The study programme was approved by the Senate of the University of Maribor on 27 January 2009 and adopted by the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia on 20 April 2009. The study program was confirmed again at the University of Maribor Senate meeting on the 7th of July 2015 and was accepted by The Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education on the 15th of September 2016.

Advancement according to the study programme is possible if the student fulfils certain obligations set out in the study programme and the Statute of the University of Maribor. Conditions for transition to the 2nd study year: A student advances to the 2nd study year if he/she completes the following obligations of the 1st study year: - all study subjects of the 1st semester (15 ECTS), - successful presentation of the results of individual research work of the 1st study year (39 ECTS) at the competent department. A student who does not fulfil all the obligations for transition may exceptionally be granted enrolment in the 2nd study year at his/her request by the Commission for Study Affairs of the Senate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering if he/she has fulfilled more than half of the first year study obligations (more than 30 ECTS), but only if he/she could not fulfil it for the justified reasons set out in the Statute of the University of Maribor, and if it is expected that he/she will fulfil his/her obligations. Conditions for transition to the 3rd study year: A student advances to the 3rd study year if he/she has completed all study obligations of the 1st study year (60 ECTS) and the following study obligations of the 2nd study year: - approved topic of the doctoral dissertation, - successful presentation of the results of the individual research work of the 2nd study year (51 ECTS) at the competent department. A student who does not fulfil all the obligations for advancement may, at his/her request, be granted enrolment in the 3rd study year by the Commission for Study Affairs of the University Member of the Senate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering if he/she has completed all 1st year study obligations (60 ECTS) and fulfilled more than half of the study obligations of the 2nd study year (more than 30 ECTS), insofar as he/she could not fulfil the obligations for justified reasons which are determined in the Statute of the University of Maribor, and if he/she is expected to fulfil the obligations. Conditions for applying for the doctoral dissertation topic: The student can apply for the topic of the doctoral dissertation when he/she has completed all study obligations of the 1st study year (60 ECTS) and Individual Research Work 3 (15 ECTS) in the total amount of 75 ECTS credit points. Repetition of the study year: A student who has not fulfilled all the obligations for transition to a higher study year may be granted by the Commission for Study Affairs of the Senate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at his/her request to repeat the study year, in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of the University of Maribor.

The study programme is comprehensive and does not provide for the completion of individual parts of the programme.

Postdoctoral study.

The most demanding research and development work and leading positions in enterprises. The most demanding professional and development work in government. In higher education and research institutions.

Information on study programmes offered by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the UM is available on the website https://www.fs.um.si/studij/studijski-programi/

The obligations contained in Article 157 of the Statute of the University of Maribor.

Examination and assessment of students’ learning outcomes is carried out in accordance with the criteria and methods defined in the Rules on Examination and Assessment of Knowledge at the University of Maribor, available at https://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/Strani/studij-na-um.aspx. Criteria and methods of assessing the knowledge within an individual study subject are part of the SUBJECT-SPECIFICation and are publicly available on the website https://aips.um.si/PredmetiBP5/main.asp. For all subjects in all study programmes of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, knowledge assessment is regulated by a single "Assessment Scale" which is available at https://www.fs.um.si/studij/informacije-o-studiju/izpitni-sistem/. Methods of ongoing assessment and evaluation of knowledge are encouraged, thus enabling students to monitor their own progress in their studies.

With the postgraduate doctoral study programme of the 3rd level of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the doctoral student acquires above all advanced in-depth theoretical, but also professional knowledge, skills and methods of work to solve the most demanding scientific and professional problems. Through in-depth study of scientific methods, along with various professional and applied study contents of the programme, the doctoral student develops the ability of top abstract and associative thinking, synthesis of knowledge from the broad field of Mechanical Engineering and specifically from the field of Design and Textile Materials and Technical Environmental Protection, as well as other disciplines, management of the most demanding work systems and scientific research projects, transferring research achievements into practice and developing innovative procedures for solving problems. The achieving of the goals of the study programme is assessed during the doctoral study of a doctoral students through the examination within individual study subjects and the presentation of the results of individual scientific research work at the competent departments. The primary examination of the achievement of the objectives of the study programme is at the end of the study programme, at the presentation and public oral defence of the doctoral dissertation of a doctoral student.

