During its 17th regular session on 22 April 2009, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the postgraduate study programme "History" (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.

Conditions for advancing from the first to the second year of the study field: In total, the student must complete the obligations of the first year in the amount of 42 ECTS in order to advance to the second year. Conditions for advancing from the second to the third year of study: To advance from the second to the third year, the student must complete the established obligations of the first year, in the amount of 60 ECTS, and the obligations of the second year in the amount of 54 ECTS. Conditions for advancing from the third to the fourth year of study: To advance from the third to the fourth year, the student must complete the prescribed obligations of the second year, in the amount of 60 ECTS, and the obligations of the third year in the amount of 57 ECTS.

The study programme does not have any conditions for the completion of individual parts of the programme.

Postdoctoral studies.

Employment in research organisations, organisations in upbringing or education, public institutions, industry, in the field of professional counselling.

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. Methods of continuous examining and grading of knowledge are encouraged, which enables students to continuously monitor their own progress and assess the acquired knowledge and skills. Depending on the individual study units and the order of their implementation, the individual obligations of students are mutually coordinated in such a way that some study units require more continuous work, others a greater deal of independent research work (preparation of a quality seminar paper), some units are completed with written or oral exams. All curricula are publicly published in the catalogue 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).

As the number and sources of information increase, the purpose of teaching shifts from the accumulation of information, which soon becomes obsolete, to training for its meaningful organization and critical evaluation. The aim of the 3rd level degree study programme History is to educate top experts in the field of historiography with broad humanistic knowledge, which provides a basis for understanding the most difficult historical problems and theoretical and methodological concepts. We want to train experts to independently develop new knowledge and solve the most demanding problems by testing and improving known and discovering new solutions in the field of historiography. Doctoral students of the study programme will be able to solve the most demanding questions from the field of history, publishing research results based on scientific sources in the form of scientific articles and monographs, for the management of scientific research projects, and for the production of scientific research work in the field of history. In addition, the processes of knowledge production and application, in which specific knowledge of history, abilities and skills are not only desirable but also indispensable, are becoming increasingly diverse. The study of History has been renewed and is also relevant in this respect, as it will provide students with a good basis for interdisciplinary cooperation. Assessing whether students achieve the mentioned objectives is done through the study programme-specific methods of assessing and grading knowledge: written and oral exams, preparation of seminar papers, presentations and evaluating active participation in individual learning units.

Through the doctoral study program History and within the framework of general competencies, students will acquire and master in particular the following: - acquiring professional knowledge on the basis of the study of existing theoretical samples; - functional use of scientific methods; - functional application of history-specific methods of work in practice; - creative and critical thinking, connecting facts and rules into new combinations of knowledge; - transfer of theoretical knowledge into practice; - communication with history experts and experts from other fields; - individual and group work; - ability to use research methods in the preparation of scientific and research work, - autonomy in scientific research and the ability to make critical judgments in decision-making, - ability to independently use the acquired theoretical knowledge to solve problems in practice, - development of communication skills, in particular continuous communication in an international environment, - ability to analyze comparative sources. - ability to work in project groups, cooperation, - practical application of knowledge.

Subject-specific competences derive from the entire programme, which provides a basic framework of knowledge of history on the basis of compulsory courses. The competencies developed by the History programme are as follows: - knowledge and understanding of history studies; - knowledge and mastery of research methodology in historiography; - knowledge of the position of historiography within history studies; - developing communication skills for successful public speaking; - knowledge of modern research theoretical and methodological approaches in historiography and their applications; - the ability to comparatively connect Slovene historiography with world historiographies; - ability to plan, carry out, evaluate and present one's own research work using modern audiovisual devices; - ability to respond to current cultural and historical challenges of modern times. Subject-specific competencies ensure the candidate's qualification for quality professional and independent work in the field of history and motivate for the ability of independent lifelong learning.

