Higher education - students enrolled at master of science, master and specialist studies: number of enrolled students by sex and age
-persons who have successfully defended a master’s thesis or passed a specialist examination: masters of science, masters and specialists by sex and age

3.2. Classification system

International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-2011)

3.3. Sector coverage

3.4. Statistical concepts and definitons

Higher education institutions are higher education schools and universities.
The name higher education school refers to a higher education institution that realizes at least one study programme from one field of study.
The name university refers to a higher education institution that realises at least five different study
programmes from at least three fields of study and academic levels of all three cycles.
University has organizational units such as faculties, academies or scientific institutes.
Enrolled student is every person enrolled at higher education institution.
Master of science is a person who has completed postgraduate studies and defended a master’s thesis.
Master is a person who has completed an academic study of the second cycle and defended a master’s thesis.
Specialist is a person who has completed specialist studies and passed a specialist examination

3.5. Statistical unit

Unit of observation is every higher education institution in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina that organises postgraduate master/specialist studies, i.e. all students enrolled at master and specialist studies at higher education institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as persons who have completed postgraduate master/specialist studies and defended a master’s thesis or passed a specialist examination.

3.6. Statistical population

The statistical population are students enrolled at master and specialist studies in BiH as well as persons who have completed postgraduate master/specialist studies and defended a master’s thesis or passed a specialist examination.

3.7. Reference area

Data refer to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

3.8 Time coverage

Academic year 2015/2016-academic year 2024/2025-for students enrolled at master of science, master and specialist studies
Calendar year 2007-2024.- for persons who have completed postgraduate master/specialist studies

3.9. Base period

Not applicable.

4. Unit of measure

Number of students enrolled at master and specialist studies,number of persons who have completed postgraduate master/specialist studies.

5. Reference period

The reference period is the academic year.

6. Institutional mandate

6.1. Legal acts and other agreements

Law on statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Multiannual statistical programmes and work plans of Bosnia and Herzegovina

6.2. Data sharing

Federal office of statistics of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics, and Branch office Brčko District.

7. Confidentiality

7.1. Confidentiality-policy

Confidentiality of statistical data is regulated by law and the personnel conducting statistical surveys has the legal obligation to protect confidentiality. Law on Statistics of BiH (Off. Gazette of BiH 26/04 and 42/04 - Chapter XI - Article 23.-29.) establishes the principle of confidentiality as one of the main principles. Agency for statistics of BiH distributes statistics in line with statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice and in particular with the principle of statistical confidentiality.

7.2. Confidentiality-data treatment

The document "Rules on the Protection of Statistical Data in the Agency for Statistics" lists procedures for ensuring confidentiality during collection, processing and dissemination - including protocols for securing individual data being accessed, rules for defining confidential cells in output tables and procedures for the detection and prevention of subsequent disclosures as well as access to microdata for research purposes.By signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, data users having access to individual data are obliged to:treat individual anonymized data as confidential in accordance with the rules, regulations and procedures,ensure adequate protection of individual data in accordance with the rules, regulations and procedures,protect the transfer of microdata and destroy the media where the data are, as well as the accompanying documentation, five days after the publication of the results.

8. Release policy

8.1. Release calendar

At the end of December every year, BHAS announces the Release Calendar with the precise date and time of publication of the statistics for the following year.

8.2. Release calendar access

The Calendar placed on:

https://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar/?lang=en

8.3. User access

The data is disseminated to all users through the official web site of Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

https://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar/Category/15?lang=en

9. Frequency of dissemination

Education statistics data are published in an annual release. Preliminary education statistics data Agency for Statistics of BIH publishes in May, and final data are published in October of the current year (data refer to the previous year).

10. Accessibility and clarity

10.1. News release

- Annual release „Education statistics"

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Saopstenja/2025/EDU_05_2024_Y2_2_BS.pdf

10.2. Publications

BiH in figures – section „Education“

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Bilteni/2025/NUM_00_2024_TB_1_EN.pdf

Women and men in BiH - section "Education"

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Bilteni/2024/FAM_00_2023_TB_1_EN.pdf

10.3. On-line database

bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/VremenskeSerije/EDU_01.xlsx

10.4. Micro-data access

Microdata are not available.

10.5. Other

There are no other dissemination means.

10.6. Documentation on methodology

Methodology can be found within the document Methodology of Education Statistics.

