At the University of Montenegro a Step Forward Made in Doctoral Studies
Experts for the reform of education and doctoral studies from Europe and the region assessed that a step forward in doctoral studies was made at the University of Montenegro with the establishment of the first interdisciplinary doctoral program in English Sustainable Development, which these days enrolls the second generation. They evaluated this during the discussion at the conference held today on the project Reform of doctoral studies in Montenegro and Albania, an example of good practice, within which training for doctoral students was also organized.
The head of the project, Professor Stojanović, said that a lot has been done in the field of reforming doctoral studies, and that today at the University of Montenegro, they are attractive and competitive compared to studies in the region, especially when it comes to the fee for doctoral studies, which is lower compared to neighboring countries.
"This year there was great interest in Sustainable Development studies and we had a large number of applications from all over the world. The importance of this program was also recognized by the prestigious names of science from the diaspora, who gathered at the recently held scientific symposium at the University of Montenegro Science and small countries: Synergy of diaspora, motherland and friends of Montenegro. They saw the program as a chance for reintegration, but also support for students for training abroad," Professor Stojanović said.
At opening of the conference, the Minister of Science and Technological Development, Biljana Šćepanović, PhD, said that the partners on this project were brought together five years ago by idea of Radovan Stojanović, aimed at reforming doctoral studies in Montenegro and Albania. "Our colleagues from the EU and friends from universities in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Slovakia recognized the importance and value of the idea and helped shape it into a successful Erasmus+ project for capacity building in higher education. Now, after five years of joint work, we have reached the final stage, I dare say, of the success story of the MARDS project", Minister Šćepanović said.
She pointed out that doctoral studies are a phase of higher education for which only a few %s of the student population have enough courage, seasoned with a small dose of craziness, mixed with a high level of curiosity and the desire to learn something new. At the same time, she added, they are the first real level of scientific work, the nest from which young scientists start their scientific life path.
Dr. Lucas Zinner, director of the Center for Doctoral Studies of the University of Vienna, Melita Kovačević, PhD, from the University of Zagreb and Aleksandra Bituskova, PhD, from the University of Banska Bistrica, professors Matjaž Debevc and Andrej Škraba from the University of Maribor, as well as other renowned experts in the field of doctoral education and higher education policies.