During its 22nd regular session on 25 February 2010, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the single discipline postgraduate study programme "Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience" (3rd Bologna cycle - PhD), implemented by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, Slomškov trg 15, SI-2000 Maribor, in accordance with Article 51h and chapter 2 of Article 23 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: U-I-370/06-20 and 64/08), and with reference to Article 2 of the valid Rules of Procedure of the Accreditation Senate (Pravila o delu Senata za akreditacijo) and article 2 of the 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. 101/04). During its 40th regular session on 29 January 2019, the Senate of the University of Maribor confirmed the change in the duration of studies from three to four years and the change of the study programme name to Psychology.

Conditions for advancing from the first to the second year: To advance from the first to the second year, the student must complete the study obligations of the first year in the amount of 54 ECTS. Exceptionally, a candidate who, for justified reasons, has failed to complete the prescribed study obligations in accordance with the Statute of the University of Maribor (Articles 85, 121 and 214 Of the Statute of the University of Maribor) may also enrol in the second year, whereby without the completed study units of Scientific Research Methods and IRD 1, advancing from the first to the second year is not normally possible. The assessment of the justification of the reasons is performed by the Commission for Academic Affairs of Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. Conditions for advancing from the second to the third year: To advance from the second to the third year, the student must complete the study obligations of the first year in the amount of 60 ECTS and of the second year in the amount of 54 ECTS. Exceptionally, a candidate who, for justified reasons, has failed to complete the prescribed study obligations in accordance with the Statute of the University of Maribor (Articles 85, 121 and 214 of the Statute of the University of Maribor) may also enrol in the third year, whereby without the completed study unit of IRD 3, advancing from the second to the third year is not normally possible. The assessment of the justification of the reasons is performed by the Commission for Academic Affairs of Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. Conditions for advancing from the third to the fourth year: To advance from the third to the fourth year, a student must complete all study obligations from the first and second year (120 ECTS) and the obligations of the third year in the amount of 57 ECTS. Exceptionally, a candidate who, for justified reasons, has failed to complete the prescribed study obligations in accordance with the Statute of the University of Maribor (Articles 85, 121 and 214 of the Statute of the University of Maribor) may also enrol in the fourth year, whereby without the completed study unit of IRD 5, advancing from the second to the third year is not normally possible. The assessment of the justification of the reasons is performed by the Commission for Academic Affairs of Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. Advancing with missing requirements and repetition of the year are defined by the Statute of the University of Maribor.

The programme does not contain parts that can be completed individually.

Graduates of the 3rd Bologna cycle – PhD study programme Psychology will become versatile specialists guided by reason and equipped with comprehensive theoretical and practical specialist-field-specific knowledge that will qualify them for a professional career in many different areas and fields in the economic sector, particularly in research-oriented enterprises, marketing, human resources, or in the field of developing new specialist-discipline-specific research methods. According to the data provided by the Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ), graduates of the 3rd Bologna cycle – PhD study programme "Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience" are eligible to work as psychologists (general orientation), medical psychologists, university (tertiary education) lecturers and university (tertiary education) associates.

During its 22nd regular session on 25 February 2010, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the single discipline postgraduate study programme "Sociology" (3rd Bologna cycle - PhD), implemented by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, Slomškov trg 15, SI-2000 Maribor, in accordance with Article 51h and chapter 2 of Article 23 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: U-I-370/06-20 and 64/08), and with reference to Article 2 of the valid Rules of Procedure of the Accreditation Senate (Pravila o delu Senata za akreditacijo) and article 2 of the 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. 101/04).

The examining and grading system is regulated by 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: 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/. 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. In order to achieve good study results, the study progress of students of the programme Psychology is monitored individually, namely (1) with intensive communication and counselling provided by the holders of individual courses, (2) with intensive communication and counselling provided by the tutor of each student (determined for each student upon enrolment in the doctoral studies), (3) with intensive communication and counselling, which is carried out by the intended mentor of the doctoral thesis and is carried out within the framework of individual research work.

The main objective of the doctoral study programme Psychology is to educate and train top experts-researchers in the field of psychology and cognitive science with an interdisciplinary view of human behaviour. Additional objectives are as follows: • deepen and upgrade the knowledge and skills acquired by students in previous levels of education; • strengthen the competencies and skills of scientific research (e.g., oral and written presentation of scientific results, ethics in the research process) • strengthen specific methodological knowledge in the field of psychology, medicine, and computer science • gain a comprehensive view of one's own scientific research problem, taking into account several different areas and perspectives The stated objectives are in line with the narrower content objectives of individual curricula and are the starting point for checking and measuring students' learning outcomes. Forms and methods of assessment are defined individually in the curricula; the provisions of the relevant legal acts of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor and the University of Maribor shall be taken into account.