During their studies, students at the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering acquire the appropriate general competencies to be able to solve the most demanding scientific and professional problems in accordance with the high standards of work performance demanded from highly educated scientists or experts. Students are enabled to acquire in-depth knowledge in the broader scientific fields of Mechanical Engineering and specifically in the narrower field of Design and Textile Materials and Technical Environmental Protection, while training to find new sources of knowledge and new solutions in scientific and professional fields, to develop new scientific research methods in a spectrum of problems and in new or changed circumstances, and to take responsibility for managing the most demanding work processes and systems that require highly educated scientists and experts. These qualities are acquired by doctoral students during the study process which is designed to intensively include scientific maturation through independent scientific research projects which, in addition to scientific orientation, also include a developmental and applied note. In addition, during the study process they also acquire other skills, abilities, values, beliefs, and positive self-image which in addition to top knowledge significantly contribute to the efficient use of resources, successful communication skills, and contribute a significant share to performance in the most demanding tasks. Doctoral students at the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering develop and master state-of-the-art research methods and procedures in the broader field of Mechanical Engineering and specifically in the narrower field of Design and Textile Materials and Technical Environmental Protection and with professional criticism, self-critical judgment and responsibility design, develop, form, plan, and construct new (top) technologies and products, taking into account professional excellence, social usefulness, ethical responsibility, commitment to professional ethics and criteria for the environmental integrity of their creations. In doing so, they use systemic concepts and principles of universality. At the same time, they are able to perform independent technical assessment based on scientific analysis and synthesis. Doctoral students are able to effectively connect the latest findings of new theories – and theories that they will develop themselves – with professional and applied content. The broad, interdisciplinary orientation of the study contents enables the full expansion of their creative and innovative potentials. They know how to analyse problems, eliminate insignificant influences, make a synthesis, propose innovative solutions, choose the best decision at a given moment and assess the consequences associated with it. At work, they are independent, innovative and unconventional, and at the same time, within the study programme, they develop communication skills and group work in the domestic and international environment.

Subject-specific competence is an activity that is developed to the extent that it enables the individual to effectively perform the activity in the work process to which it relates. Subject-specific competence means the direct use of specialist or applied knowledge and is developed in simulations, case studies and in the direct use of knowledge in problem solving. The doctoral student at the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is a scientist and expert with top and in-depth theoretical and methodological knowledge for solving the most demanding problems in designing, planning and conducting scientific and research tasks in the broad field of Mechanical Engineering and specifically in Design and Textile Materials as well as Technical Environmental Protection. The development of completely new, original approaches and solutions is the basic mission of both a highly educated scientist and expert. Studying in individual postgraduate fields enables the student to form a scientific profile by choosing appropriate subject areas that coincide either with his/her individual interests or with the needs for specialist knowledge in a particular research institution. Subject-specific competences are listed for each curriculum separately. The main subject-specific competencies developed by the postgraduate doctoral study programme of the 3rd level of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, which are an upgrade of the above, can be summarized in the following items: • mastering and deepening knowledge in the chosen scientific field (e.g., construction and design of technical systems, computer modelling of technical systems, computer and exp. modelling of transmission phenomena, energy and process engineering, intelligent processing and control systems, advanced concepts of production management, materials technology, nonlinear mechanics, design and textile materials, technical environmental protection), • search for new sources of knowledge in the scientific and professional field, • design, evaluation and production of advanced technologies, innovative products and systems that are or will be marketable on world markets, • development of scientific research methods in a wider range of problems and thus a quick response to new circumstances at home and internationally, • mastering new technological procedures and processes, • search for new solutions and scientific research approach in the design and manufacture of products related to new techniques and cutting-edge technologies, • integrated approach to the development, manufacture and optimization of products and plants by taking into account several factors, e.g., functional properties, shape, manufacture, assembly, economics, management, maintenance, ecology, • integration of the results of other disciplines in the broader field of mechanical engineering and specifically in the narrower field of design and textile materials and technical environmental protection, • coherent management of basic knowledge and integration of knowledge from different fields, • placing new information and interpretations in the context of the basic discipline, • understanding the general structure of the basic discipline and the connection between its subdisciplines, • understanding and applying methods of critical analysis and synthesis, • development of skills and abilities in the application of knowledge in a specific professional field, • development and use of modern computer, information and communication technology, • leading group work and managing communication within the organization and externally, • taking responsibility for managing the most demanding work systems and developing critical reflection.

