From Topic Submission to the Thesis Defence

When can I apply for a topic?

• Bachelor’s thesis: Once you have completed all exams from the 1st and 2nd year of undergraduate studies.
• Master’s thesis: Once you are enrolled in the 2nd year of the programme.

How do I apply for a topic?

• The application is submitted via the Web Office under the section Completion of Studies – Topic Application.
• Enter the required information and upload the completed (and signed) form OBR-06 in PDF or Word format.

Important before submitting the application:

• Mentor/co-mentor: Before submitting the topic, it is recommended to agree with a potential (co-)mentor on supervising your thesis (via email or other communication channels).
• If the (co-)mentor is not a member of the faculty’s academic staff, their handwritten signature must be obtained on form OBR-06 before submitting the application via the Web Office.
• Confirmation by (co-)mentor: After submitting form OBR-06 via the Web Office, the (co-)mentor is notified and electronically confirms the academic suitability of the topic and acceptance of (co-)mentorship.

Approval of the topic and validity:

• The application is reviewed by the Student and Academic Affairs Commission (KŠŠZ), which usually meets once a month (every third Monday of the month).
• You will receive notification of the approval of the topic via email.
• An approved topic is valid for 2 years. If you do not complete your bachelor’s or master’s degree within this period, you must submit a request to extend the validity of the thesis topic. The request is submitted via the Web Office under the section Applications and Requests – Submit Request. The topic can be extended for 1 additional year.

Important: The validity of the topic is not the same as student status. Once your student status expires (you become a student without status), the final thesis and defence must be paid for in accordance with the applicable price list.

Forms and additional information:

• All forms related to the final thesis are available in the Web Office under Completion of Studies – Instructions and Forms.
• Check the list of proposed bachelor’s and master’s thesis topics for the current academic year.

For students without student status (pavzerji):

• Before submitting the topic application, contact the Student Office via email at referat@fuds.si or by phone at +386 64 260 818 to arrange access to the Web Office and obtain your login details.

Important – Document signing: When submitting applications and forms, it is mandatory to ensure that documents are properly signed, either by hand or using a digital certificate. Without a valid signature, your application or form will not be considered valid.

Notice on the (public) accessibility of the final thesis:

• Students have the option to request a one-year restriction on access to their final thesis for the following reasons: protection of business secrets, protection of results for the purpose of intellectual property rights, ensuring the safety of people and the environment, and protection of confidential data.
• When choosing the title and topic of the final thesis, careful consideration is recommended, as after this one-year period the work will become publicly accessible in the library and in electronic form in REVIS (the repository of independent higher and vocational education institutions).

The final thesis must be written and formatted in accordance with:

• “Guidelines for Writing Professional and Scientific Works” is available on the Regulations page.
• Template for Writing Final Theses at SASS

Submission procedure for technical review:

• Once the (co-)mentor approves that the final thesis is suitable for submission, the student must submit it in electronic format (PDF, allowing for corrections) via the Web Office under Completion of Studies – Thesis Submission.
• Note: Before uploading the thesis, the (co-)mentor must electronically confirm the academic suitability of the work via the Web Office.

Saving in PDF/A format:

• Save the final thesis in PDF/A format (ISO 19005-1 compliant). To do this in Word, select File > Save As, then under Save as type choose PDF (.pdf)* and in Options… select ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A).
• File name: type of document_Name Surname (e.g. bachelor’s thesis_Ana Novak).

Required documents for technical review submission:

• In addition to the final thesis, upload the completed form OBR-07 – Review and submission of the bachelor’s/master’s thesis.
• Important: The final thesis must be linguistically appropriate. When submitting the thesis for technical review, you must also attach a copy of the proofreader’s diploma and a certificate confirming that the thesis has been proofread. Only certificates issued by proofreaders with a degree in Slovene studies or by a qualified teacher of the Slovene language (or the English language, in the case that the dissertation is written in English) are accepted.

• Once the thesis has been submitted and approved by the (co-)mentor, a 14-day period begins for the technical review, which is carried out by the librarian and confirmed via the Web Office.
• Corrections: If the thesis does not meet the technical requirements, you will receive instructions for corrections by email and must resubmit the revised version. If the final day of the deadline falls on a non-working day, it is extended to the next working day.
• Repeated reviews: If a repeated review is required, the student must resubmit the corrected version via the Web Office. From the date of resubmission, a new 14-day period begins for the technical review.
• Fees: If the thesis is still not compliant after the second technical review, each third and subsequent review of the same thesis is charged at EUR 70.00.
• A plagiarism check is carried out at the same time. The student and the (co-)mentor will receive the plagiarism report by email. In case of identified similarities, the student should consult the (co-)mentor (not the administrative staff at the Student Office or the library).

Completion of the submission process:

• The submission process is considered complete when the student receives confirmation via the Web Office from the librarian that the final thesis is technically compliant.
• The thesis is then reviewed by the Student and Academic Affairs Commission (KŠŠZ), which appoints the thesis defence commission.

Review of the Thesis by KŠŠZ:

• KŠŠZ usually meets once a month, every 3rd Monday of the month. The thesis will be considered at the next scheduled meeting, provided that the final submission is completed at least 3 working days before the meeting. If submitted later, it will be reviewed at the following meeting.

Defence Commission:

• Members of the defence commission must, within 14 days of receiving the thesis, assess whether the thesis is suitable for defence.
• If there are any concerns, they provide written notification to the Student Affairs Office, which records the note and forwards it to the mentor and the student.
• If the commission members deem the thesis appropriate, they set the date of the defence.

For Students Without Active Status:

• Before submitting the final thesis, you must contact the Student Affairs Office at referat@fuds.si or by phone +386 64 260 818, to arrange access to the Web Office or to receive login information.

Defence Notification:

• The Student Affairs Office sends a notification to the members of the defence commission and to the candidate at least 7 days before the defence, specifying the date, time, and location of the public defence.

Defence Procedure:

• The candidate has 20 minutes to present their bachelor’s/master’s thesis.
• Audiovisual and other technical tools may be used for an effective presentation (e.g., a PowerPoint presentation).
• First, the mentor presents their opinion on the work — without additional questions.
• The candidate then responds to comments and answers questions from the second commission member and the chair. The discussion focuses primarily on the content.
• The entire defence lasts no more than 45 minutes.

After a Successful Defence:

• The student must submit one bound/printed copy of the thesis to the Student Affairs Office within 14 days after the successful defence.
• At the same time, the student submits a signed consent for storing contact information.
• Once the bound copy is received, the Student Affairs Office issues a certificate of successful thesis defence, valid until the official graduation ceremony (usually held once per year, in June).
• The Student Affairs Office then forwards the thesis in both formats to the SASS Library.

Payment for Students Without Active Status:

• For students who do not have active student status in the current academic year, the final thesis with defence is subject to payment, in accordance with the valid Price list.

Exemption from Payment (for Students Without Active Student Status):

• The final thesis with defence is not charged if the student does not have active status but was enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s programme in the previous academic year, and submitted the final thesis through the Web Office by the date of the last scheduled KŠŠZ meeting, and after approval by the (co-)mentor, received confirmation from the responsible staff member that the thesis is technically compliant.
• Additional condition: The thesis defence must be completed no later than 30 November of the current academic year.