DOCTORAL STUDIES (PhD)

As an institution with a long tradition in higher education in architecture and urban studies, the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture draws on a wealth of historical achievements while striving to train professionals whose ideas and innovations forge new paths of advancement in architecture, arts and design, humanities and urban sciences. The University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture makes continuous advancements to its teaching and pedagogical practice, following contemporary trends in leading world universities. Closely adhering to the latest innovation in education has allowed the Faculty to maintain a high ranking in the European educational space.

The PhD study program is accredited by the National Accreditation Body as an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary (IMT) study program, which includes knowledge and scientific research in the fields of technical-technological, social sciences and arts and humanities.

Type and level of study

PhDStudies – IMT Architecture and Urbanism

Duration: 3 years – 180 ECTS

Study program is in the scientific field of Architecture and Urbanism, and includes the following specific scientific areas:

1. Specific scientific area: Technology and engineering

– Architectural technologies

– Architectural engineering

2. Specific scientific area: Social sciences

– Urban studies

– Planning and development

3. Specific scientific area: Arts and Humanities

– Architectural design

– History of architecture and art

Characteristics of the program

The PhD study program has a clearly defined purpose and role in the educational system, primarily:

• expanding the framework of existing knowledge, creating new knowledge and their application, within the scope for which the Faculty is competent;
• training doctoral students for independent, original and scientifically based research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, as well as for critical evaluation of the work of others in the field of Architecture and Urbanism;
• training of personnel for work in higher education, both in institutes and in other institutions that foster a scientific-research approach;

Objectives of the program

The Faculty of Architecture organizes PhD studies in order to achieve scientific abilities and academic skills, and above all:

• improvement of scientific-research, artistic-research and professional activities;
• development of critical thinking;
• transferring knowledge to new generations in the field of architecture and urbanism;
• training staff to independently conduct original scientific research and develop new technologies.

Professional Title

Candidates with a successful defense of their doctoral dissertation acquire the scientific title:

PhD in Architecture and Urbanism

Other Basic Information for International Students

Other basic information for international students is available on the official website of the University of Belgrade – http://www.bg.ac.rs/en/students/students.php.

Documents

General entry requirements

The general entry requirements for doctoral-level education at the University of Belgrade are:

• a completed degree at the Master’s (second-cycle) level,
• at least 300 ECTS, or
• generally equivalent knowledge acquired by other means, within or outside Serbia.

Application in 2 steps

he procedure includes two steps:

• STEP 1. Submission of first round document
• STEP 2. Submission of the full application and Recognition of foreign higher education documents for the purpose of further education

After submitting first round documents, the candidate will be notified by email about the second step and submission of the full application and recognition of foreign higher education documents for the purpose of further education.

Other Basic Information for International Students

Visa and immigration
EU citizens can enter Serbia without visa. If you are travelling from outside EU, please check whether you need a visa and/or residence permit. A visa must be applied for before departure to Serbia in the country where the applicant permanently resides.

For more information regarding the issuance of visa, please contact the nearest diplomatic-consular mission of the Republic of Serbia.

The Faculty of Architecture will provide help and support on this matter, but will not be hold responsible for applicant’s visa application. The most essential information for foreigners before and upon arrival in Serbia is available at: Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia – Information for Foreigners.

Health Insurance and Medical Assistance
Foreign citizens in Serbia are entitled to receive urgent medical care and acquire health insurance. More information on this issue is available at Serbian National Health Insurance Fund.

Documents

Structure of the study program

Over the course of the three years of study, candidates deal continuously with the research related to the specific topic of their doctoral dissertation.
In the first three semesters, candidates attend required and elective courses. In their fourth semester, candidates decide upon their specific area of expertise.
The third academic year is dedicated exclusively to independent research: the fifth semester is focused on thematic research related to the doctoral thesis, while the sixth semester is for the completion of the doctoral dissertation.
The PhD study program within the Faculty of Architecture is an integral part of research projects with other universities and institutions within the framework of our own and other universities, as well as other companies and businesses. Students have a high level of autonomy in their work, and are included (depending on the year of study) in research projects with the faculty. Research projects allow students to familiarize themselves with expert knowledge in a broader range of areas of interest. In this regard, during the course of their study, students are required to produce or be part of research projects that are of a sufficient quality to be published.

Requirements for the preparation of a doctoral dissertation

A student acquires the right to submit a doctoral dissertation when he passes all exams and fulfills all other obligations stipulated in the PhD study program. The doctoral dissertation must be the result of the candidate’s original scientific-research or artistic-research work in the field of architecture and urbanism, and must contain the candidate’s independent scientific contribution.

In order for the candidate to prepare and then defend the doctoral dissertation, it is necessary to:

• pass all exams in the PhD study program (150 ECTS in total),
• prepare and submit doctoral dissertation topic application in which candidate defines the problem, sets hypotheses, defines goals and selects the scientific-research methodology and relevant sources,
• publish, as the first author or the author with the greatest contribution, at least one paper in a scientific journal, which is content related to the doctoral dissertation, which is in accordance with the Standards, i.e. which is from the category M21, M22or M23 or M24,
• has the mentor’s consent to submit the dissertation for evaluation,
• write a doctoral dissertation in accordance with the Rulebook on doctoral studies at the University of Belgrade, i.e. the Rulebook on doctoral studies at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture.

All the mentioned phases, which are indirectly related to the preparation of the doctoral dissertation, are carried out under the guidance

Documents

After enrollment, the Council of PhD Studies of the Faculty assigns a study mentor to a student who enrolls in PhD studies. A study mentor is a teacher on a study program who directs and instructs the student in the scientific and artistic content that he needs to master and helps the student in choosing a potential mentor.

During the second year of studies, based on the student’s specific area of research he or she is assigned with temporary mentor who may or may not remain mentor on the dissertation. If the topic is multidisciplinary, the University of Belgrade supports joint supervision of doctoral thesis having one mentor from the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade and the other from the partner institution (the list of partner institutions having formal collaboration with the University of Belgrade are available here: http://bg.ac.rs/en/international/cooperation-agreements.php).

Available PhD mentors

Specific scientific area: Technology and engineering (Architectural technologies / Architectural engineering)

Specific scientific area: Social sciences (Urban studies / Planning and development)

Specific scientific area: Arts and humanities (Architectural design / History of architecture and art)

The Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade has established a digital repository (Repository of the Faculty of Architecture – RAF) which is available at the address: http://raf.arh.bg.ac.rs/.

Electronic versions of defended doctoral dissertations are permanently stored in the repository, together with the report of the committee for the evaluation of the dissertation, information about the mentor and composition of the committee, and information about the candidate’s scientific works, which was a prerequisite for the defense.

RAF provides open access to publications, as well as other results created within the projects carried out at the faculty. The software platform of the repository is adapted to modern standards applied in the dissemination of scientific publications and is compatible with the international infrastructure in this area.

In addition to the RAF – Repository of the Faculty of Architecture, an overview of doctoral dissertations and committee reports on their assessment is also available through a common repository for all universities in Serbia, i.e. National Repository of Dissertations in Serbia (NaRDUS) – https://nardus.mpn.gov.rs/?locale-attribute=sr_RS.

Other important documents for doctoral academic studies, can be downloaded from the official website of the University of Belgrade (http://www.bg.ac.rs/sr/univerzitet/univ-propisi.php).