Specialist Graduate Professional Study in Public Administration

The aim of the Specialist Graduate Professional Study in Public Administration is to enable professional bachelors of public administration and legal persons with public  authorities  and those who provide public service  to upgrade existing and develop new specialist professional knowledge, skills, and competences required for performing complex administrative work in state administration  and  local and regional self-government. Certain administrative jobs, especially when dealing with administrative procedures in certain administrative areas which are numerous, require specific knowledge, and this need is met in the Study through a large number of elective courses which can be grouped into those adapted to workers in the field of public finances, in the field of security, and in the field of general administration. Thus, the study programme, alongside legal content, deals with numerous fields important for the work of public administration in general, such as management in the public sector, political and economic issues, and the acquisition of financial and other knowledge, skills, and competences. This Study contributes to bringing the standard and quality of Croatian higher education system of public administration closer to European educational systems of studying public administration.

The programme is open to professional bachelors of public administration who have completed Administrative Studies at the Faculty, or other administrative studies in Croatia, to students who have completed a three-year study  in the field of social sciences and are employed in state administration, local and regional self-government, at legal persons with public authority, associations, and political parties, and to students who  have completed a three-year study in the field of social sciences if they first complete the course “Political and legal system in the Republic of Croatia”. The Specialist Graduate Professional Study was accredited in 2011 as a one-year study and the first generation of students was enrolled in 2012. When starting this Study, the most important factor was the interest of students of Administrative Studies in continuing the study and the interest of some local institutions in further education of their  employees. In  2012 the curriculum of the Study was amended and the Study was turned into a two-year programme.

The enrolment quota for the Specialist Graduate Professional Study is 80 part-time students per generation. In the call for admission in 2012, the planned quota was 50 students, but due to high interest in the Study, the quota was raised to 80 enrolled students. The programme is primarily intended for students who are employed in public administration and is therefore only carried out as part-time study.  Enrolment  into the Study is planned to be carried out every two years. Upon completion of the Specialist Graduate Professional Study, students are awarded the professional title of Professional Specialist in Public Administration (Spec. publ. admin.)