Slovenia, Academic Career Structure

Introduction

Competitiveness: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Openness to non-nationals: in general, Slovenian academia is closed to foreigners. There are exceptions in the hard sciences. As for SSH, the emerging private academic institutions are gradually starting to offer positions to non-nationals.

Postdoc: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Entry positions: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Career requirements/progress: habilitacija (habilitation) is a mandatory requirement in Slovenia, even to become a Lecturer.

Temporary/permanent positions: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Salaries: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Gender: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Universities and research instititutions: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Job postings: Please contact us| if you can provide relevant information.

Higher Education in Slovenia

Professional and academic courses are available at universities, university faculties, and university art academies. In 2010 there were 5 public universities, consisting of 50 faculties, 2 colleges and 5 associated institutions. Recently, a number of private higher education institutions (samostojni visokošolski zavodi) were established. There are currently 14 private faculties and 15 private colleges.

The system of higher education system is regulated by the Higher Education Act (Zakon o visokem šolstvu, ZViS|). The system is undergoing unrelented reform. The last two rounds (in 2004 and in 2006) have been inspired by the Bologna Process and introduced a three-cycle system.

Following these reforms, universities were transformed from associations of independent faculties into integrated institutions. New legislation provided for important changes in the structure of the higher education system, the establishment of single higher education centres, the division of a few extended faculties into smaller faculties and the implementation of the Diploma Supplement. The law also innovated in the funding system providing for different state financial sources.

Until March 2010, the Council of Higher Education was an independent body responsible for the accreditation of programmes and higher education institutions, monitoring quality and the regulation and running of the procedures for the election of the teaching staff of the institutions. This will be shortly substituted by the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Presently, a binary pattern is emerging in the Slovenian higher education with programmes based on the division between academic studies and professionally-oriented studies.

Higher education institutions have a comprehensive course offer as well as research and artistic activities.

Career Curriculum

Positions at universities are determined by law (Zakon o visokem šolstvu, Higher Education Act) and are the following:

Doktor Znanosti, equivalent to a PhD holder
Lektor, equivalent to a Lecturer and often associated to linguistic fields
Asistent, equivalent to a Lecturer
Docent, equivalent to an Assistant Professor
Izredni Profesor, equivalent to a Professor
Redni Professor, the highest rank, equivalent to a Full Professor

In professional colleges the following teaching positions are also available:

Predavatelji, equivalent to a Junior Lecturer
Višji Predavatelj, equivalent to a Senior Lecturer

Requirements for Positions

In order to start and obtain a PhD (Doktorat Znanosti) one must have completed either a first degree Diploma or an MA (Magisterij). In the first case doctoral studies last for 4 years, in the second for 2 years.

Lektor and Asistent positions require an MA, while the 3 professorial positions require a PhD. In both cases, one has to show also pedagogical skills.

Academic staff are elected on the basis of criteria and regulations set by the university. Advancement in the academic career takes place through the process of habilitacija (habilitation). One has to undergo the process once every 5 years until s/he reaches the position of full professorship.

The Senate of the Council of Higher Education is responsible for the habilitacija and gives its consent to appointments at higher education institutions which are not part of any university.