During its 54th regular session, on 20 September 2012, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA), implemented by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, Slomškov trg 34, SI-2000 Maribor, in accordance with paragraph 10 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. 32/2012 – official consolidated text, 62/07 – Scholarship Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZŠtip), 15/11 - Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, 64/57, 86/20 and 2012/2010 – 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 progress to the second year of the study programme, the student has to collect at least 21 ECTS and a certain number of ECTS points in the other half of the two-subject study programme. The conditions for re-taking a year and extension of the student status are defined with the UM Statute. The Department of Art History has a tutorship system, with which it helps its students in their studies and progress. Special attention is paid to the first-year students.

The programme includes no parts that could be completed separately.

Subject-specific (specialist) competences guarantee that the graduates are sufficiently qualified to work independently and autonomously and conduct academic research in the field of "Art History" , and enable them to enrol in corresponding PhD (3rd Bologna cycle) studies at the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. Graduates of the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) are also eligible to enrol in corresponding PhD (3rd Bologna cycle) studies or PhD (3rd Bologna cycle) studies in the field of Humanities (22) at other Slovenian universities and abroad.

Graduates of the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) are qualified to work: for institutions focused on art history (museums, art galleries, heritage conservation institutes); in the respective fields of education, media and journalism, and tourism; for economic organisations, companies, and corporations; in public administration etc. In order to become eligible for employment in the field of education as teachers of the specialist subject "Art History", graduates of the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) have to complete additional PDP-module courses and teacher practice activities. Graduates of the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) can complete the additional PDP-module courses and teacher practice activities at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. After completing the education-specific PDP-module courses and teacher practice activities, graduates of the two-discipline postgraduate study programme "Art History" (2nd Bologna cycle - MA) will be qualified to teach the specialist subject "Art History" at different levels of formal and informal education (e. g. in community colleges, in the scope of art history education programmes offered by museums and art galleries, in the scope of licensing training courses for tourist guides etc.).

The knowledge assessment and grading method enables the students to monitor their own progress and examine the achieved study results and competences. The assessment and grading methods are defined in the University of Maribor Statute. Students have access to the AIPS system (Academic information subsistem of the University of Maribor), which provides information support and provides an insight into student’s activities from the point of view of their exams. It also allows them to see the number of tries with respect to exams as well as the list of completed and uncompleted exams. The Rules of Knowledge Assessment and Grading at the University of Maribor is a legal act that defines in detail the student's rights and obligations in the course of their study.

The second-cycle postgraduate two-subject study programme Art History has the following goals: - education of professionals, who will acquire profound knowledge in the field of art history by the end of their studies and will thus be able to work independently in the field of art history;- education of professionals that will acquire profound art history knowledge through a profound study of theoretical and methodological concepts;-education of professionals that will be able to understand art history heritage from the older periods and modern visual arts production in a profound way, and who will be able to place this knowledge in an active, critical and innovative way into a wider social context;-education of professionals who will be able to apply and transfer knowledge from the field of art history in an active, critical and innovative into practice;-education of professionals, who will be able to resolve scientific problems with the help of art history by seeking new sources of knowledge and by using scientific methods;-education of professionals, who will be able to comprehend in a profound way the profession of art history in itself as well as between art history and other disciplines;-education of professionals capable of scientific criticism and responsibility;-education of professionals able to make independent decision and lead demanding art history projects;-education of professionals, who will be able to work in an interdisciplinary way and who will be able to use, not least so as early as in the course of their studies, knowledge acquired in art history also in other fields and interconnect it;-education of professionals, who will be able to use the knowledge, acquired in the course of the proposed study programme, to successfully continue their studies at doctoral level in the field of art history and other related disciplines. The expected learning results are in line with the basic goals of the study programme. In the course of the study programme, they will be examined in the following ways: -with oral exams;-by writing and defending seminar papers,-by active participation of the candidates in discussions that will take place in a direct contact with the works of art.

The second-cycle postgraduate two-subject study programme Art History graduate will have the following competences: -ability to make profound analysis, synthesis, outcome and consequence prediction;-profound mastery of research methods in the field of art history, processes and procedures, development of critical and self-critical judgement;-ability to use art history knowledge in practice;-autonomy and innovativity in professional and scientific work;-additional development of communicative skills and abilities, in particular communication in an international environment;-future development of ethical reflection and dedication to professional ethics;-cooperativeness, team work ability (also in an international environment);-ability to identify, evaluate and interpret art heritage and modern visual arts production in their wider contexts;-ability to apply art history knowledge in other humanistic or social sciences areas;-ability to use acquired knowledge in various fields, from working in institutions for whom art history represents their basic mission, applicative and research projects, work in the media, tourism, economic subjects, public administration etc.

The second-cycle postgraduate two-subject study programme Art History graduate will have the following subject-specific competences: -deeper knowledge and understanding of the basis for and the history and development of art history;-better ability to resolve concrete research problems with the use of scientific methods and procedures from the field of art history;-better mastery of basic art history knowledge, ability to connect knowledge from different areas and apply it independently;-better ability to place new interpretation and information in the art historical context;-better understanding of the general structure of art history and interconnectedness of its subdisciplines;-better understanding and application and development of critical analysis methods theories and their application in resolving concrete research problems;-better development of skills and abilities in the use of knowledge in the field of art history;-better ability to use information-communication technology and systems in the field of art history.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of available enrolment places, candidates shall be ranked according to: - grade point average (70%) and - grade awarded for the thesis (30%). If the thesis is not required for completion of the study programme, only the grade point average shall be considered (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.

MA students can also get credit for knowledge and skills acquired prior to enrolment in the programme through various levels of formal education. Students prove that with certificates and other documents that indicate the content and scope of required work. Knowledge and skills, acquired outside second-cycle university study programmes are evaluated on the basis of ECTS points with respect to subject-specific competences as defined by the programme and can replace the required obligations in up to 15 ECTS. The candidate addresses the application for recognition of knowledge and skills to the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty of Arts, which makes a decision on the basis of the opinion of the Department of Art History. Recognition of knowledge and skills, acquired before enrolment in the study programme is regulated by the Recognition of Knowledge and Skills Rules, Acquired before Enrolment in the Study Programme: http://www.uni-mb.si/dokument.aspx?id=12762

The candidate completes the study programme when he completes all the commitments as set out by the programme in both parts of the two-subject study programme totalling 120 ECTS (60 ECTS in one and 60 ECTS in the other part of the two-subject study programme).