Here you will find information about the individual parts of doctoral study and what administrative tasks are expected of doctoral students.
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General information about the study:
The study is offered in a full-time or combined form. Full-time study is organized in the form of lectures and seminars, and also includes independent study of literature. The program also has a combined form, which usually involves close cooperation with the workplace where the external student is employed. The most important part of the study program is scientific work under the supervision of a supervisor and the preparation of a dissertation. In their dissertations, students usually address a specific scientific problem within one of the working groups at the faculty or a cooperating workplace.
The standard length of the study program is 4 years, and it is possible to interrupt it. All interruptions are counted towards the duration of study, with the exception of interruptions for recognized periods of parental leave. It is possible to transfer from one form of study to another after passing the SDZ, based on the recommendation of the supervisor and a written request from the doctoral student to the dean of the faculty. With the consent of the supervisor and the relevant field council, it is possible to complete the study in a shorter period of time. During their studies, full-time doctoral students are regular students of the university with all the rights and obligations that this entails. Doctoral students must submit their dissertation no later than 7 years (applies to students enrolled in DS before October 31, 2021) or 6 years ((applies to DS students enrolled after November 1, 2021) from its commencement. Doctoral studies may be terminated prematurely by the student upon written request. In the event of long-term failure to fulfill obligations, the dean may terminate the studies upon the recommendation of the departmental board.
After admission:
After successful completion of the admission procedure and enrollment, it is necessary to fill in the Individual Study Plan (ISP) in the KOS study system, usually by November (or April, depending on the date of admission).
The individual study plan determines the timing of the study (it specifies compulsory subject examinations, including the dates on which they are to be taken), professional and scientific activities focused on the preparation of the dissertation, study stays at other institutions, including abroad, and other obligations. The individual study plan is drawn up jointly by the doctoral student and their supervisor, who is appointed by the dean of the faculty, and is approved by the subject area board of the relevant subject area/program (ORO/ORP). Supervisors are professors, associate professors, or distinguished experts approved by the FJFI Scientific Board.
Compulsory subjects are listed by name in the ISP. There are 4 to 6 of them (depending on the recommendation of the supervisor and the field council), they are one-semester subjects and are completed with an exam. At least 4 subjects must be selected from the subjects of doctoral study programs. Subjects should preferably be selected from the list of subjects offered by FJFI departments:
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Courses offered by FJFI departments as part of doctoral studies
- Information about language courses in doctoral studies
If necessary, courses taught at other faculties/universities may also be included in the ISP. In such cases, the ORO/ORP decides on the admissibility of their inclusion in the ISP.
Subsequent years:
At the end of each academic year, students and their supervisors are required to complete the Doctoral Study Evaluation form and report to the Department of Science and Research by the announced deadline to register for the next academic year (see Registration deadline for doctoral studies in the 2nd and higher years). Based on the evaluation, the doctoral student's scholarship may be adjusted or the student may be expelled for failing to fulfill the study plan.
The study block, i.e., successful completion of all prescribed subject examinations (both specialized and language), submission of a specialized study, and discussion of the dissertation topic, should be completed within two years (four semesters), within a maximum of three years (6 semesters) from the start of full-time study and within three years (6 semesters), up to a maximum of 4.5 years (9 semesters) in combined form.
Students enrolled before March 1, 2025, must pass the state doctoral examination.
State doctoral examination:
The state doctoral examination (SDZ) follows the completion of the study part of the ISP, i.e., passing the prescribed subject examinations and submitting a professional study (see study for DP - which should normally be completed within 2 years of the start of study). The SDZ proceedings may be accompanied by a professional discussion (if the dissertation discussion did not take place before the date of the SDZ, the SDZ may immediately follow the dissertation discussion). During the state doctoral examination, it is necessary to demonstrate an overview of specialized theoretical knowledge, scientific work methods, the ability to acquire new scientific knowledge, and its creative application.
The application form for the state doctoral examination must be submitted to the Department of Science and Research together with a list of the doctoral student's publications (projects), including any responses to them. During the state doctoral examination, it is necessary to demonstrate an overview of specialized theoretical knowledge, scientific work methods, the ability to acquire new scientific knowledge, and its creative application. The state doctoral examination is held before the state doctoral examination committee. Successful completion of the examination is a prerequisite for the defense of the dissertation. The rules for selecting subjects are governed by the regulations of the relevant field council.
If the state doctoral examination is not passed, it may be retaken once.
For more information, see Article 29 of the Full Text of the Study and Examination Regulations for CTU Students.
DEFENSE OF THE DISSERTATION:
After passing the state doctoral examination, the final step towards successful completion of the study is the submission and defense of the dissertation, which is the result of solving a specific scientific task and may also be submitted in the form of a published or publication-ready publication or set of publications. The dissertation must contain original published new findings. The formal requirements for dissertations are governed by the Guidelines of the Vice-Dean for Science and Research (available for download on SharePoint) and Article 28 of the Full Text of the Study and Examination Regulations for CTU Students.
The Application for Dissertation Defense form is submitted to the Department of Science and Research. Before submitting the dissertation, the student contacts (in person, by phone, or by email) the Department of Science and Research, where they will receive instructions and requirements for submitting the dissertation. The application must be accompanied by three bound copies of the dissertation, an electronic copy of the dissertation in PDF format (delivered by email, on CD/DVD, or USB drive), the title of the dissertation in Czech and English, an abstract in Czech and English, keywords in Czech and English, the supervisor's assessment, a list of publications including their citations (divided into publications related to the dissertation topic and others; publications related to the dissertation that have been published or accepted for publication with affiliation to FJFI CTU in an impacted journal must be marked in the overview), a CV, and the Output Sheet for Doctoral Students form. If you finish your studies at the time of submitting your dissertation, you must submit a request for an extension of your doctoral studies.
The defense of the dissertation takes place before the dissertation defense committee and is open to the public. During the defense, the candidate briefly (e.g., 15 to 20 minutes) presents the main theses and conclusions of the thesis to the committee members, answers questions and comments from the opponents in their reviews, and answers questions and comments from the general discussion. The course of the dissertation defense is governed by Article 30 of the Complete Text of the Study and Examination Regulations for CTU Students and is governed by the customs of the given department.
If the dissertation defense is unsuccessful, one repeat is possible.
Interruption of studies:
You can request an interruption or extension of your studies by completing the Application form and delivering it to the Department of Science and Research.