On this page, you will find a detailed overview of all the steps you need for the successful submission of your dissertation topic, writing, submission of the final document and the defence of your doctoral dissertation at the School of Advanced Social Studies (SASS). Follow our guidelines for a smooth and efficient process!
Students submit the application for the doctoral dissertation topic through the Web Office under the section Completion of Studies – Topic Application. During the process, they must enter the required information and upload the completed and signed form OBR-10 – Application for the doctoral dissertation topic in PDF or Word format.
Important: Before submitting the application, you must agree on the topic and its content with your mentor and, if applicable, co-mentor. If the (co-)mentor is not a member of the faculty’s academic staff, their signature must be included on form OBR-10 before submission via the Web Office.
After submission, the mentor electronically confirms the proposed topic and the acceptance of (co-)mentorship. The application is then reviewed by the Scientific Research Commission (KZRD), which usually meets once a month (every third Monday). You will receive notification of the approval of the topic via email.
Useful information
Important notice on document signing: All applications and forms must be properly signed (either by hand or with a digital certificate). Unsigned documents are not valid and may lead to complications or delays.
Important notice on public accessibility of the final thesis: Students have the option to request a one-year restriction on access to their final thesis in cases involving the protection of business secrets, intellectual property, security, or confidential data. When choosing the title and topic of your doctoral dissertation, please consider that after this one-year period, the work will become publicly accessible in the library and in electronic form in the ReVIS system.
After the topic has been approved, you must submit the doctoral dissertation proposal using the completed and signed form OBR-11. Upload it via the Web Office under the section Completion of Studies – Topic Application.
The mentor and, if applicable, co-mentor confirm the academic suitability of the proposal through the Web Office. The proposal is then reviewed by the Scientific Research Commission, which submits a proposal to the Senate of SASS for the appointment of a committee to assess the suitability of the proposal.
Note: The appointment of a committee of independent experts may cause delays, as the application may not be reviewed at the first Commission session following submission of the proposal.
The Chair and member of the committee must provide their assessment of the proposal within 30 days. Based on their report, the Senate of SASS (which usually meets once a month, every third Thursday) adopts a positive, conditionally positive, or negative evaluation of the proposal.
For students without student status (pavzerji): Before submitting the dissertation proposal, please contact the Student Affairs Office (referat@fuds.si or +386 64 260 818) to arrange access to the Web Office and obtain your login details.
The final thesis must be written and formatted in accordance with:
In the third year, you are required to complete the course Dissertation Seminar. Part of the requirements includes attending lectures with Prof. Simona Kukovič, PhD. The second part is completed by submitting a draft of the doctoral dissertation in electronic format via the Web Office under the section Applications and Requests – Submit Request (after approval by the mentor and completion of the lectures).
The Scientific Research Commission appoints a committee (the same as for the evaluation of the doctoral dissertation) and a member of the Commission who leads the presentation and ensures its organisational and procedural flow. A positive opinion of the committee means that the seminar has been successfully completed, and the grade “pass” is recorded in the student record by the Student Office.
Note: The Scientific Research Commission usually meets once a month (every third Monday).
For students without student status (pavzerji): Before submitting the doctoral dissertation, please contact the Student Office (referat@fuds.si or +386 64 260 818) to arrange access to the Web Office and obtain your login details.
Once the mentor and, if applicable, co-mentor approve that the doctoral dissertation is suitable for submission, it must be submitted in electronic format (allowing for further edits) via the Web Office under the section Completion of Studies – Thesis Submission.
Note: The mentor and, if applicable, co-mentor must electronically confirm the academic suitability of the dissertation before it is uploaded to the Web Office.
Instructions for saving in PDF/A format
In the Web Office, complete all required information and, in addition to the final thesis, upload the form OBR-14 – Review and submission of the doctoral dissertation.
Important: The final doctoral dissertation must be linguistically appropriate. When submitting the dissertation for technical review, you must attach a copy of the proofreader’s diploma and a certificate confirming that the dissertation 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.
The submission process is considered complete when you receive confirmation from the librarian via the Web Office that your doctoral dissertation is technically compliant.
The Student Affairs Office then forwards the dissertation to the SASS Senate, which appoints a commission for the evaluation of the doctoral dissertation.
The commission members must provide their evaluation within one month from the date of their appointment. Based on the received evaluations, the Senate will: accept the dissertation, reject the dissertation, or return it to the candidate for revision, specifying a deadline for resubmission.
If the Senate accepts the dissertation, a defence commission is appointed. The members of the defence commission must, within 14 days of receiving the dissertation, assess whether the dissertation is suitable for defence. If there are any concerns, they provide written notification to the Student Affairs Office, which informs the mentor and the student. If the dissertation is deemed suitable, the defence date is scheduled.
For Students Without Active Status: Before submitting the doctoral dissertation, please contact the Student Affairs Office (referat@fuds.si or +386 64 260 818) to arrange access to the Web Office and obtain login information.
The SASS Student Office, in agreement with the doctoral candidate and the defence committee, determines the time and location of the dissertation defence. The faculty publicly announces both.
Within 14 days of successfully completing the defence, the student must submit three bound copies of the dissertation and a signed consent form for the storage of contact data to the Student Office.
After receiving the bound copies of the dissertation, the Student Office issues a temporary certificate of completion. This certificate is valid until the official graduation ceremony, which usually takes place twice a year, in June and December.
For students without student status (pavzerji) in the current academic year, the doctoral dissertation and its defence are subject to payment in accordance with the applicable price list.
Exception: The doctoral dissertation and defence are free of charge for students without status who were enrolled in a doctoral programme and held student status in the previous academic year, provided that they meet the following conditions: