During its 25th regular session on 21 April 2011, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA), implemented by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, Slomškov trg 15, SI-2000 Maribor, in accordance with paragraph 7 of chapter 11 of Article 51h and chapter 7 of Article 51p of the Higher Education Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZVis) (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 119/06 – official consolidated text, 59/07 – Scholarship Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZŠtip), 15/08- Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, 64/08, 86/09 and 62/2010 – Exercise of Rights to Public Funds Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZUPJS), and with reference to Article 56 of the valid Criteria for the Accreditation and External Evaluation of Higher Education Institutions and Study Programmes (Merila za akreditacijo in zunanjo evalvacijo visokošolskih zavodov in študijskih programov – Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 95/2010).

To pass to the 2nd year, the student must collect at least 57 ECTS. A candidate who has not completed all study obligations may file in a written application to the Commission for Study Affairs for enrolment in the next year if they have collected more than half of the ECTS obligations of the current year and submit justifiable reasons defined by the Statute of the University of Maribor. The student must meet the established conditions in both parts of the dual-specialization study programme. It is possible to repeat the year if approved by the Commission for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, on the basis of the student's application, in which the student must prove the existence of substantiated reasons. Repeating the year, advancing with missing requirements, extending the student status and parallel studies are determined by the Statute of the University of Maribor.

The 2nd level degree single-specialization non-pedagogical study programme Psychology does not contain individual parts.

The educational and specialist content of the study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle – MA) provides graduates of this particular study programme with knowledge, skills, and competences that make them eligible to enrol in PhD (3rd Bologna cycle) studies form the specialist field of Psychology, or to continue their studies in the scope of relevant psychology-related specialist programmes or specialist social studies programmes respectively.

The single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) offered at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Maribor is in accordance with the European guidelines for educating and training psychologists (project EuroPsy) and represents the second academic level (2nd degree) in the scope of educating and training professional psychologists. The educational content provides students enrolled in this particular study programme with knowledge, skills, and competences that will qualify them for a possible career in many different areas and fields, such as the economic sector, the public sector, or the research sector. Graduates of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) will be eligible to enrol in PhD (3rd Bologna cycle) studies form the specialist study field of Psychology, or to continue their studies in the scope of relevant Psychology-specific specialist programmes or specialist social science programmes respectively. Graduates of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) will be qualified for employment in areas that demand specialist knowledge and proficiency in the fields of psychology and social sciences, skills and proficiency in specific medical knowledge, proficiency in communication skills, and proficiency in analytical skills. Hence, graduates of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) will be qualified to work in: - Medical institutions; - Educational institutions; - Preschool education and child care institutions; - Social care institutions; - Institutions and organisations offering psychological counselling and mental health care; - Institutions and organisations offering family counselling and support services; - Military, police, and civil protection institutions respectively; - Prisons and detention centres; - Sports institutions and organisations; - Humanitarian organisations; - Social and market research agencies respectively; - Political or public administration institutions, organisations, and agencies respectively; - Company or organisations management positions respectively; - Broad-scale marketing; - Various professional areas as organisers or supervisors of project-related activities; - Research or cultural institutions (profit or non-profit); - Human resources; - Publishing or media.

The Council of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education in accordance with Article 100 of the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 16/07-UPB5, 36/08, 58/09, 64/09-corr., 65/09-corr., 20/11, 40/12-ZUJF, 57/12-ZPCP-2D, 2/15 - Dec. of the Constitutional Court: UI-269/12-24, 47/15, 46/16, 49/16-corr. And 25/17-ZVaj) and on the basis of the proposal of the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Education (doc. no.: 0130-2/2019-10, date: 4. 6. 2019) finds that the 2nd level degree master's study programme Psychology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor since the academic year 2018/19 includes appropriate pedagogical and andragogical knowledge to perform the educational work of a professional in the field of education.

