Postgraduate Study Programme – 2^nd Cycle Quality Management

 ① Fundamental Objectives >>

② Curriculum >>

③ Entry requirements >>

④ General Competences >>

⑤ Subject-Specific Competencies >>

⑥ Course content >>

① Fundamental Objectives of the Second Cycle Master's Degree in Quality Management

The aim of the second cycle Master’s Degree programme in Quality Management is providing students with the internalisation of fundamental building blocks of contemporary quality and excellence paradigms as well as providing the knowledge and skills that will ensure them with a wide range of competences required for managing quality and excellence.

After completion of the second cycle postgraduate study programme (Master’s degree), students are trained for independent management of organizational units, entrusted with the responsibility for development, deployment, and continuous improvement of quality systems and with that animating organizational development to superior quality and excellence.

It will also mean the need to internalise the concept of autopoiesis in reference to quality management and excellence based on the spiralling order of planning, doing, checking, and acting (Deming’s PDCA cycle).

A crucially important emphasis will be given on understanding contemporary approaches, models, and tools used by exemplary organizations in their daily practices. Students will be able to deepen knowledge with a critical assessment of given content, identification of the fundamental building blocks and concepts with the aim of finding synergistic effects, integration and improvement in an overall business model.

According to the learning outcomes, the study program is classified into 8^th level of the Slovenian Qualifications Framework (SQF), 7^th level of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the 2^nd level of the Qualifications Frameworks in the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA).

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② Curriculum

In January 2020, the updated curriculum of the Second Cycle Master's Degree in Quality Management was adopted, which will be implemented from the academic year 2020/2021 and will apply to newly enrolled students.

Existing students who make regular progress will be able to complete the study program according to the old curriculum, but may choose to complete the study according to the new curriculum. In this case, they will receive a notice from the Students Affairs Office about the obligations they have to complete in order to complete their studies under the new curriculum.

The rest of the students will complete the study program according to a new curriculum.

The programme lasts two years and is divided into four semesters. It is awarded with 120 ECTS. The total study workload includes fifteen courses, consisting of ten compulsory courses and five elective. The study concludes with a Master’s thesis.

A - compulsory course
C - elective course

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③ Entry requirements

The first year of the Master's degree programme in Quality Management is open to:

• who has completed a first cycle study programme in a relevant field of study* and obtained at least 180 ESCT credits (Bologna system);
• who has completed a higher professional degree programme or a bachelor's degree programme in a relevant field of study*; (pre-Bologna);
• who has completed equivalent study programmes mentioned in the previous bullet points in other professional fields and who has completed additional study requirements of 12 ECTS credits. The additional study requirements are completed before enrolment by taking the courses Foundametals of Organisation (6 ECTS credits) and Theory of Organisation (6 ECTS credits).

*Administrative and business sciences are considered as relevant fields of study.

The differentials must be passed before admission to the faculty. For more information on the differential examinations, send us an e-mail referat (at) fos-unm.si.

The faculty may limit enrolment if the number of applications significantly exceeds the number of places available. In the event of a limitation of enrolment, applicants will be selected on the basis of their average grade in their undergraduate studies.

The following students may enrol directly in the 2nd year of the 2nd cycle Master's degree programme in Quality Management:

• who has completed a bachelor's degree or specialisation programme adopted before 11 June 2004 in a related field of study. The related fields of study are considered to be administrative and business sciences.
• who completed a Bachelor's degree or specialisation programme awarded before 11 June 2004 in other fields of study. The competent authority of the ECTS shall prescribe differential examinations in the subjects Contemporary Approaches to Quality and Excellence (6KT at ECTS) and Contemporary Organisational Theory (6KT at ECTS).

Graduates who enrol directly in the second year of the second cycle Master's degree programme in Quality Management shall, upon enrolment, be assigned additional obligations in the form of differential examinations on the basis of a decision of the Dean, and shall be awarded the difference of  ECTS for the first year which they do not obtain by passing the differential examinations. Applications for transfer shall be considered on an individual basis in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Statutes.

④ General Competences

Students in the second cycle Master’s Degree programme in Quality Management will acquire the following general competencies:

1. Understanding and respecting the diversity of the global organizational environment, implementation and continuous improvement of overall quality and business excellence.
2. Knowledge and understanding of social, organizational, and inter-organizational processes and  ability for complex analysis.
3. Skills to identify needs for change and its application. 
4. Using methodological tools, i.e., implementation, coordination, and organization of research, using various research methods and techniques.
5. The ability of critical assessment in the selection, application, and improvement of contemporary approaches, models, and tools for quality and excellence.
6. Ability to formulate original ideas, concepts and solutions to specific issues.
7. Coherent management of fundamental skills, the ability to integrate knowledge from various fields that are based on quality and business excellence.
8. The development of communication skills and abilities to communicate with different environments.
9. Ability for teamwork, i.e., willingness to collaborate, cooperate, respecting the opinions of others and completing the designated task within the team and group.
10. Knowledge of professional ethics, laws, recognition, and respect for moral and ethical values and principles to their application at work.
11. The ability to present acquired fundamental knowledge and research findings in the form of project work, applied and/or developmental research paper or professional article.
12. The ability to educate and undertake mentoring work in promoting quality and business excellence.
13. The competency to take responsibility for professional development and learning, improving one’s own work through evaluations with a view to self-transcend, and as such,the continuous improvement of quality and excellence.
14. Ability to connect and develop partnerships with all stakeholders to achieve sustainable development.
15. Ability to critically use ICT and develop digital competences domestically and internationally.
16. Ability to integrate green practices and sustainable solutions into quality and excellence strategies.

