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Title: Postgraduate University (Doctoral) Study Programme of Philosophy 

Institution: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (Department of Philosophy)

Scientific area: Humanities

Scientific field: Philosophy

Director of the PhD programme: Assist. Prof. Luka Perušić, PhD

Deputy Director of the doctoral study programme: Prof. Hrvoje Jurić, PhD

Contact: phil.phd@ffzg.unizg.hr

Duration: Three years (six semesters). Students may submit a doctoral dissertation one year after completing the 6th semester of study. If students do not submit their doctoral dissertation within the prescribed period, they must re-enrol in the 6th semester; if they do not submit the doctoral dissertation within one year from the date they lose the right to submit it, they lose the right to renew their studies. Justified exceptions (health, family, work, and other circumstances) are resolved through a special procedure, with the possibility that, in such cases, re-enrolment in the 6th semester is approved even after the prescribed deadlines expire. Applications for a temporary suspension of studies (absence) or postponing enrolment in the next study semester during studies are resolved in the same way. The total duration cannot exceed six years.

Language: Croatian (with a possibility of studying in English and German)

Tuition fee (per semester): 730,00 €

Terms of enrolment: Persons enrolling are expected to either (a) have completed graduate study in philosophy (MA) or (b) have completed graduate study in related fields of science and passed the classification exam at the level of the graduate exam in the field of philosophy. The minimum average grade of relevant professional subjects at the MA level is 4.00. If the average grade is lower, an applicant may be allowed to enrol if they have published scientific and professional papers in the field of philosophy and can provide a recommendation from qualified experts. Persons who have obtained a master of science (MSc) degree in the field of philosophy in a study system that was valid in Croatia until 2005 may also enrol in the study program by passing the classification exam, after which they enrol in the 5th semester of study. If the MSc degree is obtained in a related field of science, a classification exam is required at the level of the graduate exam, i.e. at the level of a master of science (MSc) degree in the field of philosophy in the study system that was valid in Croatia until 2005 (which can be replaced by published scientific papers in the field of philosophy in a journal with a recognised international review). Criteria for selecting students are based on the quality and prospects of applicants. They are demonstrated by success in previous studies, prepared or published scientific and professional papers, and, if necessary, by testing the knowledge and abilities of applicants through classification exams. The programme is open to students in other postgraduate doctoral programmes in Croatia and abroad, as ECTS credits acquired in other credible postgraduate doctoral programmes are recognised, and credits acquired in this study are assumed to be adequately recognised in other comparable studies. The study can be included in joint doctoral programmes with foreign universities, and an international dual PhD degree (cotutelle) is also possible.

Programme focus: The doctoral study of philosophy is conducted as a scientific study, which means that its goal is to acquire positive knowledge and skills characteristic of top scientific work (i.e. research, presentation, analytical, explanatory, interpretive, critical and applied abilities). Specific competences depend on the field of research, and the study concept is designed to encourage doctoral students to adopt an approach that, depending on the area of interest, integrates the conceptual-historical, analytical-interpretative, and applicative aspects of research. In doing so, doctoral students are referred to the latest research in the relevant field, and mentors are required to monitor the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of the critical reception of such research. The study is harmonised with the Development and Scientific Research Strategy of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. It is based on the development of interdisciplinarity (both within the field and in relation to other fields and areas), with the search for establishing an optimal balance between specialist research and multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary cooperation. This implies openness to other scientific fields and areas, as well as to other national and international higher education institutions, on the assumption of compatibility, i.e. complementarity of the programmes.

Competences acquired upon completion:

• Independent teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels in philosophy and related scientific fields, as well as in interdisciplinary scientific areas.
• Participation in complex affairs of public life that require a higher level of qualification (media, publishing, various social and political institutions, etc.).
• With additional postdoctoral education, the possibility of appointment to scientific and scientific-teaching positions, which qualify candidates for independent teaching at all levels of higher education and for qualified cooperation in scientific research projects and leadership of scientific research projects and programmes.

Employment of postgraduates is likely in higher education (public and private sectors), in scientific research institutes (both institutes focused on philosophy and those of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary orientation), in the most demanding segments of pre-university education and in development programs in the public and private sectors.

Programme Curriculum:

The programme curriculum consists of the following activities: selection of the temporary study advisor, course attendance, seminary writing, presentation and defence, two foreign language exams for research purposes, examen rigorosum related to the future PhD thesis, PhD thesis and mentorship proposal submission and defence, research qualification paper submission and evaluation, research results report presentation and defence, mentorship consultation, research paper publication, completed PhD submission with subsequent defence, and submission of the yearly activity plans and yearly PhD programme progress reports that undergo evaluation. Breakdown of the curriculum per semester:

First year, semester I

• Yearly “Activity Plan” submission.
• Temporary university advisor selection.
• Course attending (courses “Problems in the History of Philosophy and Theoretical Philosophy”, “Practical philosophy and aesthetics”, and “Introduction to the Methodology of Postgraduate University Doctoral Programme of Philosophy”).
• First language exam for research purposes.

