• 1st degree - B.Sc.

Study programme: animal science
Duration of programme: three years (6 semesters)
Qualification title: Diplomirani inženir/ inženirka živinoreje (VS)
Qualification abbreviation: dipl. ing. živ. (VS)

This study will give professional knowledge in the management of animal production in a naturally and ethically responsible way. Due to economical importance, an attention is focused in poultry, pig and cattle breeding. The programme is complemented with the fundamental knowledge of plant production.

The admission requirement for Animal Science programme is a matura examination, vocational matura examination or final examination after the completion of four-year secondary education programme or its equivalent.

If the interest exceeds the number of open positions, the candidates will be ranked according to following criteria:

 Faculty of Agriculture will admit 40 full-time students and 40 part-time students each year.

A part-time study will be organised at the Faculty of Agriculture, Vrbanska 30, Maribor, if at least 25 students are enroled.  

The objective of the study programme is to educate experts capable of independent, comprehensive and practical work in the field of animal production. Upon completition of the Animal science study programme, a graduate will be practical specialist in covering the following areas of expertise: leadership of market orientated and modern organised family farms or estates. Areas of work also include: technological and developmental branches of agricultural economy, trade organisations and cooperatives, agricultural educational schools and government.   

 Table 1: Types of study units in semester 1

Table 2: Types of study units in semester 2

Table 3: Types of study units in semester 3

Table 4: Types of study units in semester 4

Table 5: Types of study units in semester 5

Table 6: Types of study units in semester 6

Table 6: Types of study units in semester 6 (continued)

Practical training is organised as an integrated part of study process and this includes regular practical courses, as well as professional training. Within the study period, each student must gather four credits (4 ECTS; according to decision of the Senate of Faculty of Agriculture, dated 20. 4. 2005) with practical training (i.e., 2 weeks - 80 hours). Practical training is performed on the estate of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University Agricultural Centre (UKC) Pohorski dvor. The UKC consists of six technological centres (TC). Students enrolled in the study programme Animal production perform practical training at TC Livestock and Forage Production, at model farms, trade organisations and cooperatives that have made a contract with the Faculty of Agriculture. Practical training is also performed at 5 others TC's and abroad by previous agreement. To the sum of credits of practical training fieldwork training within study units can also be added. Study programme envisages the total of 265 hours of practical training (11%).

Practical training is planned, lead and supervised by a skill instructor. Before practical training is performed, a student has to pass the exams of Work Safety and Fire Protection that are organised by the Faculty of Agriculture.

According to the decision of the Senate of the Faculty of Agriculture, dated 1.6.2005, students can perform (if they wish) additional practical training, 2 months in the way and manner prescribed by the Faculty of Agriculture.

A student has to fulfil the obligations according to regulations of the study programme and the Statute of the University of Maribor, Paragraph 85, in order to be allowed to register for the next academic year. The Committee for Study Affairs of the Faculty of Agriculture may permit a student, who has not fulfilled all study obligations stated for the particular year to enrol to the next year. The student is obliged to submit a formal written request to the Committee for Study Affairs. The progress may be approved if a student has fulfilled more than a half of obligations; if he/she could not fulfil the obligations for justifiable reasons and if it is expected that a student will fulfil the obligations within proposed time period proposed by the Committee for Study Affairs.

For passing from year 1 to year 2, out of 60 ECTS (75%), a student has to fulfil the obligations of subjects that comprise 45 ECTS, however, this quantity of ECTS has to include

A student has to participate in all practicals.

A student, who has passed all exams for the first year, 75% of the exams from the second year with, a cumulative credit rating of at least 45 credits out of 60, and participated in all practicals, will be allowed to pass to the third year.

Repeating the Year: A student who has not fulfilled the required obligations for progression can repeat the year if his/her sum of credits is at least 30 within the year he/she wants to repeat. Students may repeat only once during their studies.  A student, who passed less than half of study obligations, can repeat the year, if he/she has justifiable reasons that enable prolongation the student status according to the Statute of the University of Maribor.

Conditional progression: On the basis of justifiable reasons, the Committee for Study Affairs can approve conditional progression to the next year. A student has to fulfil the missing obligations within the proposed time period proposed by the Committee for Study Affairs. Justifiable reasons are defined in the Statute of the University of Maribor.

On a student request, the Committee for Study Affairs may exceptionally permit a student, who has not fulfilled all the study obligations stated for the particular year, to progress to the next year, if more than a half of obligations have been fulfilled, if he/she could not fulfil the obligations for justifiable reasons and if it is expected that a student will fulfil the obligations within the proposed time period proposed by the committee.

Prolongation the students’ status: Students’ status can be prolonged for a maximum of one year in the case of:

- He/she has justifiable reasons that unabled his/her progression to next year

- He/she has justifiable reasons that unabled his/her graduation within 12 months after the completion of the final semester.

A female student that became a mother during the study has a right to prolong the students’ status for one year for each born child.

Students that have not fulfilled all study obligations stated for the progress to the next year, in the same study programme, have a possibility to repeat it only once during their study period.

Changing the study programme or course due to unfulfilled obligations stated for previous study programme or study course is considered as a repetition.

Students can educate themselves selecting various study programmes under conditions that are described in details in the Statute of the University of Maribor.

At the end of the first year, each student has an opportunity to continue the second year in another study programme. Transfers at the end of first year, within the undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture, may be allowed if the student fulfilled the required obligations for passing from year 1 to year 2 (45 ECTS out of 60 ECTS). Within the second year a student has to pass all the required obligations from the first year of the programme that he/she has transferred to.

Individual subjects or groups of subjects can also be organized as long life learning module.