialization following a previously completed professional study programme, and successful completion of additional study obligations amounting to 30 to 60 ECTS credits;
completion of an equivalent degree programme abroad.

3.3.2. Specific enrolment conditions

Enrolment in the Biodiversity and Ecology module requires a prior qualification in the biological sciences or equivalent.
Enrolment in the module Palaeobiology and Sedimentary Geology requires prior study in geology, biology, or a related degree.
Enrolment in the module Regional Studies requires prior study in courses such as geography, economics, sociology, landscape architecture, architecture, and civil engineering.
An applicant who has completed an interdisciplinary degree with content comparable to the above modules may also enrol in the Environmental and Regional Studies programme.

4. Structure of the study programmes

4.1. Doctoral Program (3rd Cycle) in Comparative Study of Ideas and Cultures

1st Year

Compulsory courses:

Independent Research Work I* (16 ECTS, preparation and public presentation of the dissertation topic)
Research Seminar I* (26 ECTS, active participation in the presentations of colleagues’ dissertation topics)
Research Methods, Argumentation, and Writing in Humanities and Social Sciences* (6 ECTS, core course)

Elective courses:

Elective Course I (6 ECTS)
Elective Course II (6 ECTS)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Condition for progression to the 2nd year: 48 ECTS (completed obligations marked with an asterisk).

2nd Year

Compulsory courses:

Independent Research Work II (44 ECTS, dissertation topic submission, dissertation writing)
Research Seminar II* (4 ECTS, active participation in the presentations of colleagues’ dissertation topics)

Elective courses:

Elective Course III (6 ECTS)
Elective Course IV (6 ECTS)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Condition for progression to the 3rd year: 120 ECTS (completed all compulsory and elective courses of the 1st and 2nd years).

3rd Year

Compulsory courses

Independent Research Work III (30 ECTS, dissertation writing and public presentation)
Doctorate (30 ECTS, successful defence of the dissertation)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Condition for completion of the program: completion of all compulsory courses in the 3rd year and successful defence of the dissertation.

Additional Year (Graduation Year)

An additional year is available for completing the program without extra academic and financial obligations.

The additional academic year is not credited with ECTS points.

4.2. Doctoral Program (3rd Cycle) in Environmental and Regional Studies

1st Year

Compulsory courses

DT001 – Scientific Methods in Environmental and Regional Studies* (9 ECTS)
DT002 – Environmental Aspects of Sustainable Development* (6 ECTS)
DT003 – Research Seminar I* (6 ECTS)
DT005 – Independent Research Work I* (21 ECTS)

Elective courses

Elective Course I (6 ECTS)
Elective Course II (6 ECTS)
Elective Course III (6 ECTS)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Condition for progression to the 2nd year: 42 ECTS (completed obligations marked with an asterisk).

2nd Year

Compulsory courses

DT004 – Research Seminar II* (9 ECTS)
DT006 – Independent Research Work II* (39 ECTS)

Elective courses

Elective Course I (6 ECTS)
Elective Course II (6 ECTS)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Condition for progression to the 3rd year: 120 ECTS (completed all compulsory and elective courses of the 1st and 2nd years).

3rd Year

Compulsory courses

DT007 – Independent Research Work III* (30 ECTS)
Doctoral Dissertation* (30 ECTS)

Total for the year: 60 ECTS.

Additional year (Graduation year)

An additional year is available for completing the program without extra academic and financial obligations.

The additional academic year is not credited with ECTS points.

5. Progression requirements

The conditions for progression are specified in the section: structure of the study program.

6. Conditions for repeating a year

A student can re-enrol in the first year if they accumulate at least 18 ECTS from that year.
A student can repeat a year only once during their studies.
A student whose student status is terminated retains the right to complete the remaining study obligations of the last enrolled year for up to two years after the status ends.

7. Extension of Student Status

According to Article 52 of the Statute of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU, a student’s status is paused during maternity leave, childcare leave following maternity leave, or sick leave longer than six months.

After completing the final semester of studies, a student retains their student status for another twelve months or until the completion of studies. In justified cases, the student status can be extended for an additional twelve months.

8. Provisions for Transfers Between Programs

Students can transfer from other doctoral study programs:

Students and graduates of any doctoral study program from any higher education institution can have their exams recognized by course leaders if they meet the standards of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU in terms of difficulty and content similarity (at least 70%). To directly transfer to the second year, the student must have accumulated the same number of points as the students of the proposed program, i.e., at least 48 ECTS; otherwise, they can only enrol in the first year.

Furthermore, a student can transfer and recognize completed study obligations up to 12 ECTS from any doctoral study program from any higher education institution or lifelong learning program at an equivalent level of difficulty.