EDU_00_2024_MD_0_EN.pdf

10.7. Quality documentation

Quality reports are available at web page of BHAS at:

bhas.gov.ba/Content/Read/92?title=Kvalitet&lang=en

11. Quality management

11.1. Quality assurance

Agency for statistics of BiH is committed to quality assurance in the production of official statistics based on the Article 19, Paragraph (1) “Law of Statistics BIH, Official Gazette of BiH 26/04; 42/04”. Quality Management Policy as an element of the system of quality management generally is related to following components: product quality of process as well as other elements of system for quality management, such as planning and controls.
To assure the quality of processes and products, Agency for statistics is in implementation of Quality management model (TQM) done using CAF tool. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a total quality management tool developed by the public sector for the public sector, inspired by the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Process of self-assessment identifies and monitors all organization results, provides feedback on organizational capacity and results of policy and planning processes. Scoring tool for self-assessment has 9 key indicators and 28 criteria based on which it is possible to measure management level achieved and determine which are the critical points for improvements in future. It looks at the organization from different angles at the same time: the holistic approach to organization performance analysis. BHAS use „The CAF guidelines for implementation“ and 10-step implementation plan therefore developed to help organizations to use it in the most efficient and effective way. Process of self-assessment identifies and monitors all-important organizational results and provides feedback on organizational capacities and results of policy and planning processes. This model of quality monitoring requires development of standardized questionnaire that includes all principles in model. In order to ensure the quality of statistics Agency developed a document Policy and programme of the quality management which is available on web site:

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Dokumenti/Kvalitet/QM_Policy_and_Programme_BHAS.pdf

11.2. Quality assessments

Quality of official statistics’ products (main indicators/statistics) are regularly assessed in quality reports through calculation of quality indicators. On other hand, processes included in statistical production are assessed by specific process quality indicators in quality reports and additionally trough GSBPM documentation.

12. Relevance

12.1. User needs

Key users of the statistical survey data are: Ministry of civil affairs of BiH, UNESCO, Eurostat, OECD. Users of the data are also business entities, media and general public. Users' needs are various analysis, millennium goals, scientific papers and other needs.

12.2. User satisfaction

One of the key elements in securing the quality of statistical data is monitoring user’s satisfaction. There is no specific user satisfaction survey for this survey. The results of User Satisfaction Survey are available on:

https://bhas.gov.ba

12.3. Completeness

Data completeness rate is 100 %.

13. Accuracy and reliability

13.1. Overall accuracy

13.2. Sampling error

13.3. Non -sampling error

14. Timeliness and punctuality

14.1. Timeliness

Preliminary data on education, Agency for statistics of BiH publishes in May, final data are published in October.

14.2. Punctuality

The release was punctual, within the deadline.

15. Coherence and comparability

15.1. Comparability-geographical

Data on students enrolled at master and specialist studies as well as data on masters of science, masters and specialists are comparable with other member states of European statistical system to the extent that depends on the compatibility of education systems in individual states.

15.2. Comparability-over time

Data on students enrolled at master and specialist studies have been published since 2016 while data on masters of science, masters and specialists have been published since 2007.

15.3. Coherence-cross domain

Information is not available.

15.4. Coherence-internal

Information is not available.

16. Cost and burden

The annual operating costs for carrying out the research are reflected in the material costs and the number of hours worked by the employees of the Agency and the branches of the Brčko District Agency.

17. Data revision

17.1. Data revision-policy

Data revision was not conducted for higher education statistics.

17.2. Data revision-practice

Data revision is not conducted for higher education statistics.

18. Statistical processing

18.1. Source data

The statistical survey on higher education in BiH is conducted on a full coverage of reporting units. The survey covers all higher education institutions in the territory of BiH. Entity statistical offices and branch office of the Agency in Brčko District submit the collected data to the Agency for Statistics of BiH.

18.2. Frequency of data collection

Data are collected once a year, for the whole academic year.

18.3. Data collection

The data for students enrolled at master and specialist studies of higher education are collected from the reporting units by the entity statistical offices and the branch office of the Agency in the Brčko District upon completion of enrollment in the current academic year, based on the report Student application form for enrollment in master and specialist studies.
The data on students who have obtained the titles of Magister of Science, Master, and Specialist are collected from reporting units by the entity statistical offices and the branch office of the Agency in the Brčko District during the calendar year, based on the report Statistical form for students who completed Master’s or Specialist Studies.
The data obtained from the entity statistical offices and the Agency's branch in Brčko District, the Agency for Statistics of BiH publishes in aggregated (summary) form.

18.4. Data validation

Agency for Statistics of BiH, entity statistical offices as well as the branch office of the Agency in Brčko District perform the data validation. After the collection of reports, control of the coverage, accuracy of data, logical and calculation control are performed in the Federal office of the Federation of BiH, in the Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics and the branch office of the Agency in Brčko District.

18.5. Data compilation

No procedures are performed on the data which would serve for deriving new information in accordance with the given set of rules.

18.6. Adjustment

Statistical procedures for series adjustment (methods for seasonal adjustment) are not used. Basic education statistics data are not seasonally adjustment.

19. Comment