About study programme

Education

At the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, in the academic year 2005/2006, a new study system for Civil Engineering was introduced in accordance with the recommendations of the Bologna Declaration. This system consisted of three studies: a) undergraduate university study of Civil Engineering, b) graduate university study of Civil Engineering, and c) postgraduate study of Civil Engineering.

Accreditations for conducting undergraduate and graduate studies 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 (NN 123/03, 105/04, and 174/04), upon the proposal of the National Council for Higher Education.

Bachelor programme

Teaching in the undergraduate program started in the academic year 2005/2006, while the first generation of students enrolled in the graduate program in the academic year 2008/2009. Following the reaccreditation processes conducted by the Agency for Science and Higher Education, accreditations were renewed in November 2012 and December 2018.

The Faculty Council of the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Civil Engineering, based on Article 19, paragraph 2 of the Law on Higher Education and Scientific Research (NN 119/2022), at its 236th regular session held on February 8, 2023, adopted a Decision harmonizing the names of study programs structured and conducted by the Faculty, as well as the academic titles and degrees conferred by them, with the provisions of Article 114, paragraph 2 of the Law. 

According to the Decision, the undergraduate university study program in Civil Engineering changes its name to university undergraduate study program in Civil Engineering, and the academic title university bachelor of science (baccalaureus/baccalarea) in Civil Engineering; the abbreviation univ. bacc. ing. aedif. remains unchanged. The graduate university study program in Civil Engineering changes its name to university graduate study program in Civil Engineering, and the academic title master of science in Civil Engineering, the abbreviation mag. ing. aedif., is changed to university master of science in Civil Engineering, the abbreviation univ. mag. ing. aedif.

The university undergraduate study program lasts for three years (six semesters). Upon completion, students acquire 180 ECTS credits. Eligible candidates for enrollment are individuals who have completed four-year high school programs and passed the state graduation exam.

The undergraduate program in Civil Engineering is an integrated program, without specializations.  It consists of a fundamental part (natural science, mathematics, and basic technical subjects) and a main part (professionally oriented subjects covering all branches of civil engineering and several courses outside the field of civil engineering, but applicable in civil engineering). Along with fieldwork and a final exam, it provides students with professional and scientific foundations for further education at the graduate level. For those who choose to enter the workforce after completing their undergraduate studies, it offers expertise in managing smaller construction projects, dimensioning smaller construction structures, and participating in the planning, design, construction, and supervision of larger construction projects, as well as in the maintenance of complex buildings.

Graduates of the undergraduate or graduate programs are employed in companies involved in the design, construction, and supervision of hydraulic, geotechnical, and transportation infrastructure projects, as well as in high-rise construction. They can also find employment in state and local government in planning or infrastructure management roles, in commerce in construction-related positions, in project planning, and in management roles in construction-related companies, and similar fields.

Within the framework 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 recognition procedure of diplomas. In line with the first determinant, since the academic year 2005/2006, the work of the Teaching Committee and the Quality Assurance Committee has been intensified, and the Faculty Council has adopted special regulations to further regulate the organization of teaching, including student attendance at lectures and exercises, continuous assessment of students' 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 previously implemented in many courses (initially in geometric ones, and later in others): continuous monitoring and evaluation of the overall student activity – from attendance at lectures, activity in class, and independent completion of exercises in tutorials, to the preparation of programs and seminar papers, and periodic knowledge assessments in quizzes 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 on all years of the undergraduate and graduate programs was conducted at least once, an analysis of identified deficiencies and needs for changes began. At regular sessions 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 received and recorded 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 year, and from the academic year 2013/2014, also in the second year of the graduate program, is conducted according to the amended and supplemented study program, while teaching in the undergraduate program according to the "new" program began in the academic year 2013/2014. Thus, in the academic year 2014/2015, teaching in the second year of the undergraduate program is conducted according to the "new" program, and from the academic year 2015/2016, also in the third year of the undergraduate program.

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 recorded the 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 program 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 program.

One of the premises 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 international accreditation with EUR-ACE labels (European-Accredited Engineering Programme), which was awarded to the undergraduate and graduate study programs by the German accreditation agency for study programs in the fields of technical sciences, 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 that students receive in English are Bachelor of Science for completing the undergraduate program and Master of Science for completing the graduate program. In 2018, a reaccreditation procedure was conducted, and accreditation was extended for a period of one year by the decision of the accreditation commission. After addressing all the remarks, accreditation was extended until September 30, 2024.

Significant changes introduced by the Law on Higher Education and Scientific Research (NN 119/2022) relate to the determination of the manner in which the right to study is lost, as it does not allow higher education institutions to prescribe additional criteria by which a student may lose the right to study. Therefore, at the 5th extraordinary session in July 2023, the Faculty Council adopted the Amendments to the Regulations on Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The amendments concern the harmonization of provisions determining when the student status ceases, which consequently means abolishing the obligation to take an exam before the examination board on the 4th or 8th attempt, abolishing the limit on the number of exam attempts in one academic year, and abolishing the limit on the number of course enrollments. Exceptionally, the Amendments allow exams to be taken from courses in the summer semester until September 30, 2023, for students who have fulfilled all prescribed obligations during the last course enrollment.

Furthermore, at the 240th regular session in September 2023, the Examination Committee adopted the Examination Schedule for the winter semester of the academic year 2023/2024, according to which each course (undergraduate and graduate studies) has 2 examination dates with a 14-day interval, which is a change compared to the established examination schedule with 3 examination dates in each examination period.