During its 56th regular session on 18 October 2012, the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS officially accredited the single discipline postgraduate study programme "Art 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 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. 32/2012 – official consolidated text, 62/10 – Scholarship Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZŠtip), 34/11 – Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia and 57/2012 – Road Transport Act of the Republic of Slovenia (ZPCP-2D)) 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). 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.

In order to progress to the second year, the student must pass the obligatory course Scientific research methods and collect a minimum of 54 ECTS from the first year required courses. In order to progress from the second to the third year, the student must complete all the requirements for the first year (60 ECTS) and collect a minimum of 54 ECTS from the second year required courses. In order to progress from the third to the fourth year, the student must complete all the requirements for the first and second year (120 ECTS) and collect a minimum of 57 ECTS from the third year. In the case of missing requirements the progress to the next year is possible in accordance with the Law of High Education, University of Maribor Statute (articles 85, 111, 212, 214) and Instructions for evaluation of students requests and justified claims according to the 85th, 121st in 214th article of University of Maribor Statute. The evaluation of justified claims is performed by the Commission for study matters of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Maribor.

The programme includes no parts that could be completed separately.

The planned quality of the learning objectives and competences ensures the candidates employability in institutions, whose fundamental mission is scientific and research work in art history (university education, research institutes), in institutions, in which doctoral education is - in a fashion, similar to that of many European countries - becoming a requirement for professional and scientific workers (museums, galleries, protection of cultural heritage). The candidates will be employable in the most demanding positions in the public sector (Ministry of Culture) and in secondary and tertiary education. Programme enables acquisition of competences for self-employment of candidates by participating in Slovenian and international research projects. Successful completion of the doctoral study programme enables candidates to enroll in post-doctoral education in art history and other humanistic disciplines in Slovenia and abroad.

Knowledge, acquired with doctoral studies of art history are also suitable for the most challenging tasks in the field of the economy. Art history is most widely represented in tourism and in the field of a country’s identity recognition in the widest sense. The study programme reflects the needs of the economy, which increasingly tries to find creative solutions for planning their activities with the help of experts in the field of the Humanities. Graduates of the doctoral Art History programme will be able to find jobs in tourist organizations, tourist agencies, in the fields of regional and environmental planning, which all incorporate cultural heritage. We can also expect them to start their own enterprises in the light of the fact that project work is becoming a prevalent form of work.

Studies is divided into modules. In the first two semesters, the candidate attends compulsory courses from the two selected modules in the table, which are connected with each other horizontally and vertically. Compulsory courses include courses that prepare candidates for in-depth research work (Researching Medieval Art, Researching Early Medieval Art and Researching 19th and 20th Century Art) and deepen knowledge in the area that is connected with the doctoral dissertation (Select Chapters in Medieval Art, Select Chapters in Early Medieval Art, Select Chapters in 19th and 20th Century Art). At the same time, the candidate selects elective courses with the help of a tutor in the first three semesters. The content of the elective courses is in line with the content from the three modules. Depending on the topic of their doctoral thesis, candidates choose from chronologically, thematically and theoretically designed elective courses. In the third semester, the candidate prepares and defends his doctoral dissertation proposal. In the fifth semester the candidate prepares an original scientific article. In the fifth and sixth semester the dissertation is prepared. Defense of the doctoral dissertation before a committee lasts approximately 1 hour.

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.

Study programme objectives are a starting point for assessment of students’ learning outcomes, whereby the objectives are as follows: - train top experts in the field of art history, who will have an in-depth knowledge of theoretical and methodological concepts, - train experts, who will be able to develop independently new knowledge and solve the most complex problems by testing and improving the known and developing new solutions, - train students, who will be able to lead the most challenging scientific and research project from a wide professional and scientific area of art history, - train experts, who will be able to develop critical reflection, - train experts, who will be able to use their knowledge in their everyday practice, - train experts, who will be able to publish results of their scientific studies in scientific articles and monographs. Learning outcomes will be checked in the following ways: - oral exams, - by writing seminar papers, - by writing and publication of a scientific article, - by writing and defending the doctoral dissertation.

