• 1st degree - B.Sc.

Study programme: Organic Farming

Duration of programme: three years (six semesters)

A part of study (5th semester) can be performed at one of the foreign partnership universities  

Qualification title: Diplomirani inženir ekološkega kmetijstva (VS), Diplomirana inženirka ekološkega kmetijstva (VS).

Qualification abbreviation: dipl. inž. eko. kmet. (VS).

Undergraduate study programme Organic farming offers a professional knowledge for a successful work and adaptation to new needs and trends in agriculture, where the emphasis is put on the food production in the way that is more acceptable to environment and consumers,  biodiversity preservation, rural settling, possibilities of uniting organic farming with tourism, … In comparison with conventional agriculture, the organic farming is more diverse and comprises entire cycling of substances and energy in the system soil-plant-animal-men.

The admission requirement for Organic farming study 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 30 full-time students and 20 part-time students each year.

 A graduate student in Ecological farming will be educated and qualified to perform pretentious professional tasks in the field of organic farming, such as environmental queries and rural development. Upon completion of the Ecological farming study programme, a graduate will be practical specialist in covering the following areas of expertise: leadership of market orientated family farms or estates, planning and managing organic food production. Students will study activities of nongovernment organic farming organisations and environmental protection. A student will acquire basic theoretical and practical knowledge about inspection and certification of organic products and foodstuffs. Areas of work include: technological and development branches of agricultural economy, trade organisations and cooperatives, advice services, agricultural educational schools and government. A graduate can work as a professional adviser in organic farming research organisations, rural development, regional planning and biotic preservation. Organically produced food will become more important in human nutrition, therefore jobs will be available also in advertisement and promotion. 

  

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

    * A student chooses 12 ECTS within a module.

 

      Table 4: Types of study units in semester 4

    Table 5: Types of study units in semester 5

    **  elective subjects (total 6 ECTS) from other study programmes

 

According to our previsions, the majority of students will probably decide to study organic farming in 5th semester at one of the foreign partnership universities within student mobility programme, where he/she can collect up to 30 ECTS in accordance with previously approved selection of subjects/modules. For students that want to get more knowledge about tourism during the organic farming study programme, there is a possibility to enrol in the 5th semester (total 30 ECTS) the undergraduate study programme ‘Tourism’ at the University of Primorska. There is also a possibility to enrol in the undergraduate programme Management in Agricultural and Rural Development organised within Faculty of Agriculture at Rakičan or at the graduate study programme Environmental Protection at the University of Maribor.

 

Table 6: Semester 6 (types and shares of study units in the 6th semester of organic farming study programme)

***A student chooses 4 ECTS within elective subjects or in agreement with tutor, also elsewhere within University of Maribor. A student who will continue the study at master degree level can choose subjects within the University level study programme.

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) 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) and at other units of Faculty of Agriculture (Institute of Inspection and Certification in Agriculture, Institute of Organic Farming) according to internal regulations associated with practical training in Faculty of Agriculture, or at model farms. Practical course is performed as field work within agricultural compulsory subjects, within elective modules and elective subjects (due to a student selection, between 163 and 178 hours). Excursions are also included in the practical training.

 

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. Students have a possibility to repeat year only once during their study period.

 

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, 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, will be allowed to pass to the third year. However, the proposed quantity of ECTS has to include applied Phytopathology and Entomology (field crops, vegetables and ornamental plants), Ecology and Development of field and vegetable crops and grasslands.

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 transfered to.

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