The single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) is focused on conveying and broadening the general theoretical-conceptual knowledge and particularly psychology-specific knowledge as well as non-psychology-related knowledge relevant for professionals in the field of Psychology. The main psychology-specific applicative specialist fields are represented by the courses Clinical Psychology, Psychology in Education, and Organizational Behaviour. All of the specialist fields referred to are integrated in the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA). The specialist fields represented to the largest extent focus on clinical psychology, counselling, and psychotherapy. In accordance with the guidelines of the European qualification standard for psychologists (EuroPsy), the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) represents a knowledge-and-skills related upgrade to the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (1st Bologna cycle - BA). Therefore graduates of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) will acquire broader and more in-depth specialist knowledge and expertise from the field of Psychology compared to graduates of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (1st Bologna cycle - BA). The single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) is based on a vertical (previously acquired psychology-specific knowledge is reinforced and upgraded) and horizontal relation (the courses are supplemented with additional specialist content) to the curriculum of the single major non-pedagogical study programme "Psychology" (1st Bologna cycle - BA). Courses taught during each semester are complementary. The specialist knowledge conveyed through the courses taught during individual semesters represents the bases for successful acquisition of higher-level knowledge conveyed through courses taught during the respective following semesters. The 1st semester courses are oriented towards providing students with in-depth knowledge in and about the fundamental areas of basic and applicative Psychology and psychology-related fields of study (through subjects such as Life-span Development and Aging, Basics of Psychodiagnostics, Psychological Counselling in Education, Principles of Neuropsychology, and elective courses related to the subject Organizational Behaviour), as well as with practical methodical and methodological skills (by means of the subject Complex Statistical Methods). Distinct horizontal relatedness is established between the respective subject pairs of 'Basics of Psychodiagnostics and Psychological Counselling in Education' and 'Basics of Psychodiagnostics and Principles of Neuropsychology'. All subjects included in the curriculum are supported by the methodology-specific subject Complex Statistical Methods. The 2nd semester courses are oriented towards providing students with in-depth knowledge in and about practical social Psychology (Applied Social Psychology) and psychology-related fields of study, broadening the students' knowledge in and about relevant non-psychology-related content (Family and Education in Contemporary Society, Professional Ethics), and upgrading the students' knowledge acquired during their 1st semester studies (Basics of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Clinical Neuropsychology, Work Psychology, Approaches in Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and Analytic Psychotherapies). Distinct vertical relatedness with 1st semester content is established within the subjects Basics of Counselling and Psychotherapy (with the subjects Basics of Psychodiagnostics (distinct relation) as well as with the subject Psychological Counselling in Education (partial relation)), Clinical Neuropsychology (with the subject Principles of Neuropsychology), Work Psychology (with the subject Organizational Behaviour – selected content), and Approaches in Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and Analytic Psychotherapies (with the subject Basics of Psychodiagnostics). Distinct horizontal relatedness is established between the subject pairs of 'Basics of Counselling and Psychotherapy and Approaches in Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and Analytic Psychotherapies', while the subjects Applied Social Psychology, Family and Education in Contemporary Society, and Professional Ethics support all subjects included in the curriculum. The compulsory 3rd semester subjects Approaches in Psychotherapy: Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy and Approaches in Psychotherapy: Humanistic and Existential Approaches are vertically related to subjects taught during previous semesters (particularly to the subjects Basics of Psychodiagnostics, Life-span Development and Aging, Basics of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Approaches in Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and Analytic Psychotherapies, and Applied Social Psychology). The compulsory 3rd semester subjects Approaches in Psychotherapy: Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy and Approaches in Psychotherapy: Humanistic and Existential Approaches are also horizontally related to each other. Elective courses from the social studies and humanist spectrum respectively are oriented towards broadening and supplementing the specialist knowledge acquired by students through courses taught during previous semesters. Compulsory practical training and elective courses offered as part of the 4th semester studies represent means for broadening and reinforcing the basic and specialist knowledge acquired by the students during previous semesters. The study programme is focused on facilitating, supporting, and reinforcing the personal development of the students. During the course of their studies, the students are introduced to the basics of effective and efficient tertiary education, teamwork, expert and specialist research, academic writing, and approaches towards researching and accessing sources and databases containing credible information. Students can broaden their knowledge on a vertical level by completing optional elective courses in the scope of specific study programmes offered by other departments. The final master's graduation thesis represents a synthesis of the knowledge, skills and subject-specific competences the students had acquired during the course of their studies.