The general competencies acquired through the programme are as follows: • knowledge, analysis, and evaluation of knowledge in the fields of psychology and cognitive science, • independent and original solutions of basic research problems in the field of psychology and cognitive science, • highly-developed ability to observe and synthesize knowledge, • highly-developed ability of independent initiative in the accumulation of knowledge of sources; • highly-developed ability of self-criticism and knowledge of the importance of lifelong learning; • highly-developed ability to critically evaluate diverse information sources; • ability of effective research work at a high level of complexity, both quantitative and qualitative; • high level of competence for use and work in information technology; • highly-developed ability to express one's own opinion positioned in broader social science intellectual findings; • developed ability to resolve conflicts through the analysis of social contexts; • ability to apply social science knowledge to real professional problems; • high level of commitment to professional ethics, • develop the ability of effective oral communication of experimentally-acquired knowledge to the professional public, • develop the ability to write scientific papers in journals covered by the JCR.

In accordance with the research priorities of the Department of Psychology and course holders at the Department of Psychology, the student will acquire the following subject-specific competencies within individual research priorities: 1) Work, stress, and health - use of tests and psychological tools to assess stress, working conditions, and (physical and mental) health - understanding the psychometric characteristics of tests - understanding of cross-sectional and longitudinal research plans - use of complex statistical methods in data analysis - use of electrophysiological methods to study brain function and the interpretation of data thus obtained, - understanding and application of methods used in physiology, - understanding and application of basic transformations and procedures for computer signal processing that enable medical diagnostics and recognition systems, - use computer development environments and dedicated computer equipment in the field of signals, 2) Cognition, personality and learning - use of tests and psychological tools to assess personality, cognitive development, executive functions, learning outcomes and learning success, intelligence, emotional and motivational states - understanding the psychometric characteristics of tests - use of complex statistical methods in data analysis - understanding of cross-sectional and longitudinal and experimental plans - understanding the planning of cognitive training and interventions - the ability to develop an experimental plan to determine the relationship between psychological and cognitive functions and brain activity, individual indicators of this activity (e.g., ERP, ERD, ApEn, in different frequency ranges of EEG signals), - understanding the relationship between behaviour, functioning, and brain activity, - development of mathematical and computer models for simulating the functioning of neural networks, - use of mathematical and statistical methods for analysis and comparison of experimentally-obtained electrophysiological data. 3) Social processes, community and media - use of tests and psychological tools to assess the intensity of use of social networks, emotional and motivational states, and other factors that determine an individual's behaviour in a particular social context - understanding the psychometric characteristics of tests - use of complex statistical methods in data analysis - understanding of cross-sectional and longitudinal and experimental plans - understanding the interaction between humans and machines, - knowledge of tools and methods for successful big data processing, - making mathematical and computer models.

Candidates who completed the following may apply for the 3rd-cycle (doctoral) study programme in Psychology: - A 2nd-cycle (master’s) study programme. - An undergraduate academic study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004. - A specialisation following an undergraduate professional study programme adopted prior to 11 June 2004. Prior to enrolment, candidates shall pass the following courses corresponding to 40 ECTS credits under the 1st-cycle (bachelor’s) study programme in Psychology (courses in the fields of psychology, medicine, and computer science): Perception (5 ECTS), Cognitive Processes (6 ECTS), Motivation and Emotion (4 ECTS), Psychometric Theory and Methods (7 ECTS), Physiology (6 ECTS), Statistics for Psychologists (9 ECTS), and Computer in Psychology (3 ECTS). - A study programme educating students for professions regulated by EU directives or another unified (long-cycle) master’s study programme corresponding to 300 ECTS credits.

If enrolment will be restricted, the selection will be based on the following criteria: - average grade in the previous study - (30%). - success in the elective exam (70%) - Descriptive and inferential statistics and multivariate analyses

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 student may have recognized knowledge and skills acquired before enrolment and in various forms of formal or non-formal education, which the student demonstrates with certificates and other documents that show the content and scope of the work in a way that allows evaluation according to ECTS. The candidate may have recognized the following obligations: a) Informally acquired knowledge: published original scientific articles (1.01) and review scientific articles (1.02) in the field of the doctoral studies or in the field of individual elective courses, published before enrolment in the programme in a journal covered by the JCR database. b) Formally-acquired knowledge: knowledge and skills acquired before enrolment in various forms of formal education, which the student demonstrates with certificates and other documents that show the content and scope of the student's work. According to the content and complexity, the recognized knowledge and skills must fully or partially correspond to the general or subject-specific competencies determined by the study programme Psychology. Ex. Rules on the recognition of knowledge and skills acquired before enrolment in the study programme: http://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/Akti%20univerze%20v%20Marib oru/Pravilnik%20o%20priznavanju%20znanj%20in%20spretnosti,%20pridobljenih%20 pred%20vpisom.pdf.

The student completes all the obligations prescribed by the study programme, has published or accepted one scientific article for publication in a journal with an impact factor, writes and successfully defends a doctoral dissertation, and thus collects 240 ECTS credits.