First year, semester II

• Seminary paper submission.
• Seminary paper presentation and defence.
• Examen rigorosum related to the future PhD thesis.
• Second language exam for research purposes.
• PhD programme progress report and evaluation.

Second year, semester III

• Yearly “Activity Plan” submission.
• PhD thesis proposal and mentorship proposal submission.

Second year, semester IV

• PhD thesis proposal and mentorship proposal defence.
• Research qualification paper submission and evaluation.
• PhD programme progress report and evaluation.

Third year, semester V

• Yearly “Activity Plan” submission.
• Research results report presentation.

Third year, semester VI

• Research paper publication.
• Completed PhD thesis submission and defence.

Mandatory activities awarded wit ECTS credits are as follows:

• lectures attended in the first semester (10 ECTS credits),
• temporary study advisor chosen and the seminar paper topic chosen, accepted by the advisor, in the first semester (5 ECTS credits),
• seminar attended in the second semester (5 ECTS credits),
• activity at the seminars in the second semester (5 ECTS credits),
• seminar paper defended in the second semester (20 ECTS credits),
• exams in two foreign languages passed by the end of the second semester of the study (5 + 5 ECTS credits = 10 ECTS credits),
• examen rigorosum passed after the second semester of the study (10 ECTS credits)
• two positively evaluated reports on the results of previous research (5 + 5 ECTS credits = 10 ECTS credits)
• PhD thesis and mentorship proposal submitted by the end of the third semester (15 ECTS credits)
• PhD Thesis proposal defended by the end of the fourth semester (15 ECTS credits),
• qualification paper, written in agreement with the mentor and positively evaluated by the mentor, by the end of the fourth semester (10 ECTS credits),
• presentation of results of the previous research at a seminar within the doctoral study or within the final semesters of undergraduate study or within the graduate study of philosophy (10 ECTS credits),
• two consultations with the mentor, in order to verify the dynamics of the research, by the end of the fifth semester (5 + 5 ECTS credits = 10 ECTS credits)
• submission of a completed doctoral dissertation with the consent of the mentor (20 ECTS credits)

To enrol in a higher semester of study, it is necessary to collect 30 ECTS credits. The above obligations cannot be replaced by other activities, but other activities supplement the total of 180 ECTS credits needed to complete the PhD programme. The programme integrated a system of awarding scientific and professional activities, including research publishing, conference participation and editorial work. In addition to the mandatory listed activities, a total of at least 35 mandatory ECTS credits are awarded for scientific activities that supplement the programme. Their choice is elective and depends on the student:

• published (or accepted for publication) scientific paper in a world language in an internationally recognised journal (20 ECTS credits),
• published (or accepted for publication) scientific paper in Croatian or some other non-world language in an internationally recognised journal (15 ECTS credits),
• published (or accepted for publication) scientific paper in another scientific or professional journal (10 ECTS credits),
• published (or accepted for publication) professional paper in an internationally recognised journal (8 ECTS credits),
• published (or accepted for publication) professional paper in another journal (4 ECTS credits),
• published scientific paper on the website (5 ECTS credits),
• published scientific paper with two qualified reviews on the website (14 ECTS credits),
• participation with a paper at an international scientific conference (12 ECTS credits),
• participation with a paper at a national conference with international participation (8 ECTS credits),
• participation with a paper at a national scientific or professional conference or round table (4 ECTS credits),
• participation in the organisation of a national or international conference or round table (3 ECTS credits),
• participation in editing a scientific publication (3 ECTS credits),
• passed a course or module in another doctoral study, in agreement with the mentor, and according to the criteria of functionality with regard to the research topic and future doctoral dissertation (maximum 5 ECTS credits).

The essential condition for submitting a doctoral dissertation is the publication (or acceptance for publication) of at least one scientific paper in an internationally recognised publication with international referees.

Organisation and administration: The study is organised and led by the Council of Postgraduate (doctoral) studies, which consists of all qualified teaching staff members of the Department of Philosophy and a student representative. Sessions of the Council are convened by the Director of the postgraduate doctoral study programme or the Head of the Department of Philosophy. Executive duties are performed by the Director, Deputy Director, and persons authorised by them. Administration is handled by the Office for Postgraduate Studies.