1st-Cycle Graduation Process

1. The procedure for the preparation and defense of a bachelor's thesis in the first-cycle study programme is governed by the Regulations on the Procedure for the Preparation and Defense of Thesis in First- and Second-Cycle Study Programmes at the University of Maribor (2021 in English; 2025 in Slovenian).

2. The forms attached to this summary of instructions are used in the procedures for preparing and defending a bachelor's thesis in the first-cycle study program in Economics and Business Sciences.

3. Student must follow specific Guidelines regarding the use of generative AI tools when preparing, writing and designing their final thesis.

The student selects the topic of their final thesis based on the published topics or at their own discretion, in agreement with the intended mentor. Before registering the chosen topic, the student must obtain the consent of the intended mentor regarding the topic, as well as their agreement to act as their mentor, and the consent of any potential co-mentor(s).

The topic of the final thesis must be substantively related to the study programme in which the student is completing their studies, or to the content of other related study programmes, including those abroad. If the study programme has specializations or orientations, the content of the final thesis should generally fall within the field of the specialization or orientation chosen by the student.

Bachelor's Thesis Topics and Mentors for the Study Year 2026/2027

The student of the undergraduate study programme is required to register the topic of their bachelor's thesis, with the consent of the intended mentor, as early as possible at the beginning of the summer semester of the third year, as specified by the accredited study programme, but no later than the end of May of the third year.

The student submits the Thesis Topic Application (Attachment 1) for the registration of the thesis topic to the Study in English Office alongside with two copies of the thesis proposal (three if a co-mentor is involved). The scope of the thesis proposal is limited to 3 to 5 pages, not including the list of references and sources.

The topic is valid for 1 year (the exact validity date of the topic is stated in the Decision on the Thesis, which you receive once the topic registration has been processed).

Extension of Topic:

The bachelor's thesis topic can be extended once. Before the deadline for completing the final thesis, as specified in the Decision on the Thesis, the student must submit a Request for Extension of the Final Thesis Topic (Form 4) to the Study in English office.

ATTACHMENTS AND FORMS:

ATTACHMENT 1 ‒ THESIS TOPIC APPLICATION

ATTACHMENT 1A ‒ APPLICATION FOR A CHANGE OF THE THESIS TOPIC (CHANGE OF TITLE)

ATTACHMENT 1B ‒ APPLICATION FOR A CHANGE OF THE THESIS TOPIC (CHANGE OF MENTOR AND/OR CO-MENTOR)

FORM 4 – REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF THE FINAL THESIS TOPIC

BACHELOR'S THESIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD BACHELOR'S THESIS PROPOSAL

1. The student of the first-cycle study programme Economic and Business Sciences, specialization Economic and Business Studies prepares their bachelor’s thesis in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Bachelor's Thesis Template.

2. The student must follow specific Guidelines regarding the use of generative AI tools when preparing, writing and designing their final thesis.

ATTACHMENTS AND FORMS:

BACHELOR'S THESIS TEMPLATE

When the final version of the bachelor’s thesis has been agreed upon with the mentor, the student may, in accordance with the prior agreement with the mentor, upload the bachelor’s thesis to DLUM for the purpose of obtaining the Similarity Check Report.

Link: https://dk.um.si/info/index.php/eng/upload-document

1. The submission of the bachelor's thesis is conditional upon the completion of all other academic obligations as prescribed by the study programme, except for the defense of the thesis.
   
   
2. After finalizing the thesis with the mentor, the student may submit the documentation in one of the following ways:
   
   • Via email: The student sends their mentor the electronic version of the thesis, Similarity Check Report, completed Statement on the Adequacy of the Thesis (ATTACHMENT 3), and completed Proposal for the Appointment of the Defense Committee Members (FORM 2).
   • In person to FEB's Information Office: The student submits two soft-bound copies of the thesis (or three in case of co-mentorship), the Similarity Check Report (instructions in STEP 4), completed Statement on the Adequacy of the Thesis (ATTACHMENT 3), and Proposal for the Appointment of the Defense Committee Members (FORM 2).

3. Depending on the submission method, the mentor is responsible for forwarding the received documents to the Centre for Educational Activity.

