Educational qualification degree: PROFESSIONAL BACHELOR
Form of education: FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, DISTANCE
Study duration: 3 YEARS
Higher education field: 3. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL SCIENCES
Professional orientation: 3.7. ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
Professional qualification: ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
ECTS credits: 180
I. SPECIALTY PROFILE
The specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” is in the professional direction 3.7. “Administration and Management”, professional qualification “Administration and Management”.
The specialty is in full-time and part-time form of study. The disciplines in the curriculum are divided into three areas – compulsory, compulsory elective and optional. Professional bachelors are trained according to the credit system, which allows for quality of training, in accordance with EU requirements and directives. The training is carried out through theoretical and practical training in management and information technologies in telecommunications and post, according to the needs of the “Communications” sector, state and private business structures.
The training in the specialty is with general and profiling preparation of students in administration and management in telecommunications and post through the application of modern information and communication technologies. It aims to prepare qualified specialists in the “Communications” sector. This is also a guiding motto for developing the curriculum and study programs in the specialty – training qualified experts, based on national and international experience, introducing good practices and ethical standards.
The qualification characteristic is a basic document determining the development of the curriculum and study programs. It is consistent with the Law on Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Regulation on the State Requirements for Acquiring the Professional Bachelor’s Degree, the National Classifier of Professions, the National Qualification Framework of the Republic of Bulgaria (RMS No. 96/ 02.02.2012) and the regulations of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post.
The qualification profile has been developed based on the principles, requirements and standards of the Council of Europe Resolutions on academic education, the competences set out in the European Qualifications Framework, as well as the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), providing opportunities for student and teacher mobility, internships and placements abroad and participation in inter-university seminars.
II. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SPECIALTY
The aim of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” is to respond to the European challenges in the “Communications” sector, to provide training for qualified experts in the administration and management of telecommunications and post through the implementation and application of modern IT technologies.
The main goal and additional goals are highlighted, with the following meaning:
Main goal
The main goal of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” is to create conditions for the professional training of specialists with a management and IT profile, who can be realized on the labor market and occupy leadership positions in administrative and specialized units in telecommunications and post. Through general theoretical and specialized practice, students graduating from the specialty acquire in-depth and practically oriented knowledge, allowing them to adapt to the requirements and trends in the “Communications” sector, to adequately respond to changes and dynamics of the business environment and the development of IT technologies.
Additional goals
The training in the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Posts” is related to the preparation of qualified experts, but there are also additional objectives for their motivation, creation of lifelong learning habits and involvement in the business of the organization. Through the training of students, mentoring is shown to develop their intellectual potential, to perceive the values of the organization, embodied in the organizational culture, to have ethical and moral norms of behavior in the workplace. These additional objectives relate to the creation of responsible managers, capable of making decisions in a multicultural environment, to rationally use IT technologies and to adapt to avant-garde trends in the field of telecommunications and posts.
Objectives:
1. Acquisition of knowledge and competencies relevant to modern trends in the field of management and information technologies in telecommunications and posts;
2. Creating appropriate conditions for an educational environment that motivates students to generate modern, up-to-date and reliable information about processes and business practices in the Communications sector, using cutting-edge IT technologies;
3. Stimulating the creative potential and abilities of students to solve cases and management situations from business practice, requiring innovative ideas and adequate behavior in a specific (practical) environment;
4. Promoting communication and open dialogue, a prerequisite for students’ research activity in the educational process, their scientific and artistic and creative activities;
5. Conditions for personal expression, ignoring differences and discrimination of students in the educational process, an equal start, regardless of their gender, physiology, age, ethnicity, etc.;
6. Inter-university and international mobility of students, allowing them to make a comparison with systems and good practices in the field of education and science – improving acquired knowledge, skills and professional experience;
7. Access of students to information resources and rooms with modern equipment, which allow for an educational process combining theoretical knowledge and work in practical conditions;
8. Domestic, administrative and career support for students on the UTP campus, provision of scholarships, awards, certificates, etc.
