University of Zagreb School of Medicine

Temporary stay for the purpose of studies

Foreign nationals intending to study in Croatia must regulate their temporary stay for the purpose of studying if their stay in Croatia is longer than 90 days. International students are not allowed to attend classes at a university until they have procured a residence permit.

International students can submit a residence permit application in one of two ways:

• to the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in the foreign national’s home country
• to the appropriate police department or police station immediately upon entering Croatia if they submit proof of taking part in an exchange programme approved by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports in Croatia (Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, CEEPUS, bilateral exchange, etc.). For more information about this document, the student should contact International Relations Offi ce of the host university.

If foreigners are subject to the visa requirement they are obliged to apply for a visa prior to their entry into the Republic of Croatia, at the responsible Croatian diplomatic mission/consular post.

Students submitting an application to the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in their home country should do so prior to their scheduled arrival to Croatia. The usual procedure can take three months or longer. There is also a fast-track option for handling the application and students can request this at the diplomatic mission or consulate, in which case they pay a higher fee. Students submitting the application to the appropriate police department or police station in Croatia should do so immediately upon entering Croatia.

The temporary stay permit for the purpose of studies is valid up to one year, that is, until the end of the academic year.

Documents needed to apply for a temporary stay permit for the purpose of studies:

1. Application form
2. Proof of admittance to a higher education institution in Croatia written in the Croatian language
3. One colour photograph (35 x 45 mm)
4. Original and copy of a valid travel document
5. Proof of accommodation arrangements *
6. Proof of means of support **
7. Certificate of impunity (not older than 6 months)
8. Proof of health insurance ***

* – E.g. written proof of secured accommodation in the student dormitory or an apartment lease and proof of the landlord’s apartment ownership for students in private accommodation
** – Proof of finances: a scholarship or proof of having access to finances in the amount of at least 1,000 Kuna per month during 12 months. The proof of receiving a scholarship is issued by the legal entity granting the scholarship while the proof of finances is issued by a bank in the form of a bank statement
*** – Proof of health insurance (bilingual document) coming from a home country that has a bilateral agreement on social and health security with Croatia. Nationals of countries that do not have the aforementioned agreement with Croatia have to report to the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO – Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje) to establish their right to health insurance under Croatian health insurance regulations.

All original documents must be officially translated into Croatian, and an “apostille” of all original documents and certified translations may be required. It is suggested to check with the Croatian diplomatic mission or consular post whether the need for an “apostille“ exists.

Application fee
The application fee for the first temporary residence permit for the purpose of studying is 520 Kuna (approximately 70 EUR). International students receiving a grant from the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports are exempted from this fee.

Diplomatic Missions and Consular Offices of Croatia (in English)
Study in Croatia >Living in Croatia >Student residence permit

Upon arrival you need to register at a police station. If you have received a room in one of the student dormitories, the Student centre (Studentski centar) will do this for you.

Getting an OIB identity number

OIB is a personal identity number, called “osobni identifikacijski broj” in Croatian. This new form of identity number was introduced on 1 January 2009. The OIB is needed for all dealings with any kind of officialdom, such as paying taxes and household bills, opening and accessing a bank account, or registering a vehicle.

Foreigners temporarily staying in the Republic of Croatia will get the OIB in the procedure of registering the residence/stay in the police station.

In all other cases the OIB is issued by the Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance, which has offices all round Croatia. For example, foreigners who hold a bank account have to apply for their OIB to be issued. This is a straightforward procedure which costs nothing. The application can be submitted in person, together with the original supporting documents or by some other authorized person (employer, host institution etc.). The OIB can be issued immediately.

List of documents:

1. Request for an OIB to be issued and delivered (the application form is in Croatian, and is available on this web site)*
2. Authorization signed by the foreigner (if the request is not submitted in person) – in Croatian
3. Copy of the valid travel document, or some other identity document (original may be asked for inspection)

*The form is divided into three parts: as an individual, please fill in part 1 and 3.

