Higher education

Higher education in Serbia includes university education (faculties and art academies) and non-university education (post-secondary vocational schools) where courses last no less than two years and no more than three years. Universities in Serbia organize art and educational work, as well as other activities, in compliance with the law and its statutes. The faculty is an educational and art institution which includes bachelor, master, specialized and doctoral studies. Universities in Serbia are now in process of adopting to Bolonja declaration so differences at different universities are still possible.  The basic (bachelor) studies lasts for three or four years. Specialized studies last between one and two academic years. Master studies lasts for one or two academic years. Doctoral studies last for three years. Faculties carry out independently, or in cooperation with another organization, their basic, applied and development research in function of educational activity development.

According to the Law on Higher Education, all the courses and scope of the study are expressed with the number of ECTS credits, where 60 ECTS credits corresponding to an average student engagement in the volume of the 40-hour work week during the school year. This means that, typically, one academic year has 60 ECTS credits. In this distribution, duration of education in higher education is the following:

I level of higher education:

• - basic academic studies have 180 to 240 ECTS points, and last 3 or 4 years;

• - basic professional studies with 180 ECTS credits and lasts for 3 year.

II level of higher education:

 • - graduate academic studies - master with 60 or 120 ECTS points, depending on whether the previously made the scope of the basic academic studies of 240 or 180 ECTS points. Practically, this means that the studies for obtaining the title of master last 5 years;

 • - Specialist professional studies have at least 60 ECTS points and lasts at least 1 year;

 • - postgraduate academic studies have at least 60 ECTS points and lasts for at least 1 year.

 III high degree of education:

-   doctoral studies and has 180 ECTS credits, last 3 years. The Doctorate of Science is the highest academic degree. It is obtained through independent research and does not require structured course work of any kind. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of published research papers and their ability to write and defend a doctoral dissertation.

Mobility, scholarships and grants:

Following programs allows students from Serbia to go and study abroad so as foreign students who are interested in living and studying in Serbia to do it:

Basileus project-  (Balkans Academic Scheme for the Internationalization of Learning in cooperation with EU universities): http://www.basileus.ugent.be/index.asp

JoinEu SEE- Scholarship scheme for academic exchange between EU & Candidate Countries and Western Balkan countries: http://www.joineusee.eu/