The examining and grading system is regulated with the Statute of the University of Maribor: http://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/Akti%20univerze%20v%20Mariboru/Uradno-10.pdf and the Rules on Examination and Grading at the University of Maribor, no. A4/2009-41 AG and its amendments: http://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/Strani/studij-na-um.aspx. Accordingly, the methods and forms of examining and grading knowledge in the curricula are defined for each individual study unit of an individual study programme. All curricula are published on the web link: http://www.ff.um.si/studenti/studijski-programi/ and in the catalog of Bologna subjects: https://aips.um.si/PredmetiBP5/main.asp. In addition, students have access to AIPS UM (Academic Information Subsystem of the University of Maribor), which provides insight into the activities of individual students (exam records, detailed insight into the number of exam attempts and all completed and uncompleted obligations).

The main objective of the 2nd level degree study programme Psychology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor is to create an educational profile that provides full qualifications and necessary competencies for independent practice in psychology, with appropriate (in-depth and flexible) Master's students of the programme that become psychologists have a wide range of employment opportunities in many areas. They are employed as expert workers in all activities of modern society: pre-school institutions, primary school, secondary school, in the field of higher education, social welfare, employment, health care, economy, police, military forces, trade (marketing), state and administrative institutions (such as economic and similar associations and chambers, national social welfare institutions, etc.). We also find them in the worlds of culture and politics. With the regulation of the field of psychotherapeutic activities, the field of private psychotherapeutic practice is becoming ever more important, both in terms of the diversity of the offer of various psychotherapeutic approaches as well as the interest and demand for these services. Outcomes of education in terms of such knowledge and skills are acquired by students through various forms of contact work (lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory work, practice) and individual work; and holders of learning content check and assess students' outcomes through various methods, namely: active individual and group work on lectures and tutorials (discussions, assignments, small projects, quizzes, case studies and presentations, reports on completed assignments, etc.); individual/group seminar projects; projects; mid-term exams, tests; portfolio; case study; written exam; oral exam; preparation and presentation of a diploma seminar paper.

The general competencies that students acquire through the 2nd level degree study programme Psychology are: · General and study-specific scientific and professional knowledge; · Ability to independently accumulate and use knowledge and means and sources of knowledge; · Ability to critically interpret research and specialist literature and other information sources; · Ability to observe, analyze, synthesize, and critically evaluate solutions and consequences; · Knowledge and use of methods of scientific research and problem solving; · Developed self-criticism, readiness for further improvement and ability to control one's own professional development; · Developed ability for individual and team work; · Use of modern information technology in the organization of work and solving work problems; · Developed ability to express, represent and be able to develop arguments about their position in a dialogue, with an emphasis on progressive conflict resolution; · Ability to solve concrete work problems by finding sources of knowledge and using scientific methods; · Ability of appropriate written expression (articles, discussions) and oral expression (lectures, presentations); · Independent planning and organization of work tasks in various areas; · Ability to manage projects, design and manage professional practice; · Monitoring and ensuring the quality of one's own work; · Personal integrity and ability to act with a commitment to professional ethics. The candidate will develop an understanding and ability to use knowledge to the point of demonstrating a professional and ethically correct approach to solving problems from fields of expertise, will be able to formulate and develop arguments for their proposals and positions in solving problems within the field of expertise and will be open to hear different arguments and new proposals. At the same time, they will develop the appropriate learning skills needed for effective lifelong learning and the bases for further action with a high level of independence.

