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Explore the state of Croatian higher education system, the role of universities in the national economy, and future propositions for postgraduate studies at the University of Zagreb. Discover opportunities for joint doctoral research.
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Joint Doctoral Studies and Researchat the University of Zagreb Aleksa Bjeliš University of Zagreb, Croatia
Croatian Higher Education: HE System: • 6 universities, 5 polytechnics, high schools • about 130.000 students (population: about 4.500.000) National context: • about 12% of population (from 25 to 65) with higher education • generally: working force: not appropriately skilled, and relatively expensive • the most efficient part: tendency of economic emigration, particularly among young graduates • actual job market: unemployment rate - more than 15% • actual national concurrence rate: last few years - around 70th on the world list, without signs of recovering
Role of Higher Education in National Economy: • Governmental committee for concurrence: - Higher Education recognized as a crucial tool for recovering from recession: • improvement of competences and qualifications • highest qualified experts capable to generate new initiatives (shortage of ideas, not of money) • Pool: postgraduate studies, together with university research centers and scientific institutes • Can universities respond to the challenge?
Postgraduate studies until now: Scientific and professional programmes (and doctoral theses “outside” studies); Elements of: • Quasi – open market; • Large drop-out; But also: • elements of life-long learning – specialized courses more useful and cheaper than seminars organized by other providers (weekends, out of HE institutions) - particularly in social disciplines (economy, management, law, …);
Doctoral degrees: Either: theses (without studies) mostly for personal promotion (and not within some research programme): ● average age of new doctors – almost 40; Or: studies tightly connected with research and innovations (natural, medical and technical disciplines) – only partially (and indirectly, often symbolically) subsidized by state; burdened by the obligation of having a master degree before; ● average age of new doctors – usually between 30 and 35, rarely below 30;
Illustration: University of Zagreb (2002/2003) Postgraduate cycle within present (“Central European”) system (study programmes of two or three years): ●5.100 active students (first two or three years of studying) ● 132 study programmes organized mostly at faculty or more local (departmental …) levels ●705 masters (“magistar” – scientific or professional) ●254 doctors of science (mostly those who obtained “magistar” degree previously) – more than 80% of Croatian doctoral degrees Among 132 programmes: ● 12 programmes with eightand more doctors of science (7 in natural sciences, 3 in medical sciences, 2 in electrical engineering and computations) ● 30 programmes with threeand more doctors of science (4 in technical disciplines, 14 in humanities, in addition)
Future; new propositions: • Full legislative support for the implementation of BP achieved in July 2003 through new Act on Scientific Research and Higher Education • Amended Act – July 2004 • Some propositions: - new study scheme – until 2005/2006 - new system of quality assurance (with the foundation of Agency) – end of 2004; • full juridical integration of universities – until the end of 2007. • full establishment of binary system – until 2010.
Future system of postgraduate studies: • Doctoral studies; three years, with research and original scientific contribution; intense (full time) activity of students • Some programmes expected to be supported by the state, others by other stakeholders • “Specialization” studies; one to two years, advanced professional programme; usually part-time student involvement Either: • Oriented towards market; Or: - Initiated and realized in collaboration with interested partners; industry, public and private sector
Open questions: Scales: Doctoral studies: usually stable (long-termed) with small (non-sustainable) numbers of students → How to survive? ● Cooperation at the national level (other universities, public institutes ● International cooperation, joint programmes, … Specialization studies: usually short-termed, depending on the demands of market and/or partner(s) → How to keep the level of quality and efficiency? ● Complete opening towards market, with proper study costs … In both cases: usually more promising to organize studies (and corresponding quality assessment) at university level - wider human resources, inter-disciplinary programmes, …
International cooperation in postgraduate studies; Recent experiences • Considerable participation of foreign lecturers and students (particularly through TEMPUS and similar programmes); • Usually master programmes; Examples in 2002 – 2004: • Environmental Management • Management in Civil Engineering • Sustainable Energy Engineering • European Studies • Cognitive Neuroscience
Main motivations for joint master or doctoral programmes: 1.Fields and disciplines linked to European integrations, with relatively large needs regarding number of students (Public administration, Urban studies, Journalism, European studies, …) 2. New and/or young (usually developing interdisciplinary) programmes (Neurocognitive Science, Medical Neuroscience, Crisis Management,...) 3. (Relatively) strongly developed disciplines, endangered by small numbers of students at the master and higher levels [fundamental disciplines in natural sciences (Physics, Mathematics, etc); Arts (Music, etc), ... ] 4. “Small endangered” disciplines (like everywhere ...)
Example of a developing project: Physics Strengthening and developing PhD programmes at Central European universities by joining their programmes Activities: • Joint schools (one to two weeks), • mobility of students, • co-supervision in the research leading to PhD these Involved: - International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste • University of Trieste • University of Padova • University of Vienna • Comenius University of Bratislava • University of Zagreb • University of Ljubljana • Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest • Charles University of Prague
Support for joint programmes: TEMPUS projects: • few joint programmes per year from 2001 on, • duration: three years, • 200.000 – 300.000 Euros per project Expectations: - more extensive (and intensive) European networks; - University networks (EUA, UNICA,…); Croatian Foundation for Science and HE started in 2004: ☺ support of initiatives and initial realization of joint programmes; ♥ 300.000 Euros in 2005, covering up to 10 proposals
Post-doctoral stage; link to research and innovations • Until now: main resource of doctoral students – fellows of Ministry of science (“scientific novices” – few hundreds per year) • Permanent flow in last decade However: • Outcome remained less defined – new post-doctors oriented • either towards posts at universities and public institutes sometimes with short (1-2 years post-doctoral stage abroad), • or towards continuing carriers abroad • Link to industry and other relevant stakeholders – far from satisfactory • Incubators, technological parks, applicative projects – initial attempts, but: - universities still without a system of protection of intellectual property and its promotion towards entrepreneurial applications and spin-off actions