About the study

At the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Civil Engineering, in the academic year 2005/2006, a new system of civil engineering studies was introduced, consisting of three programs: a) undergraduate university program in civil engineering, b) graduate university program in civil engineering, and c) postgraduate program in civil engineering.

The permits for conducting undergraduate and graduate programs were issued by the Minister of Science, Education and Sports on June 2, 2005, based on Article 51, paragraph 2, of the Law on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (Official Gazette 123/03, 105/04, and 174/04), upon the proposal of the National Council for Higher Education.

Master study programme

The graduate program lasts for two years (four semesters), and upon its completion, students earn 120 ECTS credits. The graduate program is open to individuals who have completed a university undergraduate program in civil engineering, and under additional conditions (credit transfer courses), to those who have completed a university undergraduate program in related technical sciences or a professional program in civil engineering.

The university graduate program in civil engineering offers seven specializations: geotechnical engineering, hydroscience and engineering, structures, materials, construction management, transportation engineering, and structural theory and modeling.

The aim of the program is to effectively master one of the mentioned civil engineering disciplines, preparing students for advanced professional roles in that field (such as planning, designing, constructing, supervising, and maintaining complex civil structures, projects, and systems) or for development and scientific research in the chosen branch of civil engineering. The curriculum is in line with the latest advancements in civil engineering and is regularly updated. In addition to core mathematical and social-humanistic subjects, students take fundamental and specialized courses to achieve specialization. Besides compulsory courses, students, depending on their interests, enroll in elective courses to broaden their professional knowledge (not only in their chosen field but also in other specialties), as well as in mathematics, physics, and foreign languages (with an emphasis on the profession).

Graduates of the undergraduate or graduate program find employment in companies involved in designing, construction, and supervision in the implementation process of hydraulic, geotechnical, and transportation structures, as well as in high-rise buildings. They can also be employed in government and local administration in planning or infrastructure management roles, in commercial sectors related to construction, in project planning, and in managerial positions in construction-related companies, among others.

In accordance with the provisions of the Bologna Declaration, particular emphasis is placed on ensuring the quality of teaching, student and teacher mobility in the knowledge acquisition process, and the procedure for recognition of diplomas. From the academic year 2005/2006, the work of the Teaching Committee and the Quality Assurance Committee has been strengthened, and the Faculty Council has adopted specific regulations to more comprehensively regulate the organization of teaching, including student attendance at lectures and exercises, continuous assessment of student knowledge throughout the semester, and issues related to exam-taking and exam periods. These provisions are contained in the implementation plans that regulate teaching for undergraduate and graduate students. In this way, quality assurance procedures for the teaching process have been introduced into all courses, which were already implemented in many courses (initially in geometric and then in others): continuous monitoring and evaluation of the student's overall activity - from attending classes, participating in activities, and independently solving exercises in exercises, preparing programs and seminar papers to periodic knowledge checks during midterms throughout the semester. In most courses, students can be exempted from part of the exam through regular work during the semester, and continuous work facilitates taking exams in regular exam periods for those who have not been exempted from part of the exam.

After teaching at all years of undergraduate and graduate studies had been conducted at least once, an analysis of identified shortcomings and the need for changes began. At regular meetings of the Faculty Council in April and May 2011, and in July 2012, proposals for amendments and supplements to the undergraduate and graduate study programs were accepted. The working group for study programs of the University of Zagreb also received and documented the amendments and supplements, which are considered "minor changes and supplements to the study program (up to 20%)." From the academic year 2012/2013, teaching in the first, and from the academic year 2013/2014, also in the second year of the graduate study, is conducted according to the amended and supplemented study program, while teaching according to the "new" program on the undergraduate study began in the academic year 2013/2014. Thus, in the academic year 2014/2015, teaching in the second year of the undergraduate study is conducted according to the "new" program, and from the academic year 2015/2016, also in the third year of the undergraduate study.

During the academic year 2020/2021, minor amendments and supplements to the graduate study program were proposed, which the Faculty Council adopted at the 222nd regular session held electronically from March 30th to April 1st, 2021. The working group for study programs of the University of Zagreb received and documented minor amendments and supplements to the graduate study program (up to 20%) on May 21st, 2021. From the academic year 2021/2022, teaching in the first year of the graduate study is conducted according to the amended and supplemented program, and from the academic year 2022/2023, teaching according to the amended and supplemented program is also conducted in the second year of the graduate study.

One of the provisions of the Bologna Declaration is the harmonization of studies across different European Union countries and achieving comparability of acquired academic degrees to facilitate employment in Union countries and enrollment in postgraduate studies at other universities. A significant step in this direction is the international accreditation with EUR-ACE labels (European-Accredited Engineering Programme) awarded to the undergraduate and graduate study programs by the German accreditation agency for study programs in the fields of engineering, computer science, natural sciences, and mathematics ASIIN (Akkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik, der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik e.V.) in March 2012. The academic titles awarded to students in English are Bachelor of Science for completing the undergraduate study program and Master of Science for completing the graduate study program. In 2018, a reaccreditation procedure was conducted, and the accreditation was extended for a period of one year by the decision of the accreditation commission. After addressing all remarks, the accreditation was extended until September 30, 2024.

Significant changes introduced by the Law on Higher Education and Scientific Activities (NN 119/2022) include the determination of the ways in which students may lose their right to study, as it no longer allows higher education institutions to establish additional criteria for students to lose their right to study. Therefore, the Faculty Council, at its 5th extraordinary session in July 2023, adopted Amendments to the Regulation on Studying at the Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The amendments aim to align the provisions regarding the termination of student status, thereby abolishing the obligation to take an exam before the commission after the 4th or 8th attempt, removing restrictions on the number of exam attempts in one academic year, and eliminating restrictions on the number of course enrollments. Exceptionally, the Amendments allow for taking exams from courses in the summer semester by students who have fulfilled all prescribed obligations during the last enrollment in the course until September 30, 2023.

Furthermore, at the 240th regular session in September 2023, the Teaching Committee adopted the Exam Schedule for the winter semester of the academic year 2023/2024. According to this schedule, each course (both undergraduate and graduate) will have 2 exam dates with a 14-day interval, which is a change compared to the established exam schedule with 3 exam dates in each exam period.