Candidates who completed the following may apply for the 3rd-cycle (doctoral) study programme in History: - 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 30 ECTS credits: Practical Course in Historiography (10 ECTS) irrespective of the selected study option and the following option-specific courses: 1. for the ANCIENT HISTORY study option: Roman History and Slovene Territory in the Antiquity (10 ECTS) and Greek History (10 ECTS) compulsory courses; 2. for the HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES study option: Slovene History in Middle Age (10 ECTS) compulsory course and - History of Europe in the Middle Ages (10 ECTS) or Non-European History in the Middle Ages (10 ECTS): students select a course depending on their dissertation topic; 3. for the HISTORY OF THE MODERN PERIOD study option: History of the Slovene Territory in the Early Modern Period (10 ECTS) compulsory course and - History of Europe in the Early Modern Period (10 ECTS) or Non-European History in the Early Modern Period (10 ECTS): students select a course depending on their dissertation topic; 4. for the MODERN HISTORY (19th century) study option: Slovene History in the 19th Century (1790-1914) (10 ECTS) compulsory course and - History of the Balkans in the 19th Century (1790-1914) (10 ECTS), History of Europe in the 19th Century (1789-1914) (10 ECTS), or Non-European History in the 19th Century (1776-1914) (10 ECTS): students select a course depending on their dissertation topic; 5. for the CONTEMPORARY HISTORY (20th century) study option: Slovene History after 1914 (10 ECTS) compulsory course and - European History after 1914 (10 ECTS), History of the Balkans after 1914 (10 ECTS), or Non-European History after 1914 (10 ECTS): students select a course depending on their dissertation topic. - 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.

The selection of candidates will be based on: - the average study grade (40%), - diploma or master 's thesis grades (30%), and - elective exam (30%). Elective exam obligations can be replaced by professional and scientific work in the amount of 40% of the exam obligations. The main criteria for research work are publications such as: - research monograph, - independent research article in a monograph, - original or reviewed scientific articles in journals with an impact factor (JCR) or in journals indexed in SCI, SSCI or A&HCI databases, and in journals listed by the criteria of the Faculty of Arts for awarding titles. The main criteria for specialist work are publications such as: - specialist monograph, - independent specialist article in a monograph, - published specialist contributions at conferences, - specialist articles and/or peer review of these articles, - editing a monograph or journal, When it is necessary to accept an assessment about the research and specific work of a candidate for enrolment, it is accepted by the Commission for Study Matters of the Senate of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor on the proposal of the Department of History. Knowledge of languages is recommended for the study of history, but it differs depending on the chosen field of study. Field of study: ANCIENT HISTORY, MIDDLE AGES, and MODERN PERIOD: Knowledge of Latin and German is recommended due to work with sources and literature. Field of study: MODERN HISTORY (19th century) and CONTEMPORARY HISTORY (20th century): Knowledge of English, German, and Serbian or Croatian is recommended due to work with sources and literature.

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.

Students in the process of education on the basis of the Rules on the recognition of knowledge and skills in the study programs of the University of Maribor (https://www.um.si/univerza/dokumentni-center/akti/GlavniDokumenti2013/Pravilnik%20o%20priznavanju%20znanj%20in%20spretnosti%20v%20%C5%A1tudijskih%20programih%20UM%20%C5%A1t.% 20012-2019-2.pdf) may have recognized acquired knowledge, skills, or abilities through formal and non-formal education acquired prior to their enrolment in the programme. The basic criterion for the recognition is the comparability of knowledge acquired elsewhere with study units, skills, and qualifications in the study programme. Applications for the recognition of knowledge and skills in various forms of formal and non-formal education acquired before enrollment in the program are considered by the Faculty of Arts in accordance with the regulations. The candidate submits an application for the recognition of knowledge and skills to the Commission for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Arts. Knowledge/skills may be recognized in full, only in part or not recognized. In case they are partially recognized, the student passes a certain exam in the contents determined by the course holder.

Students complete the 3rd level degree study programme History when they complete all study obligations in the amount of 240 credit points - ECTS (they pass all exams set out in the 3rd level degree programme History and prepare and successfully defend their doctoral dissertation).