# Croatian (BCS): viša škola vs. visoka škola



## Tacherie

Bok!
I'm sorry to be asking such a simple question but my Croatian is very basic and I can't seem to find a definition for viši škola and visoka škola. Could anyone tell me the difference? Which one is more similar to a BA in the US?

Context: It's part of a registration form I'm struggling to complete:


Podaci o dosadašnjem školovanju (zaokružiti):            a) srednja škola
                                                                                                b) viša škola
                                                                                                c) visoka škola


Hvala lijepa!


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## slavic_one

Srednja škola is High (Secondary) School, and visoka is university. Now, if I'm not wrong, viša škola is also on uni, bot only 2-3 years course.


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## Duya

slavic_one said:


> Srednja škola is High (Secondary) School, and visoka is university. Now, if I'm not wrong, viša škola is also on uni, bot only 2-3 years course.



Almost, but not exactly: "viša škola" is never at uni, but always (?) a separate 2-year course. 

There's no 1:1 correspondence between Western/US and (former, everybody is switching to Bologna now) Eastern/Ex-Yu degrees. Our "visoka škola/univerzitet" degrees are somewhat higher than Western BA/BSc degrees (4 or 5 years), while "viša škola" are somewhat lower (2 or 3 years). For comparison purposes though, BA/BSc is taken generally on par with "visoka škola".


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## Tacherie

Thanks so much to both!


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## sauge

Srednja škola - education one has fulfilled after eight years of obligatory elementary education (which is called 'osnovna škola' - elementary school). Srednja škola normally lasts four years.
Viša škola - in fomer Yugoslav system, this was two or three-year education, and one could involve after having finished "srednja škola".
Visoka škola corresponds with a college/faculty degree. (But there's no 1:1 correspondence, as Duya said.)


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## Athaulf

Duya said:


> Almost, but not exactly: "viša škola" is never at uni, but always (?) a separate 2-year course.



Well, _viša škola_ programs are often taking place at universities and taught by university professors. You are however right that they are totally distinct from the _visoka škola _programs and confer much less prestige.

In any case, all this terminology in Croatia has become obsolete with the advent of the Bologna standards.


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## Duya

Athaulf said:


> Well, _viša škola_ programs are often taking place at universities and taught by university professors.



Well, not in Serbia in the last 20 years; all _više škole_ I know about are separate institutions, and even separate buildings, and it's not even allowed to have both types of program in the same institution. University professors often do teach at them, but only as external* associates (because may not be employed in two places).

*) False friend dilemma: what's the English term for "honorarni", as it's obviously not "honorary"?


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## natasha2000

Duya said:


> *) False friend dilemma: what's the English term for "honorarni", as it's obviously not "honorary"?



Well, here they say adjunt/associate proffesor ...


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## The Wombat

G'day

Interesting topic.

a) srednja škola
                                                                                                 b) viša škola
                                                                                                 c) visoka škola

Type "a" schools provide secondary level of education while both "b" and "c" schools provide tertiary level of education, regardless of where it is performed, university, college, institute of technology or whatever the name of institution, as long as it is a school recognised as part of a system of tertiary education. 

I have attended a course at the university, at the school of architecture providing a double degree course. By completing the first unit I earned the B.Sc.(Arch.) degree and by completing the second unit, I earned B.Arch. degree. 

Have I continued studies, I would have had to do thesis for the Masters degree the M. Sc. (Arch.), and I would have had to do yet more studies for getting the Ph. D. 

I have also done another course, that brought me a B.Sc.EE that is on par with my B.Sc.(Arch.) degree, and in my opinion it is on par with type "b" courses in former Yugoslavia.

At the same time other schools, that were part of tertiary education system, offered diploma courses that are on par with the type "c" schools of former Yugoslavia.

In former Yugoslavia, there was a period, when there were very similar system of academic education, which was changed (circa 1965?) to what we are now discussing and it seems that it is about to be changed again in order to comply to Bologna standards.

My two cents on the subject.

Cheers


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## marblearch

Tacherie said:


> Bok!
> I'm sorry to be asking such a simple question but my Croatian is very basic and I can't seem to find a definition for viši škola and visoka škola. Could anyone tell me the difference? Which one is more similar to a BA in the US?
> 
> Context: It's part of a registration form I'm struggling to complete:
> 
> 
> Podaci o dosadašnjem školovanju (zaokružiti):            a) srednja škola
> b) viša škola
> c) visoka škola
> 
> 
> Hvala lijepa!


I think "viša škola" would be a "college" (that's what I've heard from one English-Croatian native speaker) and "visoka škola" is a term which is used after you graduate from the university.


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