1. INTRODUCTION

a) Reasons for initiating the course

The need for further quality improvements of the existing Chemical Engineering course at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb and the aspiration for joining in the European higher education system, motivated us to make the suggestion for the new curriculum at the course of Chemical Engineering, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Bologna declaration and in conformity with the directives of the new Law of Scientific Activity and higher education. The following facts were taken into account:

• Chemical engineering in the Republic of Croatia has a good tradition. The beginnings of the chemical engineering in the Republic of Croatia follow the development of the chemical engineering as an independent scientific discipline on the world level. The first contents from the chemical engineering in our country were put into the curriculum earlier than in many other European countries. Because of that it is necessary to continue the good tradition and to ensure the recognizability of the course.
• Considering the current trend of economic and industrial growth, and having in mind the possibility of employing the students after the finished courses, there is the need for course which will give broad educated experts ready to take over the continuous challenges and changes on the labour market. Knowledge and skills of chemical engineers are manifested in all the areas in which the processes appear that include chemical and physical changes. The end result of the mentioned processes can be commercial products (such as petrol, penicillin, ceramics and similar) as well as the non-commercial products (such as pure air, pure water etc.). Thanks to the developed methodology, which enables integration and synthesis of the appearances and processes on different levels of activities (from nano-level to terra-level) the knowledge from chemical engineering contributes to the advance in the broad area of human activity, from the development of nanotechnologies to the understanding of complicated processes in the ecosystem.
• The results of the pool, which was organized by the Croatian Association of Chemical Engineers and Technologists encouraged by the World Council for Chemical Engineering in 2003, showed that the young chemical engineers were mainly satisfied with the quality of the existing course of chemical engineering, with the stressed need for introduction of the additional programs (management etc.), which were not enough represented in the existing course.
• The results of the domestic scientific researches from the area of chemical engineering have been successfully published in the scientific magazines and professional journals in the world, which shows that the chemical engineering in Croatia follows successfully the development trend of the chemical engineering in the world.

Some of the foreign courses with equivalent or analogous programs to the suggested one are the following ones:

• University of Karlsruhe; Dept. of Chem. and Proc. Eng.
• ICT Prague, Faculty of Chemical Engineering; Faculty of Environmental Engineering
• University of Dortmund, Dept. of Biochem. and Chem. Eng.

b) Past experiences of the lecturers in performing equivalent programs or similar ones

Thanks to the existing tradition, periodical scientific improvement of knowledge in the foreign countries as well as the continuous monitoring of the world trends, the competences of our lecturers is on the enviable level which is obvious in steady improvements of the teaching quality, usage of the contemporary teaching aids, usage of program packages in teaching, and stipulating the tutorial work and interactive approach. The competence of lecturers is obvious from the publications of scientific professional papers in the most respectable magazines from the area, in co-operation in the international projects, membership in scientific and organizing committees of the international conferences and other activities.

c) Possible partners outside the university-education system that could be interested in its initiating

After having finished the existing course of chemical engineering at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, earlier generations of students employed successfully, often on the leading and very responsible positions in industrial companies, scientific institutions as well as in private sector. In regard to the expecting development of economy and growth of the employment share in the private sector, the interest for the competent experts in chemical engineering will increase further.

d) Possibility for the students' transfer

The possibility of registration the group of subjects from other courses at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology is foreseen. The mobility of students in regard to the possibilities of their transfer to related and homogeneous courses in the country and abroad has also been foreseen.

2. GENERAL

2.1. Name of the course:

Chemical engineering

2.2. Institution of higher education in charge:

Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology

2.3. Duration of the course:

Bachelor`s course: 3 years
Master`s course: 5 years (3+2)

2.4. Registration conditions for the course:

Bachelors's program: Achieving the minimum test score obtained by evaluation the secondary school scholastic ability and entrance examination. After the introduction of the state A-level examination the registration for the course will depend on the success at the A-level examination.
Master's program: Finished Bachelor's course at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology which has to contain the basic engineering courses and courses of the profession. After defining the course programs on other institutions of higher education the registration conditions will be redefined in the sense of enabling the registration for other students who finished the Bachelor's course at related institutions of higher education.

2.5. Competences which the student achieves after finishing the Bachelor's course; which jobs he/she is qualified for and which Master's studies could he join at the institution - proposer and/or at other institutions in the Republic of Croatia, if he/she decides to continue the course

After finishing the Bachelor's courses, the student will be able to apply the achieved knowledge in solving simple problems in profession; he/she will have the possibility of monitoring and leading the industrial processes; he/she will have the developed skills which will enable him/her to work in plants and laboratories for managing the quality of the processes and products. After finishing the Bachelor's courses, the student could join the Master's program Chemistry and Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, as well as the programs on related institutions of higher education.

2.6. Competences which the student achieves after finishing the Master's course; which jobs he/she is qualified for and which Bachelor's studies at the institution - proposer and/or at other institutions in the Republic of Croatia are sufficient or partly satisfactory for his/her joining

After finishing the Master's courses, the student would achieve knowledge which would enable him/her to understand the phenomena and processes on different activity levels; to join and synthesize the knowledge and skills necessary for elaboration the technological processes in the chemical process industry as well as in designing the systems for protection of environment; to be able to participate in the team work and to make decisions in more complex situations. It would enable him/her the interdisciplinary approach to problem solving and development of working habits necessary for further education and participation in the system of the whole-life education. Sufficient condition for successful participation in Master's course is the finished Bachelors' course at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology (Chemical Engineering or Material Science and Engineering, Ecoengineering and Applied Chemistry), i.e. the finished Bachelor's program at the related Faculty that includes basic engineering subjects and the subject of chemical - engineering profession.

2.7. Reasons for uniting the Bachelor's program and the Master's program into one entity

The possibility is foreseen for the students who, while registering for 5th semester of the Bachelor's course, decide to continue the education at the Master's course, to join two elective subjects essential for course continuation, i.e. according to their own affinities, which presents one form of uniting the Bachelor's course and the Master's course. The other students register the corresponding two courses which enable them to finish the course.

2.8 Professional or academic title obtained after finishing the course

Bachelor's course: Bachelor in Chemical Engineering (technical area)
Master's course: Master in Chemical Engineering (technical area)