The OIB document is composed of two parts: a slip containing the number, which you should detach and keep in your wallet or in a safe place, as it is the official proof of your OIB. The upper part contains a system code and explanatory statements.

From 1 January 2010 the OIB is also considered as a tax number.

Health insurance registration procedures

During their stay in Croatia, all foreigners with temporary residence must have health insurance. Regulated health insurance is the prerequisite for being granted temporary residence (except for the foreigners on temporary stay for the purpose of scientific research – they must have the provision of health insurance stipulated in the hosting agreement).

Foreign citizens are advised before coming to the Republic of Croatia to check with the health insurance authority in their country of origin whether there exists an agreement on health insurance between the Republic of Croatia and their country of origin. In case such an agreement does exist, their local health insurance authority must issue a document on the basis of which the foreigner will be entitled to medical protection while in Croatia. In case such a document does not exist, foreign citizens may procure a health insurance policy from the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO) in the following way:

• upon arrival they need to register at the police administration/station, where they will be issued a registered number
• on the basis of this number the HZZO office will register the person on temporary evidence and issue relevant confirmation, which entitles the foreigner and binds the HZZO to medical insurance after residence status regulation
• with this temporary confirmation from the HZZO, the foreign citizen needs to return to the police administration/station, where their temporary residence will be approved and a permit issued
• after bringing a copy of the residence confirmation to the HZZO, the foreign citizen will be fully insured
• necessary documents: a copy of the first page of the passport, a copy of the passport page with visa, a copy of the residence confirmation

An employment contract is needed in order to register a foreign researcher as an employee with the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO). Researchers on temporary stay for the purpose of scientific research that do not have an employment contract must register with the HZZO upon arrival to Croatia by presenting their passport and residence permit.

The application process for foreigners in the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute and the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance are the same as the application procedures for workers who are Croatian citizens.

Foreigners who establish regular working relationship with the Croatian employers pay contributions for compulsory pension insurance in the same way as workers who are Croatian citizens.

School of Medicine, University of Zagreb

The main building of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb is situated at the Šalata hill campus, a peaceful oasis in the central part of the city, and is near a sports and recreational center. It houses the administrative offices and departments of pre-medical and basic sciences, as well as some pre-clinical teaching facilities. The majority of clinical teaching is done at the clinical departments of the Clinical Hospital Center (Šalata, Rebro and Petrova premises), the Sestre Milosrdnice, Merkur and Dubrava clinical hospitals, and other health institutions, such as the Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, the Pulmonary Diseases Clinic, the Sveti Duh General Hospital, and the Vrapče Psychiatric Hospital. Public health and general medicine courses are taught at the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health and at the ambulatory health care facilities of local health centers.A network of libraries assures access to a wide range of primary sources in almost all fields of study. The Main Library, centrally located at the Šalata campus, and the public health library housed in the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, are major resource centers in the area of biomedical sciences, containing particularly strong holdings of periodicals. Students are also encouraged to use the supportive facilities of the computer workshop, which has Internet access. The main administration building at the Šalata premises houses a restaurant which serves food exclusively for students.

General info about the country is available on the following link: http://www.euraxess.hr/sitegenius/topic.php?id=283

General info about daily life is available on the following link: http://www.euraxess.hr/sitegenius/topic.php?id=281

Libraries

You might find the following two libraries useful in your research:

Središnja medicinska knjižnica (Central Medical Library)
Address: Šalata 3b
Phone: +385 1 45 66 745
Fax: +385 1 49 20 050

Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica (National University Library)
Address: Hrvatske bratske zajednice 4
Phone: +385 1 61 64 111

During your studies in Zagreb, you might like to start learning Croatian. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb offers Croatian language courses, and you can also learn Croatian in a number of other language schools in Zagreb.
Faculty of Philosophy (Filozofski fakultet)
Ivana Lučića 3
+385 1 61 20 214
+385 1 61 56 881
+385 1 61 20 095
centar@ffzg.hr