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⑤ Subject-Specific Competencies

Students in the second cycle Master’s Degree programme in Quality Management will acquire the following subject-specific competencies:

1. Internalising the concept of autopoiesis in reference to quality management and excellence founded on the spiralling order of planning, doing, checking, and acting.
2. Internalising the fundamental building blocks of contemporary paradigms of quality and excellence.
3. Ability to focus on the needs of current and potential consumers, products, and services to increase loyalty.
4. The capability to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with partners based on trust, knowledge sharing, and integration.
5. The ability to direct the creative capacities of staff and personnel that are based on shared values and a culture of trust and empowerment that encourages inclusion for everyone.
6. Managing the design and continuous improvement of a process-oriented organization that is based on processes and facts.
7. The ability to direct and exchange knowledge within a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and improvement.
8. Internalisation of behaviour that creates clarity and unity of purpose within the organization as well as in the environment within which the organization and its employees demonstrate excellence.
9. The ability for social responsible actions on the basis of ethics and exceeding expectations and norms of the general society as a whole.
10. The ability to focus on results with the aim of meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved.
11. The ability and skills to solve concrete work-related problems using scientific methods and procedures.
12. The ability to use the broad knowledge base in the area of quality and business excellence, as well as research methodology and its interdisciplinary applications.
13. Understanding and the application of critical analysis methods and development of theories and their applications in problem-solving in the area of quality and business excellence.
14. Developing skills and abilities in using knowledge from the area of quality and business excellence.
15. In-depth knowledge and understanding of organizations and processes in the contemporary business environment.
16. The application of selected approaches, models and tools in the field of quality and business excellence.
17. Ability to use information and communication technologies and systems in the field of quality and business excellence.
18. Organizational and leadership skills to guide tasks and work in the organization.
19. Qualification for consultancy work (knowledge transfer).
20. Competence in developing and managing projects that integrate sustainability guidelines and goals.

⑥Course content

Contemporary Approaches to Quality and Excellence
Lecturer: prof. dr. Boris Bukovec

• Growing strategy of universal excellence and mastery.
• New paradigm of excellence for achieving sustainable development.
• Models of quality and excellence.
• EFQM excellence model.
• EFQM 2020 model.
• Through personal excellence to excellence in life and excellence in organizations.
• Benchmarking, good practices, organizational learning

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• Theoretical based research in organizational studies: definitions, rules
• Projects, reports, scientific articles
• Formulating problems (determining needs, formulating problems, existing theories, references, questions and objectives, hypothesis)
• Research design: isolating the problem / data sources (scientific literature, statistical databases, secondary material / Questionnaire and interview / Colleting historical data (primary and secondary data) / Reliability and validity of the material, case study)
• Hypothesis
• Observation and analytical models
• Formal models: formulating and optimization of real-world processes
• Implementing observations and analytical models
• Mixed methods approaches: quantifying qualitative data, software for qualitative and quantitative analysis

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Research Methodology 2
Lecturer: doc. dr. Franc Brcar

• Defining quantitative methods, theoretical and conceptual aspects of quantitative research.
• Structure of quantitative research.
• Statistical methods:
  • Basic concepts, collection and presenting data, data processing and interpretation of results
• Basic probability
  • Random variables
  • Distributions, continuous, discrete
• Fuzz logic
  • Basic concepts
  • Graphical method for solving problems of LP.
  • Simplex Method.
  • Computer tools

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Sustainable Global Marketing
Lecturer: izr. prof. dr. Armand Faganel

• Introduction to Global Marketing
• The Global Economic Environment
• The Global Trade Environment
• Social and Cultural Environments
• The Political, Legal, and Regulatory Environments
• Global Information Systems and Market Research
• Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
• Brand and Product Decisions in Global Marketing
• Pricing Decisions
• Global Marketing Channels and Physical Distribution
• Global Marketing Communications Decisions I: Advertising and Public Relations
• Global Marketing Communications Decisions II: Sales Promotion, Personal Selling, and Special Forms
• Global Marketing and the Digital Revolution
• Strategic Elements of Competitive Advantage

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• Anthropological and sociological view of organizational culture
• Theoretical concepts of organizational culture (Hofstede, Morgan, Schein, Denison)
• Organizational culture, system of values, norms and beliefs and metaphorical view of organizational culture
• Moral norms, ethical conflict, and ethical doubt in the decision-making process
• Organizational culture and leadership
• Impact of organizational culture on the communication in organization
• Politics of organization and its impact on organizational culture.
• Effects or organizational culture on performance of organization and sustainable results.
• Unclear definition of organizational culture
• Leadership, organizational culture and change
• Individual ethics of leadership and impact on organization
• Contemporary trends at workplace that generate conflict between classical and novel values of organization
• Impact of different generations of employees on organizational culture, norms, beliefs and attitudes in organization
• Analysis of contemporary approaches to plan organization and systems that positively impact on organizational culture
• How to analyse organizational culture
• Sub-cultures in organization
• Organizational culture, leadership and changes in organization

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• Organizational theory and aspects of the process approach.
• Business excellence and aspects of the process approach.
• Management by processes and facts.
• Models, standards, and tools of the process approach.
• Sustainable development and social accountability
• Global trends and dilemmas of development process approach.
• Examples of good practice in the field of process approach.

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Inovation and Creativity
Lecturer: zasl. prof. ddr. Marija Ovsenik

• Modern organizational theories and the aspect of unleashing the creative capacities of employees.
• Theory of creativity and its contexts
• Theory of creativity and its subjectivity
• Aspirants
• The Shape of a creative career
• Mature views
• Attractions, Exclusions and Self-Repair
• Contemporary Identities of Creativity and Creative Work
• Business excellence and the aspect of unleashing employees' creative capacities
• Development and involvement of employees.
• Continuous learning, innovation and improvement.
• Green innovation and sustainable development
• Up-to-date models, standards and tools in the field of employee creative capacity release

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