The general competences of the Art History doctoral study programme will be the following: - in-dept professional knowledge by studying the existing theoretical patterns and critically reflecting on professional knowledge, - use and ability to develop scientific methods, - use and ability to develop specific art historical methods that can be used in practical work, - creative and critical thinking, connecting facts and principles into new combinations of behavior, - transfer of theoretical knowledge into practice, - communication in the profession and between professions, - individual and team work, - ability to use and develop research methods in the preparation of a scientific research project, - autonomy in science and research work and the ability for critical decision-making, - ability of independent and critical use of the acquired theoretical knowledge for solving problems in practice, - development of communicative skills and abilities, in particular of continuous communication in an international environment, - ability of in-depth analysis of comparative sources, - ability to work in and lead project groups, cooperativeness.

Subject-specific competences of the Art History doctoral study programme are the following: - in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of Art History as a discipline, - in-depth knowledge, mastery and the ability to develop research methodology in the field of art history, - in-depth knowledge of the position of art history in the broader context of the Humanities - development of communicative skills for successful public performance, - in-dept knowledge of modern research, theoretical and methodological principles in the field of art history and their application, - ability to connect comparatively art historical research questions into a broader context and its critical reflection, - ability to plan, implement, evaluate and present one’s own research work with the use of modern methods, - ability to respond to current art historical challenges of modern time. The subject-specific competences ensure that the candidate will be able to perform quality scientific and independent work in the field of art history and be motivated for independent life-long learning.

Enrolment criteria are defined in Articles 136 to 138 by the University of Maribor Statute. Students who completed another (not art historical) study programme as defined below can enroll, too. Candidates enrolling in the Art History PhD study programme must have completed the following programmes: 1. second-cycle Bologna study programme 2. university-level study programme accredited before 11. 6. 2004 3. university-level non-Bologna study programme of 240 ECTS and a specialization programme that total 300 ECTS. Candidates enrolling under number 3 get credits of 60 ECTS. 4. higher education vocational study programme that was accredited before 11. 6. 2004, which was available before the Bologna Reform and completed no later than 2015/2016 and specialization study programmes. Candidates that enroll under number 4 must first pass the following exams, equal to 30 ECTS: -History of Architecture (6 ECTS), -History of Painting (6 ECTS) and -History of Sculpture (6 ECTS) - Methodology of Art Historical Research Work and Interpretation of Art (6 ECTS) - Art in Styria in European context (6 ECTS). 5. one of the study programmes that train for vocations that are regulated with EU directives or some other single-subject MA study programme that equals a minimum of 300 ECTS, 6. equivalent education abroad that has been officially recognized 7. non-Bologna masters degree. Candidates that enroll under 7 get 120 ECTS and are enrolled in the third year. Candidates from other study programmes may also enroll in the Art History doctoral study programme, depending on the requirements met and a sufficient number of enrolment places. A committee analyses the courses already completed and defines the commitments that the candidate still needs to complete in order to complete the studies according to the new study programme. The student encloses an official record of the previous study programme and a transcript of records from the previous programme.

If more candidates register than there are enrolment places, the selection will be based on the following criteria: -average grade in the course of the studies (40%), -grade of the diploma or masters thesis (30%), -selection exam (30%). Part of the selection exam (60%) can be replaced by a certificate proving professional and scientific work. Art History Department will process such cases on an individual basis at department meetings, whereby the candidate needs to enclose a copy of their complete bibliography. The main criteria for scientific work includes publications such as the following: -scientific monograph, -independent scientific article in a monograph, -original or overview scientific articles in journals that are listed in the criteria of the Faculty of Arts for title promotion. The main criteria for professional work include the following: -scientific monograph, -independent scientific article in a monograph, -published professional papers at conferences, -professional articles and/or review of those articles, -editorship of a monograph or a journal, -other forms of documented professional activity.

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.

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 candidates get recognition for knowledge and skills, acquired before enrolling in the study programme if these correspond in terms of their scope, content and difficulty to the general or subject-specific competences as outlined in the study programme in which the candidate wants to enroll or is already enrolled. 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. Art History doctoral 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 doctoral 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 30 ECTS.

The student completes the study programme after he/she successfully completes all the requirements as set out in the programme description and collects a minimum of 240 ECTS.