III. QUALIFICATION STANDARD
III.1. Structure and organization of the educational process
Teaching in the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” for “Professional Bachelor” degree meets the European requirements for modern education, combined with tradition and practice of our and international experience.
The specialty is distinguished by the specificity typical of telecommunications and post, qualified teachers with experience in the relevant scientific field are involved in the educational process. Students receive fundamental, specialized and practical knowledge of telecommunications and post in their professional training in an academic and real (business, practical) environment.
The educational content is structured in blocks in semesters on the basis of compulsory, compulsory elective and optional disciplines, with an emphasis on the administration and management of telecommunications and postal activities and services, using modern information technologies.
The compulsory block includes the disciplines that build the theoretical preparation of students and the knowledge and competencies acquired in them in the professional field. The academic disciplines are structured according to functional areas in the educational process – from those related to the specialty to those with a narrow profile in the professional field with a balance between them. An integral part of the curriculum are the seminar and practical modules accompanying the lecture courses.
The compulsory elective disciplines from the curriculum enrich the preparation of students in the specialty by providing them with specialized knowledge in the management of telecommunications and mail and IT technologies. They complement the fundamental block in the specialty and enable students to reveal the connection between the theoretical foundations of management and IT technologies with applied knowledge. The mandatory elective disciplines profile the preparation of students in their training in the specialty.
Optional disciplines provide general knowledge to students in relation to their interests, goals and needs in the respective specialty. These disciplines in the curriculum play a supporting role in the educational process.
Students can participate in extracurricular work, which increases interest in the specialty and the desire to appear in the relevant professional field. Through formal and informal contacts for participation in projects on the territory of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post, scientific societies, clubs, student scientific sessions, etc., students are committed to the cause of the specialty, announcing their interests at national and institutional scientific forums, round tables, etc.
The methodology of teaching, training and assessment is in line with the European forms and directives for quality of education and lifelong learning. The specialty applies avant-garde and effective forms of training, combining theory and practice of leading companies in the country and abroad. Emphasis is placed on modern, non-traditional, innovative and creative teaching methods, implemented through forms of business and role-playing games, theoretical and practical cases, seminar discussions, development of abstracts and essays, coursework and projects in a real environment.
The learning process is accompanied by lectures and demonstrations, individual and group assignments, subsequent solutions, practical examples and visits to organizations. To stimulate student activity in the practices, emphasis is placed on observation, information and knowledge, creativity, public speaking skills and presentation techniques, challenges for independent work and work with others, abilities for personal, interpersonal assessment, effective use of IT technologies, etc. The assessment of the acquired knowledge, skills and habits is carried out within the discipline (module, project, assignment) through a written exam (test or open questions) or based on the forms listed above – term papers, essays, case studies, presentations, practices.
III.2. Acquired knowledge, skills and competences
The training in the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” covers theoretical training and practice for students oriented towards management and IT technologies. Their framework is in line with national legislation and European requirements for acquiring higher education. This creates an opportunity for students to be adequate to the new trends in occupying professions and positions on a national and international scale, to integrate into the requirements of the EU and to respond to the challenges in a constantly globalizing market and digital economy.
According to the National Qualification Framework, students acquire the following competencies:
Area and scope of knowledge
A graduate of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post”:
▪ defines the object and problems of management and application of IT technologies in telecommunications and post;
▪ has the necessary awareness of new information and communication technologies in the field of telecommunications and mail,
▪ applies cutting-edge methods and strategies in a digitalizing business environment.
▪ adapts to the constantly changing conditions of the business environment.
Area and scope of skills
The graduate of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post”:
▪ has skills in using modern IT technologies in the field of telecommunications and mail and managing people in departments and units;
▪ has skills in applying management and IT standards, policies and good practices in the field of telecommunications and mail;
▪ has skills in applying statistical and mathematical tools and business analysis of indicators in the activity and development of telecommunications and mail.
▪ has skills in applying macro- and microeconomic approaches, financial, accounting and marketing tools in the activity of telecommunications and mail.
▪ has skills in providing conventional and digital services.
