Branches of study

Universities implement at least five different study programmes from at least three scientific fields - natural sciences, technical sciences, biomedicine and biotechnology sciences, social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, and art.
Higher school is an institution that has been accredited to offer diplomas and degrees of the first cycle, with objectives of including individuals in the preparation and training for the scientific, economic and cultural development of BiH and the promotion of democratic civil society, and achieving high standards in teaching and learning. Higher schools implement at least one study programme from one scientific field and meet other conditions in accordance with the law.

Admission requirements

Admission to undergraduate studies is performed every year in late June and the first days of July (application, written entrance exam, and enrollment. Candidates who had completed four years of secondary school can apply for an approved number of seats, some funded from the budget and others for self-financing students. A month before enrollment a competition notice with the detailed conditions of entry is announced. The list of candidates is determined in line with the success in the secondary school and at the entrance exam. The second registration period is announced in September for a possible unfilled seats, as well as for our citizens who completed secondary school abroad. Every year, the Faculty organizes preparation classes for admission to the Faculty and publishes tests from the previous entrance examinations.

Curriculum

The curriculum is announced and is accessible to public before the beginning of lectures for the following academic year. The curriculum defines the duration of studies, courses and their schedule by semesters and years and the number of hours for various teaching forms.

Study programme is a set of mandatory, elective and optional subjects, with framework content whose adoption provides necessary knowledge and skills for obtaining the appropriate level and type of studies.

Study programme determines the terms and objectives of the study programme, a model programme of study, an area which the study programme belongs to, type of study and outcomes of the process of learning, professional, academic and scientific title, the conditions for entry, the list of subjects, method of study and examination, duration of studies, credit value of each course.

Teaching methods

The higher education institution prescribes the forms and methods of teaching in the structure of the study programme. Depending on the course, the teaching can be done in small or large groups, frontally or in teams, using audiovisual aids, textbooks, manuals and more. Books and other aids are available in the libraries of universities or colleges.

Progression of students

Student's success in mastering a teaching subject is continuously monitored during the classes, in the manner prescribed by the syllabus. The student takes the exam at the end of teaching of a particular subject.

If a student does not pass a particular examination three times s/he is entitled to seek sitting for the examination before the commission. The student has the right to submit a complaint to a competent authority of  the HEI within two days of receiving the assessment if s/he thinks that the assessment was made contrary to the law and HEI general acts. The competent HEI authority considers the request within three days of receiving the complaint, and makes a decision. If the complaint is accepted, a student shall take the exam again before the commission within seven days of receiving the decision on the complaint.

The student acquires the conditions for entry into next year if s/he achieved 60 ECTS credits. HEI may approve the October examination term for students who still need to pass two subjects or to achieve 15 credits. If a student fails, then s/he repeats a year and has the right to attend classes and take exams up to the number of credits achieved in the previous year.

Employability

In terms of employment, students can attend job fairs organized by the employment services where they establish contacts with employers, as well as the CISO centers that are located in the employment services in 17 municipalities in BiH. They have an advisory role primarily to provide guidance to the unemployed, how and in what way to make contact with the employer and general access to the labour market.

HE graduates in BiH face a precarious transition to stable employment. The graduate survey provides detailed information on graduates’ transition to work. Currently unemployed graduates have on average been unemployed for one year and two months. Yet on average they have also spent eleven months in employment, having taken eight months to find their first job. This is suggestive of a pattern of unstable attachment to the labour market that lasts for a considerable period of time after graduation. Currently employed graduates do not seem to fare much better. On average, they have spent two years and two months in employment. More than half (53%) have experienced at least one spell of unemployment, having taken on average eight months to find their first job after graduating from HEI and seven months to find their current job. These data reveal that the transition from higher education to the labour market is far from being a smooth process for many graduates.

Student assessment

General acts of the HEI closely regulate the manner of carrying out examinations and their grading. The examination periods are January-February, June-July and September. HEIs may also approve the April period. The exam period contains two terms.

There are two assessment systems

The first assessment system evaluates and grades a student's performance on an exam and other forms of knowledge assessment using grades in a grading system from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent), while the second assessment system evaluates and grades a student's performance on an exam and other forms of knowledge assessment using grades in a grading system from 5 (insufficient) to 10 (excellent) and the ECTS grading scale (grades from A to F) in the ECTS system.

The first assessment system evaluates and grades a student's performance on an exam and other forms of knowledge assessment using grades in a grading system from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent) and the ECTS grading scale (grades from A to F) in the ECTS system, as follows:

a) an excellent grade (5) corresponds to an A grade in the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

b) a very good grade (4) corresponds to a B grade in the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

c) a grade of good (3) corresponds to a grade of C in the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

d) a grade of satisfactory (2) corresponds to a grade of D in the ECTS scale;

e) a grade of unsatisfactory (1) corresponds to a grade of F in the ECTS scale, and grades of F and FX in the ECTS scale are translated into a grade of unsatisfactory (1).

Passing grades are: excellent (5), very good (4), good (3) and satisfactory (2).

In another grading system, the student's success in the exam and other forms of knowledge assessment is evaluated and graded in a grading system from unsatisfactory (5) to excellent (10) and the ECTS grading scale (grades from A to F) in the ECTS system, according to the following:

a) a grade of excellent (10) corresponds to a grade of A in the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

b) a grade of very good (9) corresponds to a grade of B in the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

c) a grade of good (8) corresponds to a grade of C on the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

d) a grade of satisfactory (7) corresponds to a grade of D on the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

e) a grade of sufficient (6) corresponds to a grade of E on the ECTS scale, and vice versa;

f) a grade of insufficient (5) corresponds to a grade of F on the ECTS scale, and grades of F and FX on the ECTS scale are translated into a grade of insufficient (5).

The passing grades are: excellent (10), very good (9), good (8), satisfactory (7) and sufficient (6).

Certification

Based on data from the records, the HEI or art academy issues a public document in accordance with the law, regulations and statutes.

Public documents include:

- Student's Book – Index

- Diploma on Higher Education

- Diploma Supplement

- Transcript of Examinations.