About Us

History

The Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb was founded on 16 November 1992 as a two-semester university comparative study programme of Croatian philosophy and society. During its first year, the programme was transformed into a regular four-year study programme with three study tracks: the comparative study of Croatian culture (CROATICUM), the study of Philosophy, and the study of Society.

After the study programme of Philosophy and Religious Culture of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus was added, these study programmes and curriculum proposals were accepted by the Scientific-Educational Council of the University of Zagreb on 28 September 1993. From that point onward, the institution was officially known as the Centre for Croatian Studies, today the University Department for Croatian Studies.

On 24 November 1995, the Senate of the University of Zagreb adopted the Regulations on the Structure and Activities of Croatian Studies. In accordance with these Regulations, Croatian Studies was established as a university centre with the legal status of a branch of the University of Zagreb. After regulating its legal status and initiating the process of adopting four-year undergraduate study programmes in 1996 (Philosophy, Croatian Culture, Journalism, History, Sociology, together with Philosophy and Religious Culture offered by the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy, and Psychology in 1997), the Centre completed the second phase of its development and was constituted as a university centre in its present scope.

Cooperation with the Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus was secured through an agreement signed with the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy on 16 October 1997. By the Decision on the Structure and Activities of Departments of Croatian Studies (2009), adopted by the Scientific-Educational Council of Croatian Studies, the research and teaching activities of the University Department were organized through nine divisions: the Division of Philosophy, the Division of Croatian Latinity, the Division of Communication Studies, the Division of Croatology, the Division of History, the Division of Psychology, the Division of Sociology, and the Division of Educational Sciences and Teacher Education.

According to the Statute of the University of Zagreb of 25 February 2005, the Faculty of Croatian Studies has the status of a research and teaching constituent of the University, organizing and conducting research, teaching, and professional activities, while also coordinating such activities within the University. In 2005, together with the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy, the University Department for Croatian Studies initiated the process of accreditation of 13 undergraduate, 12 graduate, and 5 postgraduate doctoral study programmes.

Vision

The Faculty of Croatian Studies is a pivotal higher education and scientific research institution of the University of Zagreb and of the Republic of Croatia. It performs and coordinates scientific, educational, and research activities in the fields of humanities and social sciences, as well as in interdisciplinary fields of science, with particular emphasis on research into Croatian society and on the study and promotion of Croatian science, education, and culture in the Republic of Croatia and worldwide.

Mission

The Faculty of Croatian Studies organizes, carries out, and coordinates scientific research, as well as scientific and educational projects and programmes in the field of humanities and relevant interdisciplinary scientific fields, with special interest in studying various components of Croatian society both within and outside the Republic of Croatia, and in contributing to its long-term sustainable and coordinated development.

The Faculty of Croatian Studies also carries out and coordinates activities that fall within the scope of the University of Zagreb and other higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia, as well as public research institutes and institutions focused on the study of Croatian society and the research and promotion of Croatian culture, education, and science. It is likewise engaged in establishing and connecting related institutions in the Republic of Croatia and abroad.