GRADING AND ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT’S ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

The Study Programme of Political Science, offering course routes of International Relations and Public Administration, regulates that a student’s academic activities be assessed and graded in accordance with the established practice at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka. This implies an obligation on the part of the professor in charge of a subject to publicly announce, at the beginning of a semester, the syllabus of a subject, the class timetable and dates of mid-term and end-of-term exams, the design of essays or seminar papers, the office hours timetable, as well as other important data related to the workload of a subject. 

The grading of a student’s academic activities and the organisation of an exam are defined by the University’s rules of study, which each and every study programme organised at the Faculty of Political Sciences complies with. In addition, exams taken at the Faculty are organised under the provisions of an overall document entitled The Rulebook on First and Second Cycle Academic Studies at the University of Banja Luka. The records on a student’s grades are kept by the Registrar’s Office of the Faculty and by members of staff engaged at the subject in question.

Senior students are entitled to taking exam in the aforementioned regular terms, but also in additional temrs, organised in the remaining months (one session). All exam terms and sessions are announced at the official website of the Faculty.

The professor in charge of a subject is required to publicly announce to a student the score as regards every individual academic activity, as well as the overall score they have achieved since the beginning of a semester. A student is entitled to sitting each and every academic activity during the course of a subject, disregarding of any other activity or exam. In accordance with the academic calendar stipulated by the University, the Faculty organises exam terms. As defined by the decision of the Senate of the University, students are entitled to two exam sessions in the respective January-February, June-July, and September exam term per subject, and to one exam session in the April and October term respectively.

The grade awarded depends on the combined score achieved during pre-exam activities and the final exam. The passing grades range from 6 to 10 in a 5-10 grading system, the former being the lowest and the latter the highest grades. With regard to the aforementioned, the grades of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are awarded for the respective point ranges: 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, and 91-100. The grade of 5, marking a failed exam, is awarded for scores below 51.  

Upon each exam session, the professor enters the respective pre-exam activities scores and the final grade into the exam application form and the report on the exam taken, with the former and the latter being submitted to the Registrar’s Office for further processing and storage.

CREDIT VALUE OF THE STUDY PROGRAMME EXPRESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ECTS SYSTEM

The credit value of each teaching subject is expressed in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). With regard to this system, every subject is assigned a certain number of credits, with the total of 30 credits in each semester, that is, 60 in an entire academic year, thus making it the total of 240 credits upon the completion of the first cycle.

CRITERIA AND CONDITIONS FOR TRANSFER OF ECTS CREDITS

The conditions of transfer of ECTS credits from one study programme organised at the University of Banja Luka to another, as well as from a study programme of the University of Banja Luka to a study programme organised at another university are defined in accordance with the Rulebook on First and Second Cycle Academic Studies of the University of Banja Luka, that is, in accordance with Article 24-29.

SIMILARITY TO OTHER STUDY PROGRAMMES OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

The study programme is similar to the ones offered at the following higher education institutions:

1. Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade (Republic of Serbia)

2. Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb (Republic of Croatia)

3. Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Montenegro (Republic of Montenegro)       

CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

The key goal of Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is a contribution to a balanced understanding of quality assurance as regards education among states and interested parties, thus enabling the development of both the national and institutional quality assurance system across the area. The engagement in quality assurance processes, external ones in particular, allows respective European higher education systems to show quality and increase transparency, which helps them build mutual trust and secure recognition of their qualifications, programmes, and other services rendered.

For that reason, the quality assurance system policy established at the University of Banja Luka is consistent with the ESG, with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the Higher Education Area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Criteria for Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions, with the Law on Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, and with the Decision on Licensing respectively.

In accordance with the aforementioned policy, the Study Programme of Political Science, offering course routes of International Relations and Public Administration, is designed in such a way as to provide the ultimate quality of education. With regard to that, the Study Programme is in line with the acts of the University of Banja Luka, with the legislation of the Republic of Srpska concerning higher education, with global standards from the area of higher education, and with the practices established at some of the most renowned universities of today.