Subject-specific competencies ensure a high specialist qualification of the candidate with the developed necessary motivation for research work and the ability for independent lifelong learning. They are listed in each curriculum in the section "transferable/key skills and other attributes"; otherwise they will appear as a set of academic and applied competencies that the student will possess during and even more at the end of the study, while allowing them individual subject and specialist innovation in the field of education, scientific research, and in the professional field: · In-depth knowledge and understanding of the basic fields of basic and applied psychology and psychology-related scientific fields (from the fields of social sciences, humanities, natural sciences and health sciences); · Mastering demanding psychological knowledge and the ability to connect it with various other scientific fields and using it in practice; · Ability to analyze complex psychological problems in a professional and autonomous way; · Mastering the research methods, procedures, and techniques used in the field of psychology, and their application, taking into account the critical analysis and synthesis of theoretical knowledge and relevant information in solving work problems in the areas of psychology; · Ability to plan, organize, conduct scientific research in the psychological field (quantitative, qualitative, action); · Understanding and taking into account developmental, individual, social, and cultural differences in psychological treatment; · Ability to provide psychological treatment and counseling to individuals, groups and institutions in various areas of society; · Ability to properly interact with the subject or subjects, analyze their needs and set goals for psychological treatment; · Ability to perform psychological treatment by assessing the relevant characteristics of individuals, groups, institutions and/or situations using appropriate psychological approaches and methods, procedures and techniques; · Planning, implementation and evaluating psychological intervention in various target groups (children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, people with mental health problems); · Ability to provide information of psychological treatment that meets the needs and expectations of the subjects; · Ability to monitor the development of psychology through acquiring new knowledge and skills while using them in psychological activities; · Monitoring and responding to social changes and consequently new challenges and needs from the immediate and wider social environment, taking into account the latter in psychological practice; · Knowledge, understanding, and commitment in dealing with ethical and professional principles, standards, rules, laws that are in accordance with psychological and universal ethical principles.

Candidates who completed the following may apply for the 2nd-cycle (master’s) study programme in Psychology: 1. A 1st-cycle (bachelor’s) study programme in the field of psychology (0313). 2. An undergraduate academic study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004 in the field of psychology (0313). Candidates are typically awarded 60 ECTS credits and may enrol in the second year of study provided they satisfy the transfer criteria laid down in the accredited study programme.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of available enrolment places, candidates shall be ranked according to: - grade point average excluding the grade awarded for the thesis (100%).

Transfers between programmes are possible in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the Criteria for Transfers between Study Programmes (UL RS 14/19). Applicants who meet conditions for enrolment in the proposed programme and the conditions for transfer between programmes will be told what year they may enrol in and what missing course units they must complete if they wish to conclude their studies under the new programme. Transfers are possible between programmes: – which guarantee the acquisition of comparable competences on completion and between which at least half the course units under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) from the first study programme relating to compulsory units of the second study programme may be recognised under the criteria for recognising knowledge and skills acquired prior to enrolment in the programme.

The Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor may recognize candidates' acquired knowledge, qualifications or skills, which, in terms of content and complexity, fully or partially correspond to the general or subject-specific competencies determined by an individual study programme. In the process of 2nd level degree education, students may have recognized the knowledge and skills acquired before enrolment in various forms of formal education, which the student proves with certificates and other documents. The scope and content of the submitted work are evaluated according to the ECTS system up to a maximum of 15 ECTS, which can replace comparable obligations according to the set-out study programme Psychology. During their education at the 2nd level degree study programme Psychology, students may have their obligations recognized as fulfilled on the basis of submitted documents from the field of non-formal education or performed specialist work (project, study, publications, inventions, patents and other copyright works). The scope and content of the submitted work are evaluated according to the ECTS system up to a maximum of 10 ECTS, which can replace the obligations in elective courses of the study programme. The basic criterion for recognition or non-recognition is the comparability of knowledge acquired elsewhere with study units, skills and qualifications in the 2nd level degree study programme Psychology. Applications for the recognition of knowledge and skills, such as research projects, research and specialist articles in recognized specialist journals, patents, inventions, innovations, and specialist studies obtained before enrolment in the programme, will be considered by the Faculty of Arts in accordance with regulations. The candidate submits an application for the recognition of knowledge and skills to the Commission for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Arts. The Commission seeks the opinion of the Department of Psychology and then issues a decision in line with the proposal of the Department of Psychology.

To complete the 2nd level degree study programme Psychology, the student must complete all the obligations set out in the study programme and course curricula, in the total amount of 120 ECTS. In this scope of obligations, it is also set out that the student must successfully complete an internship and write a master's thesis and successfully defend it.