About us

MISSION AND VISION OF THE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

 

MISSION

The mission of the University Department of Professional Studies is to secure constant improvements in the society by developing modern professional higher education and lifelong learning as well as professional and scientific research. Through our work based on high standards of excellence, ethics and morality, and in synergy with all relevant stakeholders in our region, businessmen, local and regional self-government units, we want to raise the competence and knowledge of all users of our services. We will apply a quality management system fully aligned with ESG standards in order to achieve the highest quality standards of our work processes.

 

VISION

The Department will position itself as a leading high-quality professional higher education and lifelong education institution in the region and, by offering different study programmes in English, even beyond.)  In the future, the Department will be a key partner to various stakeholders of the wider social and economic community.

 

SWOT ANALYSIS

S (Strengths)

  • A variety of study programmes
  • Updated study programmes
  • Study programmes in line with social and economic needs
  • Strategic guidance of the Department towards the integration of practical teaching into the teaching process
  • Expert visits to economic entities and organisations have been organized
  • Proactive partnerships with business entities
  • Cooperation with teaching bases has been established 
  • Engaging professional experts in the teaching process 
  • Knowledgeable and professional teaching staff 
  • Continuing professional teacher development
  • A great number of quality young teachers
  • Systematically high grades related to teaching quality
  • Offering study programmes within STEM areas
  • The announced enrolment quotas have been reached
  • Equipped classrooms and laboratories
  • Adequate distribution of ECTS credits within study programmes
  • Quality communication among students and teachers
  • Teaching sessions adapted to the needs of part-time students
  • Flexibility to adapt to changes in the environment
  • Professional practice as a compulsory course within all study programmes
  • High employment rate of graduates in a relatively short period of time after completing their studies
  • Interactivity of the Department with various stakeholders from the local and wider community
  • Knowledge and competences needed for the development and offer of attractive lifelong education programmes

 
W (Weaknesses) 

  • High workload of teaching staff
  • Teaching sessions with large groups of students
  • Lack of possibility for promotion to scientific-teaching positions 
  • Lack of teaching rooms which results in the duration of  teaching sessions until 9:30 pm
  • A too heavy emphasis on teaching prevents from concentrating on scientific and professional activities
  • Insufficient publishing activity undertaken by teachers
  • Insufficient mobility of teachers and students
  • Insufficient international cooperation in developing study programmes
  • Lack of systematic principles in distance learning 
  • Lack of teaching staff at some Departments and Units
  • Transfer of knowledge among teaching staff (issues related to courses that had been delivered by retired teachers)
  • Inability to run other teachers’ courses due to different fields and/or teaching overload
  • Heavy dependence on external associates involved in teaching activities
  • Lack of the evaluation system of extra teaching workload 
  • Lack of an adequate system for encouraging teaching excellence
  • Insufficient promotion of study programmes
  • Unfavourable image
  • Percentage of enrolled students opting for other study programmes as their first choice
  • Slow system adaptation due to limited autonomy
  • Insufficient number of professional textbooks in the library

 
O (Opportunities)

  • Study programmes in English
  • Interdisciplinary study programme
  • Designing new study programmes in cooperation with external stakeholders
  • Restructuring of existing study programmes
  • Offering additional study programmes with other Croatian and international higher education institutions
  • Promotion of cooperation with companies and institutions with emphasis on professional practice and students’ employment
  • Employment of professional experts
  • Increased need of the social and economic community for areas covered by study programmes
  • Taking part in Croatian and international programmes in order to improve the teaching process
  • The need for interesting lifelong education programmes on the market

 
T (Threats)

  • Unfavourable demographic trends
  • Unfavourable economic conditions in the society
  • Existing study programmes offered by competitors
  • The emergence of new, public and private, study programmes provided by competitors
  • Unfavourable public perception of study     programmes in the fields of social sciences
  • Lack of possibility for promotion to teaching and scientific-teaching positions 
  • Lack of possibility for hiring new staff
  • Shortage of teaching staff with an adequate profile on the labour market
  • Teaching staff moving on to other institutions
  • Changes in the Collective Agreement for Science and Higher Education 
  • Unsatisfactory level of prior knowledge of students enrolling in study programmes
     

 

STRATEGIC GOALS
 

The University of Split sees itself as a social leader and promoter of the highest moral, ethical, social and economic principles and standards in the area of ​​public good, in the interest of the development of the Republic of Croatia, its regional environment and the European Union.
 

Along with the mission and vision of the University of Split, the following strategic documents were taken as guidelines in the process of setting strategic goals:
 

  • EU 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy
  • Strategic documents of the European Research Area (ERA),
  • Strategic documents of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA),
  • Standards and guidelines for the Quality Assurance in the European Area of Higher Education (ESG),
  • The Strategy for Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia,
  • Strategy of the University of Split 2015 – 2020
  • Strategy of the University of Split 2021 – 2025
  • The Development Strategy of the Department of Professional Studies 2016 - 2020
  • The EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) 
  • Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021 - 2027
  • Mission Statement The European University of the Seas „SEA-EU“
  • Manifesto of the SEA-EU Governing Board

 

For the period from 2021 to 2025, the University Department of Professional Studies has set the strategic goals within the following strategic areas:
 

1.       PROFESSION, SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS

2.       TEACHING AND STUDY PROGRAMMES 

3.       STUDENTS AND STUDENT STANDARD

4.       INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

5.       ORGANISATION AND DEPARTMENT'S RESOURCES  

6.       DEPARTMENT IN ITS SURROUNDINGS

 

Further in the text, strategic goals are defined within identified strategic areas, followed by the definition of tasks related to the realization of strategic goals.
Each task is accompanied by an achievement indicator as well as by a target value to be reached.