Link to the Office for the academic recognition page: http://www.unizg.hr/studiji-i-studiranje/upisi-stipendije-priznavanja/akademsko-priznavanje-inozemnih-visokoskolskih-kvalifikacija/

Enrolment quotas are determined on the basis of availability of research, teaching and mentorship capacities. Enrolment quotas are determined by the Council for Postgraduate Programmes based on the proposal of the PhD Programme Coordination Committee. Enrolment in a PhD programme is done on the basis of a public call for applications published in the daily press and on the School’s website. The public call for applications to the PhD programme is announced at least one month prior to the start of the courses. Enrolment conditions and selection procedures for students are harmonized with the Zagreb Recommendations of the Second European Conference on the Harmonization of PhD Programmes in Biomedicine and Health Sciences.

The conditions for application are:

• a completed relevant university graduate or university integrated undergraduate and graduate programme in the scientific field of Biomedicine and Health Sciences and related field. Exceptionally, with the explanation and the request, applicants with a completed university graduate programme in other fields of natural, and in the case of public health social sciences, may be admitted;
• a grade point average of at least 3.51 (in the grading system 5-10 or A-F grade point average of at least 8.00);
• candidates who have completed integrated undergraduate and graduate programme or graduate programme abroad must undergo a process of academic recognition of a foreign degree of higher education before enrolment (http://www.unizg.hr/homepage/study-at-the-university-of-zagreb/academic-recognition-of-foreign-higher-education-qualifications/)
• a letter of recommendation by potential mentor/s, and a research topic proposal
• additional documentation must be submitted with the application (copies of papers and congress summaries, certificates of indexation of papers and congress review, participation in projects);
• a certificate of proficiency in English language (issued by a foreign language school, or other institutions of higher learning) or Croatian language (for candidates whose native language is not Croatian) must also be enclosed;
• candidates who have completed their undergraduate study abroad are required to submit a decision on academic recognition of a foreign degree of higher education prior to enrolment.

Link to Admission criteria: https://mef.unizg.hr/upisi/poslijediplomski/doktorski/phd-programme-in-english/

Full-time PhD Programme is entirely research oriented and lasts three years. It can be extended up to a total of five years for justified reasons. After this five-year term, the PhD candidate loses the right to obtain an academic degree of Doctor of Science in that programme. The specified period of five years does not include the temporary suspension of studies for justified reasons.

The principal scheme of lessons and the appertaining student credits in the full programme are as follows (presuming equally divided obligations):

• First year: methodological courses (12 ECTS), submission of PhD thesis proposal and research work with mentor(s) (28 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS);
• Second year: methodological courses and field-related courses (12 ECTS), PhD Day (4 ETCS), public discussion of the PhD thesis proposal and its acceptance by the Faculty Council, research work with mentor(s) (24 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS);
•  Third year: methodological and field-related courses (12 ECTS), PhD Day (4 ECTS), research work with mentor(s), writing and successfully defending the PhD thesis (24 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS).

Part-time programme is intended for candidates who, in addition to their PhD obligations, perform other professional duties during their employment (e.g. clinical work or public health, etc.), and often teaching. Part-time programme is organized to facilitate this as much as possible.

Part-time programme lasts for up to five years. It can be extended up to a total of eight years for justified reasons. After this eight-year term, the PhD candidate loses the right to obtain an academic degree of Doctor of Science in that programme. The specified period of eight years does not include the temporary suspension of studies for justified reasons.

The principal scheme of lessons and the appertaining student credits in the full programme are as follows (presuming equally divided obligations):

• First year: methodological courses (12 ECTS), submission of PhD thesis proposal and research work with mentor(s) (28 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS);
• Second year: methodological courses and field-related courses (12 ECTS), PhD Day (4 ETCS), public discussion of the PhD thesis proposal and its acceptance by the Faculty Council, research work with mentor(s) (24 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS);
•  Third year: methodological and field-related courses (12 ECTS), PhD Day (4 ECTS), research work with mentor(s), writing and successfully defending the PhD thesis (24 ECTS), scientific activity (publications, attending conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.) (20 ECTS).