CONDITIONS FOR TRANSFER FROM OTHER STUDY PROGRAMMES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SAME SCIENTIFIC FIELD

According to the Rulebook on Studying at the First and Second Cycles Academic Studies (Article 24) of the University of Banja Luka, the conditions for transfer from another study programme are determined by the Senate of the University of Banja Luka at the request of the Staff Council of the respective faculty. With regard to identical study programmes, there are no special conditions. In case of other study programmes, only similar ones are eligible, with the term ‘similar’ referring to a study programme featuring at least 70% of the subjects belonging to the narrow scientific field of journalism and communication studies. A candidate can make a transfer from another first-cycle study programme to this study programme if they pass a list of exams determined by the staff of the Study Programme of Journalism and Communication Studies, based on the insight into the curriculum of the study programme in question.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning outcomes define what students attending the Study Programme of Political Science – Course Routes of International Relations and Public Administration should know, understand, and be competent in upon gaining their respective BA degrees. In terms of that, they should possess knowledge from the following areas: political theory, political systems, political communication, management and marketing, international relations, and public administration.  

Upon completion of their studies, students are supposed to be capable of understanding processes in the areas of international relations and public administration and be equipped with the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge.

The students who gain their BA in Political Science – International Relations will be capable of the following:

‐ performing professional executive tasks in institutions operating in the field of international relations;
‐ performing professional executive tasks regarding the harmonisation of the domestic legislation with the EU acquis and its implementation;
‐ performing consultancy activities in institutions establishing international cooperation;
‐ dealing with organisational, human resources, and administrative affairs in institutions establishing international cooperation;
‐ performing analytical tasks in the fields of foreign policy, defense, and security;
‐ performing analytical and executive tasks in the fields of international terrorism and international criminal affairs;
‐ performing analytical and executive tasks as regards international police agencies cooperation and the Interpol;
‐ performing analytical and executive tasks regarding alien affairs, asylum seekers, and migrations;
‐ performing diplomatic and consular affairs at junior and middle levels within the diplomatic and consular network of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in international organisations;
‐ performing tasks regarding data collection and analysis and interpretation of events and processes in the field of international relations;
‐ performing analytical tasks in state-level, entity-level, and local administration and institutions operating in the field of international relations;
‐ dealing with international relations affairs in political parties, companies, and corporations;
‐ performing executive tasks in protocol services at all authority levels;
‐ performing tasks concerning corporate security etc;

The students who gain their BA in Political Science – Public Administration will be capable of the following:

‐ designing public policies;
‐ perform mid-term, long-term, and strategic sector planning;
‐ designing drafts and proposals of general administrative law acts;
‐ making decisions on rights and obligations of clients in accordance with administrative procedures;
‐ performing activities regarding the harmonisation of domestic legislation with the EU acquis and policies and their implementation;
‐ performing activities in public companies, public institutions, and general purpose institutions founded by the Republic of Srpska or a unit of local self-government;
‐ performing activities in representative bodies at entity and local levels;
‐ monitoring and implementing novelties in the field of European administration;
‐ submitting reports on the activities of administrative bodies at all levels of administrationp;
‐ participating in preparations for and implementation of public administration reforms;
‐ monitoring and researching into domestic and foreign public opinion;
‐ performing public relations tasks in administrative bodies at all levels of administration;
‐ implementing forms of direct democracy in public administration and local self-government;
‐ performing administrative affairs at state, entity, and local levels;
‐ designing local development policies;
‐ preparing and designing general and specific acts at local self-government level;
‐ establishing cooperation with civil society organisations, as well as with regional and international organisations in the field of public administration and local self-government;
‐ participating at activities of regional and international bodies in the field of public administration and local self-government etc.

Apart from the aforementioned outcomes, those who gain a BA degree in this field will be capable of furthering their knowledge and of pursuing an academic career as well.