SKVO Project: Study Visit of Assistant Professor Toni Popović, PhD, to Charles University in Prague

Gorana Bandalović — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:53:39 GMT

As part of the activities of the project Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education (SKVO), our colleague Assistant Professor Toni Popović, PhD, visited the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, in May and June 2026. The study visit was undertaken with the aim of conducting field research, namely the preparation and organisation of a focus group with university teaching staff. The research focuses on the ways in which the hidden curriculum, through the actions of academic staff and higher education institutions, shapes the career orientations of sociology students.

The purpose of the research is to understand how teaching staff, teaching practices, mentoring and everyday relationships, as well as the institutional culture of the faculty, contribute to students’ perceptions of desirable careers, competences, employability, and professional identity.

In addition to the focus group conducted with sociology teaching staff at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, the research also includes a focus group with university teachers of sociology in Croatia. The comparison of the Czech and Croatian socio-professional contexts is relevant from a research perspective because both countries belong to the broader Central European and post-socialist higher education landscape, while differing in terms of institutional traditions, the organisation of study programmes, and opportunities for the professional integration of sociologists.

Such a comparative approach makes it possible to distinguish shared patterns of the hidden curriculum from those specific to individual national and institutional contexts. At the same time, it may contribute to a better understanding of the ways in which higher education shapes the employability and professional identity of highly educated professionals in the early stages of their careers.

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General information on the study programme

Obrisani Korisnik — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:54:15 GMT

Study programme:	University undergraduate study programme	University graduate study programme
General information on the study programme:	The University Undergraduate Study Programme in Sociology (single-major), in addition to specialised sociological courses that are important for the education of Bachelor graduates in Sociology, as well as courses from related disciplines that broaden their education, places emphasis on methodological, research, and analytical knowledge and skills. The study programme prepares students for entry into the labour market and equips them for diverse professional conditions and requirements. A large number of elective courses have been designed to follow current social developments as well as students’ interests, thereby enabling them to acquire additional specific professional knowledge and insights, as well as to direct their studies towards specific areas. In this regard, the University Undergraduate Study Programme in Sociology educates Bachelor graduates in the field of social sciences who will be able to competently enter the labour market and develop into experts in their respective fields. Based on the knowledge acquired, the study programme will prepare Bachelor graduates in Sociology for professional and vocational work and provide the necessary competences for continuing their education and further development in university graduate study programmes in Sociology and related disciplines.	The University Graduate Study Programme in Sociology (single-major) follows in content the University Undergraduate Study Programme in Sociology in such a way that the acquired methodological, research, and analytical knowledge is expanded through courses with a methodological and research orientation that provide knowledge and competences for the preparation and implementation of quantitative and qualitative sociological research, adapted to the scientific and research interests of each individual student. The study programme educates Master graduates in the field of social sciences who will be able to competently navigate the labour market, develop into experts in their respective fields, and continuously promote fundamental social and humanistic values in their professional work. Within their profession, a Master of Sociology is therefore competent in recognising, researching, analysing, and interpreting social problems, while their role is also evident in proposing improvements and solutions. Based on the knowledge and experience acquired, this concept of the Sociology study programme prepares future Masters of Sociology for competent professional and vocational work. At the same time, it provides the competences necessary for continuing education and further development through postgraduate study programmes in Croatia and abroad.
Level of study programme:	University Undergraduate Study Programme	University Graduate Study Programme
Professional or academic title or degree awarded upon completion of the study programme :	Registry of Study Programmes	Registry of Study Programmes
Programme duration:	3 years	2 years
Number of ECTS points acquired on completion of study programme:	180	120
Application and Enrolment Requirements:	Detailed information about admission to the study programme is available at the following links: Postani student FFST - upisi	Admission to the study programme requires the completion of a university undergraduate single-major or double-major study programme in Sociology in Croatia or abroad. In the case of completed undergraduate single-major or double-major study programmes in Sociology outside the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, an individual assessment of the completed study programme of the candidate may determine the requirement to take differential courses. Candidates who have completed other undergraduate study programmes in the field of social sciences (Economics, Law, Political Science, Information and Communication Sciences, Psychology, Demography, Social Work), as well as in the humanities (Ethnology and Anthropology) and interdisciplinary fields (Security and Defence Sciences), are also eligible for enrolment. In the case of the aforementioned completed study programmes, candidates will be enabled to attend and pass fundamental sociological theoretical and methodological courses at the undergraduate level. All applicants for enrolment are ranked according to the points achieved in the admission procedure based on the evaluation of the success achieved in the undergraduate study programme, which is determined according to the overall average grade obtained during the course of study and the selection procedure. The enrolment requirements for the Sociology study programme are defined by a decision of the Faculty Council adopted for each academic year and are published on the official website of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, under the section FFST – Enrolment, as part of the Admission Call for each academic year.
Further study opportunities:	Upon completion of the University Undergraduate Study Programme in Sociology, students may continue their studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split by enrolling in the University Graduate Study Programme in Sociology, as well as in university graduate study programmes in Sociology at other universities and faculties in Croatia and abroad, with possible differences in courses/credits arising from the specific features of different study programmes, as prescribed by the regulations of the respective university and/or faculty.	Based on vertical mobility, upon completion of the University Graduate Study Programme in Sociology, students may continue their education in various specialist and doctoral postgraduate study programmes at the University of Split, other higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia, or abroad.

Obrisani Korisnik — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:51:11 GMT

Head of Department
Dr. Marija Lončar, Associate Professor
E-mail: mloncar@ffst.hr

Depauty Head of Department and Website Administrator
Dr. Gorana Bandalović, Full Professor
E-mail: gbandalo@ffst.hr

Department Secretary
Vesna Matijaš Rakonjac, Law Graduate
E-mail: mrvesna@ffst.hr
Phone:+385 (0)21 545 563

ECTS Coordinator
Dr. Toni Popović, Assistant Professor
E-mail: tpopovic1@ffst.hr

Administrator of Department's Instagram Profile
Larisa Hržić, Assistant
E-mail: larisa@ffst.hr

Students Office:
E-mail: referada@ffst.hr
Phone: +385 (0)21545 542

Address: Poljička cesta 35, 21000 Split

FFST - SOCIOLOGY

SKVO Project: Study Visit of Assistant Professor Toni Popović, PhD, to Charles University in Prague

General information on the study programme