Conditions of Study for Foreign Nationals in the Doctoral Degree Programme
The Faculty of Social Sciences offers some of the highest quality English-language Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degree programmes in Central and Eastern Europe in all fields of social sciences, giving students an opportunity to obtain their degree from one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious universities in the world.
Currently, the Faculty offers these PhD programmes:
Structure of classes
Doctoral studies at the FSS are primarily research-based. However, students are also expected to attend a certain number of graduate seminars and lectures (the exact number depends on the subject), so it is not possible for students to complete their doctorate by research alone. Advanced full-time students are also expected to participate in undergraduate courses as lecturers.
Students are assigned a thesis supervisor who guides their research, and advises them on the structure of their thesis during their write-up. At the end of their studies students take an oral exam and defend their thesis before a panel of academics.
Although it is usually possible to write your doctoral thesis in English or German, Czech remains the official language of instruction for most classes held by at the Faculty, and not all departments are able to offer graduate classes in another language. We therefore advise any applicants who are concerned about this issue to contact their prospective department to find out the precise situation that applies to their particular field of study.
Period of study
Doctoral studies may be conducted either full-time or part-time. Full-time study ("internal" study) usually takes four years. Part-time study ("external" study) usually takes five years. Internal students who do not complete their thesis within the specified three years are usually allowed to continue their studies as external students, if they wish. External studies can usually be extended up to a maximum of eight years.
Application deadline
The deadline for applications in the academic year 2013/2014 is 30th April 2013. No extension of this deadline is possible.
Application procedures
Generally, all applications must include the following:
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official application form (you can fill either the application form SEVT 49 146 0), or apply online
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Curriculum Vitae (resume)
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notarised copy of Master's degree diploma, an official translation into Czech (if it was issued in a different language), and (if you completed your Master's degree abroad) a document from the Czech authorities to say that your diploma is recognised in the Czech Republic (so-called "nostrifikace")
Applicants who are in their final year of a Master's degree programme may submit documents to show their expected date of graduation. Applicants who have applied to the Czech authorities for "nostrifikace", but have not yet received a decision, may submit documents to show that a decision is pending. In all such cases, however, certificates must be submitted as soon as they become available.
Please note that conditions for admission to the Ph.D. programme in Economics are slightly different. Click here for more information.
All application materials, including a printed hard copy of the online application, should be sent to: Student Office, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Smetanovo nabrezi 6, 110 01 Prague, Czech Republic.
Entrance exams
All applicants who submit the required materials by the deadline will be invited to sit an entrance exam in Prague, usually in June. Requirements for the entrance exam vary widely according to subject, but in most cases, some knowledge of the Czech language is expected. Foreign nationals who have not previously studied in the Czech Republic may be required to take an additional test to demonstrate their Czech language ability, where this is relevant to the planned course of study.
Exceptions to the rules regarding language may be possible in some cases, but they cannot be expected as a matter of course, and they must be negotiated in advance with the relevant teaching department.
Please note that there will be no mandatory entrance exam as a part of the admission process to the Economics programme with a tuition. The admission committee will decide on the basis of obtained documents and can ask for supplying more of them if necessary.
There is no application fee.
Full details of application procedures and entrance exams for the current school year (Czech only).
Contact information and consultation hours here.
Scholarships and financial aid
Although Charles University has a very limited number of scholarships for internal doctoral students (both Czech and foreign), applicants should be aware that this university scholarship is intended only as a top-up fund (on average 7000 - 6050 CZK per month for first-year students, which is approximately 280 - 240 EURO per month, and 7400 CZK for students in the later stages of their study). All successful applicants for internal doctoral studies are automatically considered for the university scholarship. No additional application is necessary.
However, there are many research grants, research and teaching assistantships, and other scholarship opportunities available to all Ph.D. students, who are also encouraged to apply for both foreign and Czech research funding (including the Czech government scholarship. Please ask your own Ministry of Education for help in this matter).