Candidates who completed the following may apply for a 3 rd-cycle (doctoral) study programme of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: - A 2nd-cycle (master’s) study programme. - A unified (long-cycle) master’s study programme corresponding to 300 ECTS credits. - An undergraduate academic study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004 corresponding to a minimum of 240 ECTS credits. - A specialisation following an undergraduate professional study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004, corresponding to a minimum of 240 ECTS credits in total. Prior to enrolment, candidates shall fulfil the following study obligations corresponding to 30 ECTS credits: ? Mechanical Engineering option: the Selected Topics in Mathematics (6 ECTS), Selected Topics in Mechanics (6 ECTS), Advanced Engineering Materials (6 ECTS), Methodology of Experimental Work (6 ECTS), and Numerical Modelling and Computer Simulations (6 ECTS) courses under the 2nd -cycle (master’s) study programme in Mechanical Engineering. ? Environmental Engineering option: study obligations corresponding to 30 ECTS credits in the field of ecology and environmental protection under the 2nd-cycle (master’s) study programme in Environmental Engineering shall be determined by the Faculty’s Academic Affairs Committee, taking into account the candidate’s previous field of expertise (the type of previously completed study programme). ? Design and Textile Materials option: Candidates shall complete study obligations under the 2nd-cycle (master’s) study programme in Design and Textile Materials depending on the selected doctoral dissertation topic. Candidates preparing a doctoral dissertation in the field of materials and technologies shall pass the Analytical Methods in Textiles, Mechanical Properties of Textile Materials, Surface Properties of Polymer Materials, Methods of Textile Materials Recycling, and Nanomaterials courses. Candidates who decide for a doctoral dissertation in the field of design shall pass the Colour Metrics, Presentation Techniques and Virtual Catalogues, Fashion Design, Management of Textile Product Development, Visual Communication, or Multifunctionality in Design courses. - An equivalent qualification obtained abroad

If the number of applications exceeds the number of available positions, candidates shall be ranked according to: – grade point average including the thesis (100%).

Candidates may transfer to the study programme provided they fulfil the following criteria: - criteria for enrolment in the first year of the 3rd-cycle study programme of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; - they are transferring from a study programme leading to the acquisition of comparable competences or learning outcomes; - at least half of the study obligations evaluated according to the ECTS credit system of the previous study programme relating to compulsory courses of the new study programme are recognised. In accordance with the Criteria for Transferring Between Study Programmes, candidates who completed the following may be admitted to a corresponding year of the 3 rd-cycle (doctoral) study programme of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: 1. A master of science study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004 in the field of engineering and natural sciences. Depending on the similarity of the study programmes, candidates are awarded between 60 (enrolment in the second year of study) and 120 ECTS credits (enrolment in the third year of study). 2. A specialisation (a minimum of 60 ECTS credits) following an undergraduate academic study programme in the field of engineering and natural sciences (a minimum of 240 ECTS credits) adopted prior to 11 June 2004 and corresponding to at least 300 ECTS credits in total. Candidates are awarded 60 ECTS credits. Candidates may transfer to the study programme also from other 3 rd-cycle study programmes in the field of engineering and natural sciences provided they fulfil the admission requirements and there are enough enrolment places available. The transfer shall be addressed by the Committee for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In accordance with the Rules on the Recognition of Knowledge and Skills in Study Programmes of the University of Maribor, the candidate shall submit to the faculty: - an application for the recognition of knowledge and skills at the University of Maribor; - proof of fulfilled study obligations (exams) including grades and ECTS credits; - validated course syllabi according to which knowledge was acquired; - a receipt of payment for the recognition procedure. If under the recognition procedure enough fulfilled study obligations is recognized that the candidate meets the criteria for enrolment in the higher year of the 3 rd-cycle (doctoral) study programme of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, enrolment in the second or higher year is approved and study obligations required for completion of the new study programme are laid down. If the number of applications exceeds the number of available enrolment places, candidates shall be ranked according to grade point average.

Criteria for recognition of knowledge and skills are regulated by the Rules on Recognition of Knowledge and Skills in Study Programmes of the University of Maribor which regulate the procedures for identifying, verifying, and recognizing knowledge and criteria for recognizing knowledge and skills acquired by candidates through formal and non-formal learning prior to enrolment and while studying at the University of Maribor. The rules can be found at https://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/Strani/studij-na-um.aspx. The basic criterion for recognition is the comparability of knowledge acquired elsewhere with learning units, skills and competences. Examination, in terms of content and complexity, whether they fully or partially correspond to the general and/or subject-specific competencies determined by the study programme.

The student completes the study programme of the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering when he/she completes all study obligations in the amount of 180 ECTS credits (passes all exams determined by the study programme, individual research work and prepares and successfully defends a doctoral dissertation). The doctoral dissertation must be an independent and original contribution to the scientific discipline from which the candidate wishes to obtain a doctorate of science. Details on the procedure for applying for and confirming a doctoral dissertation topic, selecting a mentor, the procedure for preparing, designing and evaluating a doctoral dissertation, and the procedure for defending a doctoral dissertation are set out in the Rules on the Procedure for Applying for and Defending a Doctoral Dissertation at the University of Maribor. Before submitting a doctoral dissertation, a doctoral student must have at least one publication published from the doctoral dissertation in which he is cited as the first author. Relevant publications are scientific articles published in JCR journals which are in the top three quarters of the quality, and patents with a fully passed tests. Until the defence of the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral student of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering must have published an additional original scientific contribution in journals included in the JCR list.