• If they received the electronic copies of the bachelor’s thesis and attachments, the mentor must send to the Center for Educational Activities, no later than 14 days before the scheduled defense date, the printed and signed Statement on the Adequacy of the Thesis (ATTACHMENT 3), the Proposal for the Appointment of the Defense Committee Members (FORM 2), completed and signed by the head of specialization, indicating the proposed date and time of the defense. If the head of specialization and the mentor are the same person, FORM 2 is signed by the head of department. The mentor sends the electronic copy of the bachelor’s thesis via email to the chair of the defense committee, and, in the case of co-mentorship, also to the co-mentor.
• If they received the softbound copies of the bachelor’s thesis and attachments, the mentor keeps one softbound copy of the thesis, submits one softbound copy to the chair of the defense committee (and, in case of co-mentorship, one copy to the co-mentor), and submits to the Center for Educational Activity, no later than 14 days before the scheduled defense date, the printed and signed Statement on the Adequacy of the Thesis (ATTACHMENT 3), along with the Proposal for the Appointment of the Defense Committee Members (FORM 2), completed and signed by the head of specialization, indicating the proposed date and time of the defense. If the head of specialization and the mentor are the same person, FORM 2 is signed by the head of department.

DOCUMENTS FOR THE THESIS DEFENSE:

SIMILARITY CHECK REPORT (instructions can be found in STEP 4)

ATTACHMENT 3 ‒ MENTOR'S/CO-MENTOR'S STATEMENT ON THE ADEQUACY OF THE THESIS

FORM 2 – PROPOSAL FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE DEFENSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

To obtain a UDC classification for the bachelor’s thesis, after receiving the Decision on the Appointment of the Committee for the Defense of the Thesis, the following information must be sent by email to library.epf@um.si:

• Title of the bachelor’s thesis,

• Keywords,

• Abstract in Slovenian,

• Decision on the Appointment of the Committee for the Defense of the Thesis.

The UM FEB Library will assign a UDC classification to the bachelor’s thesis within 3 working days. This classification must be included in the electronic version of the bachelor’s thesis (on the page with the abstract in both Slovenian and English).

After the bachelor’s thesis defense, the student must upload the FINAL VERSION of the thesis to DLUM within 14 days.

Before uploading the final version to DLUM, the student must insert, after the English abstract, the completed and signed Statement of Authorship of the Thesis and the Statement of Language Proofreading of the Thesis (the latter is completed by the thesis proofreader).

After uploading the final version to DLUM, the student must submit to the Center for Educational Activity hard copies of the Statement on the Publication of Personal Data and the confirmation of settled obligations from the library (students should contact the UM FEB Library for a digital confirmation to be sent to the Center for Educational Activity).

For the purpose of registering the bachelor’s thesis, the electronic version in DLUM is sufficient.

If the student wishes to submit a hard copy of the thesis as well, in addition to the Statement of Authorship and Statement of Language Proofreading, the Statement of Identity of the Printed and Electronic Version of the Thesis must also be inserted after the English abstract.

ATTACHMENTS AND FORMS:

ATTACHMENT 6 ‒ STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP OF THE THESIS

FORM 3 ‒ STATEMENT OF LANGUAGE PROOFREADING OF THE THESIS

ATTACHMENT 7 ‒ STATEMENT ON THE PUBLICATION OF PERSONAL DATA

ATTACHMENT 6A ‒ STATEMENT OF IDENTITY BETWEEN PRINTED AND ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE THESIS

Based on Article 10 of the Rules on the Procedure for the Preparation and Defence of Theses in First- and Second-Cycle Study Programmes at the University of Maribor (Official Consolidated Text – UPB 1), on 25 April 2025, the Student Affairs Committee of UM FEB adopted the decision that approves the preparation and defense of final theses in English for students enrolled in the English-language programmes of the first- and second-cycle study programmes at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor.

No additional form is needed for the preparation and defense of final theses in English for such students.

A final thesis prepared in a foreign language must, nevertheless, include the following:

• The title of the thesis in Slovenian and the foreign language.

• An extended abstract in Slovenian, which must cover at least 5 % of the entire thesis (it should include content from the first to the last chapter, excluding the list of references and appendices).

To enter additional student information related to studies at UM FEB in the thesis appendix, it is necessary to submit the Application for the Entry of Additional Information to the Study Affairs Committee of UM FEB.

ATTACHMENTS AND FORMS:

APPLICATION FOR THE ENTRY OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENT RELATED TO THEIR STUDIES