3rd cycle
3rd cycle – Doctoral Programme in Legal StudiesDoctoral study is the pinnacle of academic achievement and is dedicated to the most competent students. In line with the general orientation of the Bologna study reform, the doctoral study in Law is designed as a comprehensive doctoral study in the framework of which each student selects one of the following modules (orientations):
- Civil Law
- Labour Law and Social Security Law
- Economic Analysis of Law
- European Law
- Commercial Law
- Criminal Law
- Criminology
- International Law
- Legal History
- Roman Law
- Theory of the State and Law
- Administrative Law
- Constitutional Law.
The duration of the study programme for students enrolled for the first time in the academic year 2019/2020 and onwards is 4 years.
Pursuant to the changes of the Rules and regulations for doctoral studyies at the University of Ljubljana, valid from 1 October 2021, PhD students, enrolled into the 3 years study programme who will not advance regularly into the next study year including from the academic year 2019/2020 onwards, will be able to continue their studies and complete it under the conditions of the amended (four-year) doctoral study program.
By completing the 3rd cycle doctoral study in Law, students acquire the academic title Doctor of Science: doktor/doktorica znanosti. The title is awarded by the Rector of the University of Ljubljana. All additional information on the third-cycle university study programme in Legal Studies is available at the Students' affairs office for postgraduate studies (Referat za podiplomski študij) at the Faculty of Law.
Information for foreign citizens
Information on the application and enrolment procedure for the 3rd cycle (Doctoral) study programmes at the University of Ljubljana is available here.
Recognition of Foreign Education with a View to Access to Education in the Republic of Slovenia
Applicants with foreign higher education are required to apply for recognition of their education and certificates before entry into postgraduate study programmes offered by the University of Ljubljana. The procedure starts with the application for study in Slovenia. Guidance through the higher education system in Slovenia is available on the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport web-sites.
For more information on this procedure please contact Ms. Darja Rabzelj from the International Relations Office.
You can read more about this procedure here.
Tuition Language
All classroom instruction at Ljubljana University Law Faculty is held in Slovenian. However, most lecturers at the Ljubljana Law Faculty offer individual consultations to foreign PhD students in English. There is also an option to get the permission for writing the thesis in English language.
Year plus During their first year at the University of Ljubljana, international students may attend the so-called Year Plus, in which the Slovenian language courses are mandatory. Year Plus is designed to help international students to adapt to the Slovenian system and culture in their first year of study in Slovenia. More information is available at the website of the University of Ljubljana: https://www.uni-lj.si/study/year-plus/
For more information on studying and living in Ljubljana, please visit Information guide for international PhD students.