Subject-area board
The content of a programme of study and its implementation are the main responsibility of the subject-area board. The subject-area board of a Ph.D. programme of study is established for Ph.D. programmes. Its members are appointed and recalled by the rector. A functional subject-area board is a guarantee of the effective implementation of a Ph.D. programme of study. The subject-area board is entitled to submit proposals for approval to the dean. The board communicates with students, supervisors, or advisors and with the faculty management.
The composition of a subject-area board is determined by the Constitution of Charles University, Article 22 paragraph 13:
A subject-area board of a doctoral programme of study has a minimum of five members; at least two-thirds of its members must be from among Associate Professors or Full Professors or persons who attained a comparable position abroad; at least one quarter of its members must not be employees in an employment relationship with the University assigned to the relevant faculty, or to the involved faculties, and at least one member must not be in any employment relationship with the University. The guarantor of a doctoral programme of study is the chair of the relevant subject-area board.”
The subject-area board:
- Meets at least once a year
- Executes the annual evaluation of the individual study curriculum on a regular basis
- Approves the individual curriculum of students, including Ph.D. dissertation topics and recommends any changes
- Approves the draft terms of admissions procedures for a specific subject area
- Proposes supervisors and advisors
- Approves the list of potential supervisors
- Monitors the adequacy of the number of students for the specific supervisors
- Proposes the composition of the examination board for admissions procedures
- Proposes the chair and members of the committees for the State Ph.D. Exam and dissertation defence
In particular, the chair of a subject-area board:
- Initiates negotiations of certain types of requests in the subject-area board (e.g. a change in the dissertation language, changes to individual curricula, etc.)
- After discussing in the subject-area board, proposes the composition of the committees for the State Ph.D. Exam and the dissertation defence
- Proposes the terms and venue for the State Ph. .Exam and dissertation defences
- Decides on inspections relating to fulfilment of professional activities in the individual curricula and enters the results in SIS
- Convenes and heads meetings of the subject-area board, arranges minutes of these meetings, submits the minutes to the Research Office via the mailroom using the current year’s evaluation form
- Enters the annual evaluation of Ph.D. studies in SIS based on the results of the subject-area board’s meeting
- Based on the results of the meeting of the subject-area board, approves in SIS the individual curricula of students, including dissertation topics, and recommends any changes
- Consults dissertation projects with Ph.D. studies applicants and proposes supervisors and advisors for them
- On behalf of the subject-area board, approves the draft terms of admissions procedures for a specific subject area, approves a list of potential supervisors and any list of dissertation topics
- Starting on 1 January 2020, proposes, following a discussion with the subject-area board, committees for associate professorship procedures and procedures for appointing full professors
Changes to the subject-area board
The Research Office administers changes to the composition of a subject-area board. The chairs should submit proposals via the form here. Send the printed and signed form via the departmental mailroom or in person. Research Office verifies that the required ratio of members of the subject-area board is not disrupted by appointing or recalling a member of the subject-area board.
If a member of the subject-area board decides to resign from their position, the resignation is submitted to the dean via the Research Office; after a discussion with the Research Board of the Faculty of Arts, the dean submits the proposal for resignation of the member to the rector.
During the validity of the accreditation, the dean may proceed independently in the case of a proposal for recalling or appointing a member of the subject-area board; in such a case, the dean requests the approval of the basic unit, the chair of the relevant subject-area board, and the vice-dean for science and research.
In accordance with the valid Dean’s measure no. 14/2015, the proposal will be taken up by the Research Board of the Faculty of Arts and then sent to the Rector’s Office of Charles University.
The chair of a subject-area board is also a guarantor. For a change in the guarantor, please contact the Accreditation Office, which arranges the administrative aspects of this change.
