Academic credits   

Balkan Heritage Field School (BHFS) has the advantage of affiliations with academic institutions in Bulgaria, Canada and USA. The following universities award academic credits to students who participate in BHFS projects: New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria; Connecticut College through Institute for Field Research, USA; and Queen's University, Canada. Participants who are not interested in academic credits are not expected to pay any tuition fee nor take part in activities related to academic curriculum (exams, academic reports etc.)   

New Bulgarian University (NBU), Bulgaria (EU)

Balkan Heritage Foundation signed, in 2009, an affiliation agreement with New Bulgarian University (NBU). Through this agreement, Balkan Heritage Field School (BHFS) has been providing students the opportunity to obtain by request credit hours awarded by NBU for their participation in the BHFS projects/courses. The Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (CCE), NBU grants between 3 to 12 credit hours (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System or ECTS) for attendance at different BHFS projects/courses and up to 18 credit hours (ECTS) for BHFS project/course packages. It issues Transcript of Records (ToR) and transfers the credit hours to the student and the student’s home institution for an additional tuition fee - please, refer to the Instructions for obtaining Transcripts of Records issued by the New Bulgarian University below. Syllabi are available upon request.

As part of the New Bulgarian University Program, all Balkan Heritage Field School courses/projects meet high educational standards. Quality of education is guaranteed by the professionalism, experience and reputation of instructors in charge and project/course monitoring and evaluation performed by the Department of Archaeology, NBU.

New Bulgarian University (est. 1991) is a modern Bulgarian academic institution with undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs focusing on sciences of man and society, natural sciences, new technologies as well as arts. Since 2004, New Bulgarian University has been the exclusive representative for Bulgaria of the Open University (UK) in the field of distance education.

Institute for Field Research and Connecticut College (USA)

In 2015, Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF), Bulgaria, and the Institute for Field Research (IFR), USA started a strategic partnership and created the BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans. Thanks to this Program, students attending the field schools which are included in the BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans can now earn up to 8 semester credit units (equivalent to 12 quarter credit units). These credit units are awarded by the IFR's academic partner – Connecticut College. In addition these students shall be covered under all relevant insurance policies issued by IFR, including liability, health, evacuation and extraction insurance.

Students interested in attending single projects within the joint Program shall apply to BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans and enroll through Institute for Field Research (IFR), USA. Students participating in any field school pack will enroll through the Balkan Heritage Foundation.

For more information, please contact the Balkan Heritage Admissions Officer by e-mail at: [email protected]

Queen’s University (Canada)

In 2020, 6.0 Queen’s University credits (1 term) are available for the four-week session of the STOBI EXCAVATION PROJECT for qualified Queen's University students (fourth-year undergraduate students and Graduate/Master's students). Interested students are asked to please contact the head instructor, Dr. George Bevan ([email protected]) for more information as soon as possible. Students must have at least second year standing and permission of the Department of Classics, Queen’s University, to register.

NB! All non-Queen's University students participating in the STOBI EXCAVATION PROJECT can obtain academic credits through either New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria or Connecticut College.

For more information, please contact the Balkan Heritage Admissions Officer by e-mail at: [email protected]

Balkan Heritage Field School projects in the BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans

Students who study outside Europe wishing to obtain academic credits for the following field school projects shall apply to the BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans and enroll through the Institute for Field Research (IFR), USA. They will be awarded up to 8 semester credit units (equivalent to 12 quarter units) through  Connecticut College - 2 credit units for two-week sessions and 8 credit units for four- and five-week sessions. They will receive a letter grade. The tuition fee is included in the IFR admission fee.

For students who study in Europe (EU, EEA, CH, Russian Federation and countries from the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus) wishing to obtain academic credits for the following projects, New Bulgarian University grants 6 ECTS credits for two and three-week sessions and 9 ECTS credits for four-week sessions. Transcripts of Records (ToR) are available upon request for an additional tuition fee.  

