Organization of studies
Ph.D. studies are organized according to the approved Individual Curriculum (IC), which among other things, consists of the State Ph.D. Exam and Dissertation Defence as well as other study obligations. The subject-area board monitors fulfilment of the study obligations as a part of the Annual Evaluation.
Contents:
- Foreign language exam
- Philosophy exam
- Professional activities
- Internships abroad
- Cotutelle
- Projects and grants
- State Ph.D. exam
- Dissertation defence
Foreign language exam
- You select a foreign language when creating your IC according to the possibilities in the curriculum for your subject area.
- The Faculty of Arts’ Language Centre arranges the foreign language exam for all Ph.D. students. Complete information on fulfilling the exam can be found on their web pages here.
- In certain cases, Ph.D. students may be exempt from a foreign language exam.
Recognition of language exams:
- A language exam may only be recognized based on a written request from the student.
- Recognition is regulated by Article 8 paragraph 17 of the Code of Study and Examination of Charles University.
- Only a similar study obligation that the student fulfilled during the past 10 years at Charles University or at another university in the Czech Republic or abroad can be recognized as a language exam.
- The request is submitted through the PhD Studies Office.
- The dean decides on the recognition based on the assessment of the Faculty of Arts’ Language Centre and the respective subject-area board.
Request for recognizing a language exam:
The request is submitted using the universal form and must contain the following information:
- First name and surname,
- Subject areas you are currently studying,
- Former subject area,
- University and faculty where the subject area was studied,
- Current study type: Ph.D.
- Previous type of study (bachelor’s – master’s – Ph.D. – other),
- type/character of completed exam (when, where, confirmation of exam level according to the Common European Framework of Reference – CEFR),
- Specific content and scope of exam (description of tested knowledge in the written part of the exam and content of oral part of exam, scope of professional text),
- Exam result (assessment) – original or certified copy of diploma/certificate/report card must be submitted; the exam can be recognized only with a grade of 1 or 2 (A to C),
- Verified conversion table if the evaluation is in the form of a letter (A, B, C, …), so that it is clear what value the letters have.
Without the required information above, the Language Centre cannot assess or recommend recognition. Such a request will be returned to the student for revision.
Philosophy exam
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- The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts arranges the philosophy exam for all Ph.D. students. More information can be found on their web pages.
- In certain cases, Ph.D. students may be exempt from the philosophy exam.
Recognition of the philosophy exam
- Recognition is regulated by Article 8 paragraph 17 of the Code of Study and Examination of Charles University.
- The request is submitted through the PhD Study Office.
- The dean decides on recognition based on the assessment of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts and the respective subject-area board.
Professional activities
Publications
An integral part of Ph.D. studies is ongoing publication activities in professional domestic and foreign journals, the scope of which is specified by the subject area (impacted or peer-reviewed journals – domestic and foreign, proceedings, chapters in books, etc.). Contact your supervisor (or advisor) for information on the best journals for publication. Additional information on where and how to publish can be found on the website of the Faculty of Arts Library.
Full-time and part-time Ph.D. students are required to record any publication activity for a specific calendar year in the Personal Bibliographical Database (OBD). If interested, publication activities are included in the Diploma Supplement. Additional information relating to the OBD can be found on the website of the Faculty of Arts Library.
Conferences
An integral part of Ph.D. studies is participation in professional academic events where Ph.D. students meet with experts in their field. Ph.D. students acquaint themselves with contributions from colleagues and learn how to present their own research at conferences, seminars, and workshops. They present papers and posters at conferences, and some conferences even publish proceedings.
Ph.D. students learn about conferences from their supervisor (or advisor) or by following websites relating to their field. If a Ph.D. student becomes a member of professional organizations, they will be regularly informed of their conferences as well as others.
Ph.D. students must search themselves for funds to finance the costs. However, certain costs connected to participation in conferences or seminars could be covered by the scholarship fund (special-purpose scholarships, from the mobility fund, and from research projects or grants the Ph.D. student is involved in (it is good to plan conference trips when submitting a grant request and to include expenses for related conferences). More information on scholarships and grants can be found here.
When participating in conferences, you should:
- Find out when and where the conference is planned
- Send the abstract of your contribution by the deadline (call for papers)
- Wait to see if the contribution is accepted (At prestigious international conferences, the competition is fierce, and Ph.D. students are not always successful. It is easier to present a paper at a student conference or a small symposium.)
- Register and pay the conference fee
- Prepare your contribution
- Present the paper
Internships abroad
Ph.D. students arrange internships abroad individually according to their specialization and research topic. You can find a detailed offer of programmes abroad on the web pages of the International Relations Office, Faculty of Arts, where there is up-to-date information on studies and internships abroad.
Students who go on internships abroad as a part of their studies, regardless of the source of financing, are required to enter this in SIS, module Record of Internships.
Students may study abroad as a part of:
- International agreements
- Inter-faculty and inter-university agreements (Charles University currently has more than 180 cooperation agreements with universities worldwide)
- Other programmes (e.g. CEEPUS, AKTION, Fulbright scholarships, the Anglo-Czech Educational Fund, the International Visegrad Fund)
- Other scholarships and commercial offers that are published on a regular basis.
An overview of the opportunities that the Faculty of Arts offers students for financing studies abroad can be found here.
Cotutelle – co-supervised Ph.D. studies
Students may study at universities abroad as a part of a co-supervised Ph.D. programme (Cotutelle). Co-supervision of a dissertation takes place based on cooperation between Charles University and a university abroad.
Co-supervision of a dissertation is arranged by two supervisors – one from each of the involved institutions – and the student spends part of their Ph.D. studies at both institutions.
The partner institutions conclude an Agreement on Co-Supervision of the Dissertation for each Ph.D. student as apart of Cotutelle which sets outs the terms, time schedule, and other matters relating to their studies and dissertation defence. It is signed by the Ph.D. student, the supervisors, the dean of the faculty, the Rector of Charles University, and the relevant officials from the partner institution. The International Relations Office provides additional information.
You can find more information on Cotutelle on the web pages of Charles University here.
Projects and Grants
The Grant Office of the Faculty of Arts administers grants and projects.
Research and work on your dissertation may be financed by grants or participation in other projects.
Ph.D. students may participate in projects of the Grant Agency of Charles University (GA UK).
- Projects may last one to three years.
- The procedures for awarding grants are announced annually at the beginning of the academic year in a Rector’s directive.
The type of scholarships for student projects are Internal grants of the Faculty of Arts. These are announced as a competition by the dean of the faculty usually once a year.
There are also many funds, agencies, and foundations that help with the financing of study and research trips in the Czech Republic and abroad and that cover expenses relating to research, conference trips, etc.