Obligatory courses

• 1st year: Structure, methodology and functioning of scientific work 1
• 2nd year: Structure, methodology and functioning of scientific work 2, Statistical Analysis of Medical Data 1, PhD Day
• 3rd year: Structure, methodology and functioning of scientific work 3: research projects, Medical Statistics (at least one of four obligatory guided tutorials), PhD Day

Students who have not enrolled one year after another and had a pause in the course of their studies, have to enrol and pass all obligatory courses regardless of the year of studies they are about to enrol. The exception are the students who enrolled and passed the courses  Structure, methodology and functioning of scientific work (this is the equivalent to the new obligatory course Structure, methodology and functioning of scientific work 1) and Statistical Analysis of Medical Data (this is the equivalent to the new obligatory course Statistical Analysis of Medical Data 1).

Methodological courses

Methodological courses are offered during all three years of study with emphasis on the first year. The aim of these courses is to familiarize students with the basics of scientific work as a whole, and the procedures and methods in particular research areas. Although students may not fully learn numerous and very different research methods and procedures by attending these courses, an important goal is to gain knowledge of techniques (e.g. biochemical, molecular or in vitro procedures), some of which will be used as groundwork of their PhD thesis. An additional goal of these subjects is to free students, especially clinicians, from the frequent fear of laboratory methods and procedures and to show them that they would be able to master it. Methodological courses should not consist of more than 30% of lectures on theory, while at least 70% of teaching must be focused on presentation of the methods and practical work. The lesser portion of conventional teaching is compensated by the recommended and compulsory literature. Each of these courses is accompanied by a corresponding reference book prepared by the teachers of the course in question. The courses are, as a rule, organized as integrated and include both preclinical and clinical (or public health) methods of tackling particular problems, since, when it comes to scientific methodology, the boundaries between these areas are merging together.

Field related courses

The field-related courses aim to introduce scientific knowledge and problems in certain narrower areas of research in the field of biomedicine and health sciences. In addition to extending knowledge, such courses enable students to understand and follow the latest scientific literature on a particular area of research. Field-related courses are offered in all years of the programme, but predominantly after the PhD thesis proposal had already been submitted.

Proposals of new field-oriented courses are accepted and considered at all times and all teachers of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb are invited to apply with courses in the area of their research. All experts from Croatia or abroad who meet the legal requirements are also welcome to apply. All course proposals are subject to double anonymous scientific peer-review prior to acceptance.

 PhD Day

PhD Day is an obligatory part of the second and third year of studies. It is a one-day public presentation of preliminary research results within PhD theses of the second and third year of study in the form of displayed poster presentations and abstracts published in a special publication. In addition, the programme coordinators select some of the best abstracts for oral presentation. Preparation and participation in the PhD Day grants 4 ECTS credits to each active participant.

The completion of the organized programme and one of the conditions for submitting a PhD thesis for assessment is considered to be the day when the PhD candidate fulfilled the requirements of the so-called third-credit group, i.e. his/her scientific activities. The PhD student’s scientific activity is valued at 20 ECTS per year (60 ECTS credits in total), and scoring elements include published scientific papers stemming from their PhD research and other papers in the field of research, participation in scientific conferences (abstracts), number of citations, invited lectures on the topic of the PhD thesis and received awards in the field of research. An additional requirement is that the PhD student is the co-author with the mentor or co-mentor of the PhD thesis of a paper that is published (or has been accepted for publication) and that is related to the PhD thesis, that he/she is one of the main authors, and that the paper is published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the Web of Science (Core Collection) database.

Application for evalution of PhD candidate’s scientific activity (publications) can be submitted here.

INSTRUCTIONS on submitting scientific activity

According to the Regulations on PhD Programmes of the University of Zagreb School of Medicine

Article 32.