Competencies
The competencies acquired by students who have graduated from the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” are reduced to:
○ Independence and responsibility
The graduate of the specialty:
→ shows initiatives and creativity in conventional, extreme and crisis situations;
→ shows creativity and innovation in work;
→ assesses his own preparation, including that of others, by taking measures for professional training and career development;
→ works independently and in a team, effectively fulfilling goals, tasks and deadlines.
○ Learning competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ investigates scientific and applied problems, applies a variety of research tools;
→ evaluates his own knowledge, striving to enrich it and expand his professional qualifications in management and IT technologies;
→ monitors innovations in the “Communications” sector and the development of IT technologies;
→ offers strategies, methods and approaches for continuous training and retraining of human resources.
○ Communicative and social competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ communicates effectively in an organizational, multicultural and digital environment;
→ presents in an accessible way his ideas and understandings for the development of human resources, management and improvement of processes in telecommunications and postal services;
→ creates an attitude for adaptation and socialization of people in the work process;
→ is socially responsible towards the business and management of telecommunications and postal services, includes and professionally develops the people he manages.
○ Professional competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ analyzes facts, events and phenomena in the development of the Communications sector;
→ evaluates and proposes solutions for the administration, management and effective use of IT technologies in telecommunications and postal companies;
→ applies knowledge and competencies in the use of management tools and modern information and communication technologies;
→ implements innovative methods and strategies in conditions of dynamic development of the telecommunications and postal services market.
IV. MAIN RESULTS OF THE STUDIES
The training in the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” is carried out in accordance with the requirements for holding an educational and qualification degree “Professional Bachelor” in accordance with the European Directives for the training of students and holding positions according to the unified classification of positions in the Republic of Bulgaria.
Those who have received the “Professional Bachelor” qualification can successfully work in the administration and management of various telecommunications and postal companies on a national and international scale, in state and private administrative and business structures, in EU institutions, in consulting and research units.
V. STANDARD ADMISSION CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. RULES FOR PREVIOUS STUDIES RECOGNITION
During the course of study (after successfully passing exams), students of the specialty may transfer to another higher education institution or be accepted by one in the country and abroad, as the disciplines in which they were trained:
– are equated as mandatory (or are similar), according to the curriculum;
– are recognized as elective, if they correspond to the professional field;
– are accepted as optional, if they correspond to those set out in the curriculum.
The conditions and requirements for admission and the procedure for recognizing previous education are regulated on the basis of national regulatory bases and European directives, internal regulatory acts of the UTP, Regulations on the organization and activities of UTP, Regulation on educational activities at UTP.
VI. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
The entire course of study ends with the defense of a thesis or a comprehensive state exam in the specialty. Students who complete the full course of study in the specialty “Management in and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” receive an educational and qualification degree “Professional bachelor” in professional field 3.7. “Administration and Management”, professional qualification “Administration and management” in accordance with the National Classifier of Higher Education Fields and Professional Fields, and in accordance with the state requirements for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
VII. OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL REALIZATION
Graduates of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” can occupy professions and positions in the field of telecommunications and post, such as:
– heads of units and hierarchical levels;
– supervisors and administrators in telecommunications and post;
– experts in business processes and IT technologies in telecommunications and post;
– specialists in the provision of telecommunications and post services.
Students with scientific potential and creative inclinations are provided with the opportunity to participate in student sessions and forms with provided certificates, preparation for work with projects (research and EU OP), opportunities for scientific work with participation in conferences, scientific journals, collections, etc.
Along with studying the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post”, students can enroll in additional courses and practical seminars in the field of their professional realization – “Administration and Management”.
A graduate of the specialty “Management and Information Technologies in Telecommunications and Post” with the “Professional Bachelor” qualification can:
▪ acquire a professional qualification “Administration and Management”;
▪ work in various positions and positions in telecommunications and post;
▪ acquire a second or other higher education in the “Professional Bachelor” qualification;
▪ continue their education in the “Master” qualification;
▪ participate in continuing education on the principle of “lifelong learning”.