Part-time study is a special form of study process that has been tailored to the needs of adults who are employed.

Part-time study becomes ever more popular as people try to juggle earning with learning. Part-time study offers a viable alternative for those who can’t commit to full-time study courses. It is usually tailored for those who want to continue working while studying, and usually involves committing an afternoon or an evening each week to attend classes or lectures.

Part-time study involves spreading a full-time two-year higher vocational course over a longer period of time. The full-time study course lasts for two years, whereas the part-time study course along with the preparation of the diploma thesis takes three years. During the first two years lectures are held from October through June. In the course of the third year the part-time students attend lectures, whereas the second half of the third year is dedicated to the preparation of the diploma thesis. Part-time study does not include practical training in companies, since part-time students who are employed, usually have enough practical experiences in the fields of studies. Part-time study can be a way to continue learning whilst embarking on a career.

Part-time study equals full-time study as far as the goals, difficulty level, as well as the skills and knowledge acquired by the students are concerned. It is carried out according to curricula that are quite different from those of full-time studies. As already mentioned, part-time study is tailored for those who want to continue working while studying, and usually involves committing an afternoon or an evening each week to attend classes or lectures. Lectures are held on workdays, from Monday through Friday, or even on Saturday mornings.

Part-time students with enough on-hand work experiences or those who have completed study duties elsewhere, may be excused from internship or some study contents. In order to achieve this, they must present the Study Commission of the College with a request featuring certificates issued by their employers or (in case they have completed a part of their study duties elsewhere) certificates of passed exams.

In certain subjects that make parts of the study programmes we realize 40% of the lectures and 60% of the seminars and laboratory exercises that are normally realized in the course of full-time studies. The lecturers check the students’ knowledge during examinations. The students are also required to prepare project and seminar papers. Thus the students collect the ECTS credits in the very same way as full-time students, and can gather in the end the same number of the ECTS credits as full-time students.

A month upon the termination of lectures and seminars in a specific subject, the examination period begins that lasts from June through August and students can take exams in various subjects. In September an additional examination period provides the students to take exams.

In order to adjust the study process to the part-time students’ needs and possibilities, lectures in certain subjects that are common to both study programs are held for part-time students of both study programmes simultaneously and separately from lectures held for full-time students.

Part-time studies are payable, which means that part-time students must pay a tuition, which they pay themselves or in some cases it may be paid by their employers or – in case such students are unemployed – by the Slovenian Bureau of Employment.

The tuition for each study year is determined by the Supervisory School Board of the institution on the basis of the headmaster’s suggestion. Part-time students enjoy the very same rights as full-time students.