1) A person may be appointed as a mentor of the PhD thesis if he/she is an employee of the School holding a scientific-teaching degree and position or is elected in the title scientificteaching degree at the School, provided that he/she is an active researcher in the field for which the PhD thesis is proposed, as evidenced by the simultaneous fulfillment of the following two criteria:

1. that during the past 5 years he/she has been the leader of a national or international project or an active contributor to such a project,
2. has published at least 3 internationally recognized papers relevant to the research of his/her PhD candidate’s PhD thesis (as evidenced by the printing of data from the Web of Science, SCI expanded and SSCI) over the past five years.

2) Professors emeritus and full members of HAZU can be mentors of PhD theses, if they are active leaders of research projects. The decision on this is made by the Faculty Council on the basis of a proposal of the Board for PhD Theses and Scientific Degrees.

3) An employee of the School may co-mentor at another school or faculty of the University of Zagreb, or at another university, only with the prior special permission of the School.

Article 35.

1) The mentor is obliged to supervise the PhD candidate/s during the preparation of their PhD thesis, to monitor the quality of their PhD thesis, to encourage the publication of their papers and to enable them to participate fully in scientific research projects. The same applies to the co-mentor, who assumes responsibility for the approved part of the research of the PhD thesis.

2) Primary responsibility for publishing papers co-authored by the PhD candidate is the responsibility of the mentor, who is expected to maintain at least average scientific productivity during the writing of PhD thesis (which means publishing at least one paper per year in internationally peer-reviewed journals cited in WoS, SCI expanded and SSCI). In an average five-year period in which the PhD candidate is expected to complete his/her PhD thesis, the mentor must publish:

– at least three papers (in journals cited in WoS, SCI expanded and SSCI) while ensuring that the PhD candidate is a co-author on at least one of the three papers;

– or at least one paper in Quartile 1 (Q1) or Quartile 2 (Q2) in which he/she is the first or last author and the co-author is the PhD candidate.

The aforementioned papers cannot be considered as qualification papers for the defence of a PhD thesis for more than one PhD candidate.

3) The mentor is obliged to submit annual reports on the PhD candidate’s progress to the Council for Postgraduate Programmes, using the appropriate form of the University adapted for the needs of the School. Before the mentor is appointed, that report is to be submitted by the study adviser.

The PhD programme is completed by passing all exams, participating in PhD Days, positively evaluated scientific activity and the preparation and a successful public defence of the PhD thesis. Before submitting the completed PhD thesis, the PhD candidate is obliged to submit the evidence that they have fulfilled all the conditions from the curriculum, which include the following:

1. that they have accumulated 60 ECTS credits on the basis of their scientific activity during the PhD programme, and
2. that they are a co-author with the mentor or co-mentor of the PhD thesis of a paper that is published (or has been accepted for publication) and that is related to the PhD thesis, that they are one of the main authors, and that the paper is published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the Web of Science (Core Collection) database.

IMPORTANT! Before submitting the thesis proposal, candidates must contact the Office for doctoral theses, Mrs. Maja Budanko to receive the invoice for starting the procedure of obtaining the PhD degree

First proposal – Form DR.SC.-01A

Instructions for completion of Form DR.SC.-01A

Final thesis proposal – Form DR.SC.-01B

Instructions for completion of Form DR.SC.-01B

Thesis proposal evaluation – Form DR.SC.-02

Instructions for completion of FORM DR.SC.-02

The duties of supervisors and doctorands

Instructions on preparing the PhD thesis for printing and binding

Instructions for the PhD Thesis binding

Instructions for printing and binding cover and front page

Instructions for literature references and citations used in writing dissertations, final specialization and doctoral theses

PhD thesis – spine

PhD thesis – front pages

Front page – sample

Procedure for defence of a doctoral thesis

Report on defence of a doctoral thesis

Instructions on writing a doctoral thesis evaluation report

Summary of the doctoral thesis evaluation report

ORPHEUS is an organization of biomedical and health science faculties and institutions.