Step I.: Topic application
- Apply for the topic of the master's thesis (announced topics for each academic year).
- After the topic has been approved, start writing the final thesis under the guidance of your mentor (Rules-on-final-thesis-in-second-cycle-study-programmes).
- If the final thesis is not written in the Slovene language, the student must submit a request for writting the final thesis in English language via the Web Office (MY FDV – FORMS – REQUESTS) – please see Article 24 in the Rules-on-final-thesis-in-second-cycle-study-programmes: “The final thesis is written in the Slovene language. Exceptionally, the candidate may write the final thesis in the English language if there is a valid reason for this (for example, a foreign mentor or co-mentor, a foreign student). The student must submit a request for the final thesis in English language via the online system. The vice dean decides on such requests. If the final work is not written in the Slovene language, in addition to all the elements of the structure referred to in Article 22, it must include a longer summary in the Slovene language in the range of 500 - 1000 words and should, as a rule, describe all essential parts of the final thesis: the research problem, the question or the hypothesis, task objectives, methodology and structure, and key findings. This summary must be bound together with the text of the final thesis (before the list of literature and sources). In final thesis written in English, the title on the cover and the inner page of the thesis should be written in English and Slovenian.”
Step II.: Writting
Step III.: Submission Procedure for the Final Thesis
The final thesis can only be uploaded to the Web Office after you have:
- received final grades for all courses,
- obtained your mentor’s consent for submission (the mentor submits it via My FDV),
- formatted your thesis in accordance with the Guidelines for Writing and Editing Professional and Scientific Works at FDV.
When submitting the final thesis, you must also submit an electronic authorship statement via a special form in My FDV (form prescribed by the University of Ljubljana). This statement is stored in the student information system.
We strongly recommend proofreading your thesis to avoid delays in the graduation process.
Submission process:
Save the final thesis in PDF/A format (Procedure: Save As / Export → Save as type: PDF (.pdf) → Options → PDF/A compliant*).
Upload it to your Web Office:
MY FDV → WEB OFFICE → OTHER → FORMS → COMPLETION OF STUDIES → SUBMISSION OF FINAL THESIS.
After successfully uploading the thesis, complete the Master’s Thesis Submission Form:
MY FDV → WEB OFFICE → OTHER → FORMS → MASTER’S THESIS SUBMISSION FORMS → NEW MASTER’S THESIS SUBMISSION FORM.
Once the thesis is uploaded and the submission form is completed, the Student Affairs Office checks the technical compliance of the thesis. If the thesis is not technically compliant, it will be returned to the student for corrections. You will be notified of the result in your Web Office (within 10 working days).
After passing the technical review, the uploaded thesis is processed through a content similarity detection program and reviewed in accordance with the Rules on content similarity detection of the electronic form of the written final work of studies and on provisions regarding temporary inaccessibility of the cintent of the written final work of studies. The mentor receives a notification and, if the thesis meets all requirements, proposes the defence date and committee. If the mentor determines that the similarity percentage is too high and/or sources are not properly cited, the thesis may be returned for revision or rejected.
All participants in the process will be notified of the date, time, and location of the defence via the Web Office.
Step IV.: The defence of final thesis
- After receiving your completed Master Thesis Submission Form and all three binded copies, the Student Affairs Office starts coordinating the appointment for the defense of the final thesis. You will be informed about the date, time and place of the defense via the Web Office. The announcement of the defence will also be published on the faculty's website.
- Defence protokol: The defence begins with the conclusion that the student has completed all obligations prescribed in the study program. The conclusion is given by the chairman of the committee, while the members of the committee, the student and the audience stand. The mentor then presents the report on final thesis. The student has the right to present his work within 10 minutes. The student can use various audio-visual gadgets. During the presentation, the student can respond to the comments of the members of the committee. Then the members of the committee have the opportunity to ask questions, and afterwards, with the approval of the president, the audience can also ask questions. Questions should be asked in such a way that the student can answer them within 20 minutes on first cycle programs or 30 minutes on second cycle programs. Before answering the questions, the student has the right to prepare for 10 minutes.
- After successful defending your final thesis, you will receive a Temporary Certificate of Graduation at the Student Affairs Office, which is valid until the official issuance of the diploma.
Contact for additional information: zakljucevanje@fdv.uni-lj.si