• ANCIENT GREEKS IN THE LAND OF DIONYSOS - EXCAVATION OF EMPORION PISTIROS, THRACE - (Bulgaria) FOUR-WEEK 

  SESSION - 8 CREDIT UNITS    

• APOLLONIA PONTICA EXCAVATION PROJECT (Bulgaria) - FOUR-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS AND TWO-WEEK SESSION / 2 CREDIT UNITS 
• TELL YUNATSITE EXCAVATIONS – SEEKING EUROPE'S FIRST CIVILIZATION (Bulgaria) - FOUR-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS AND TWO-WEEK SESSION / 2 CREDIT UNITS
• STOBI EXCAVATION PROJECT (Republic of North Macedonia) - FOUR-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS   
• CONSERVATION OF ANCIENT POTTERY PACK (Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria)- Four-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS
• BYZANTINE COLD CASE FILE. EXCAVATIONS OF AN EARLY CHRISTIAN MONASTERY NEAR VARNA ON THE BLACK SEA (Bulgaria)- FOUR-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS
• UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE BLACK SEA (Bulgaria)- FOUR-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS   
• CONSERVATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF ROMAN MOSAICS (Republic of North Macedonia) - THREE-WEEK SESSION / 8 CREDIT UNITS

Instructions for obtaining Transcripts of Records issued by New Bulgarian University for Balkan Heritage Field School projects in 2020

The following Balkan Heritage Field School projects are accredited by New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria:     

  ECTS = European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

NBU tuition fees for three / six / nine / twelve academic credits are as follows:     

• for EU students – 150/ 300/ 450/ 600 EUR      
• for all other international students – 225/ 450/ 675/ 900 EUR   

     How to obtain academic credits from NBU? Steps to follow:     

• After registering in any of the credit eligible Balkan Heritage Field School projects/courses, please contact the Balkan Heritage Admissions Officer by e-mail at: [email protected] and declare your interest in obtaining academic credits.
• The Balkan Heritage Admissions Officer will send you, within a short period, a TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM. You will be expected to complete, print, sign, scan and return this form by e-mail to the Balkan Heritage Admissions Officer at least 30 days before the project starting date. Please note that the Transcript Request Form must be typed, hand written forms will not be accepted!    
• You must either transfer the full amount of the tuition fee (corresponding to the expected credits’ number) to the Balkan Heritage Foundation bank account (bank details are specified in the TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM), including covering all related bank fees (including those of the corresponding bank if any) at least 14 days prior to the project starting date; or pay the tuition fee in cash to the Balkan Heritage Foundation after arrival. Please note that the admission fee for participation in the BHFS project and the tuition fee for obtaining ToR must be transferred in separate bank transfers!    
• The amount transferred is fully refundable (minus bank fees), if a cancellation request is sent in written at least 10 days prior to the project starting date. Cancellation requests sent in the 10-day period prior to the project starting date are eligible only in case of VIS MAJOR (nature disaster, epidemic or pandemic disease or other cases of VIS MAJOR). Sickness, personal troubles, criminal offences, loss of tickets and passports or not receiving visa shall not be considered as cases of VIS MAJOR. Cancellation requests apply only to the issue of the Transcript of Records by New Bulgarian University and not to the participation in the Balkan Heritage Field School project.
• You will receive the highest number of academic credits granted according to your project, if you attend at least 85% of the project program (fieldwork, lectures, training and workshops). Balkan Heritage Field School and New Bulgarian University retain the right to decrease the number of credits granted to students who attend less than 85% of the project program without refund of any of the tuition fee transferred.
• New Bulgarian University will issue and send the ToR to both the home institution and the student within a 60-day period following the end of the Balkan Heritage Field School project/course, but New Bulgarian University and Balkan Heritage Field School are not responsible for the duration of the mail delivery.*   
• An official extra copy “TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL” of the Transcript of Records (ToR) can be issued from New Bulgarian University and sent to any recipient upon request for an additional fee of 20 EUR (this fee shall be transferred to New Bulgarian University). The document/s will be issued and sent within the 10-day-period following the receipt of the bank transfer.*

* All the documents can be mailed to any address worldwide via DHL courier upon request for an additional fee according to the current DHL shipping rates.