Doctoral programme "Philosophy" (Study programme in Czech and English)

Topics and requirements of the doctoral admission exam

Study programme: Philosophy

Language of instruction: English

Mode of study: full-time, part-time

Length of funded full-time study: 4 years (from ac. year 2020/2021 on)

Academic title: Ph.D.

Admission requirements

1) Applicants will ordinarily have a Master’s degree in philosophy. In exceptional cases the admission committee can accept Master’s level graduation in another discipline but only if the relevance can be shown. Applicants are required to attach certified documents concerning their university education, including an academic transcript, to the application form. In cases where an applicant is due to graduate after the deadline for submitting applications, these documents must be submitted by the commencement date (usually October 1st) at the latest. All required documents which are not originally in Czech or English must be translated into one of these languages and the translation must also be certified.

2) All applicants must have excellent knowledge of spoken and written academic English. The admission interview will be conducted in English.

3) The applicants should submit a Research Proposal (1500-2000 words) outlining their future doctoral dissertation. It should formulate a clear research problem, and proposed methodology, as well as the basic sources and bibliography relevant to the topic. (The bibliography is not included in the word count.) It is advisable that the applicants explain their prior acquaintance with the subject. They can also attach the list of their own publication or presentation activities.  

Documents and information to be submitted with the application form:

1. Certified copy of Master’s diploma.
2. Academic transcript.
3. Names and contact details of two academic referees.
4. Name of the preferred supervisor.
5. Research Proposal.
6. (Optional) A list of publications and presentations.

The above documents should be submitted as attachments to the application form (see below). The examining committee will evaluate these documents and invite selected applicants for an interview. It is preferable that applicants attend the admission interview in person but, in exceptional cases and for candidates from outside of Europe, it can be conducted via video conference. Shortlisted candidates from Europe who wish to be considered for an exception should make this known at the earliest possible date in order to allow for appropriate arrangements to be made.

It is not possible to accept the applicant if there is no available supervisor for the proposed project of study. The examining committee will decide on the outcome of the admission exam by vote and will decide on the ranking of the applicants. The total number of students who will be accepted to the doctoral study programme on the basis of their achieved ranking may vary for each academic year depending upon program circumstances and upon the numbers of applicants who are deemed to have achieved the required standard.

It is necessary to submit the application with all the required attachments either on the standard form or electronically (here). The application fee of 2000,- CZK is payable by card or bank transfer among others, see instructions in the last step of electronic application.

For details about the application process and necessary documents see here. Please pay special attention to diploma nostrification and visa requirements (for applicants from non-EU countries, these might be a condition of enrolement in study). 
 

Deadline for application: 31st May 2021
Interviews (approx.): mid June 2021
Decision: by the end of June 2021
Start of study: beginning of October 2021

Applicants who wish to study with the Centre for Ethics as Study of Human value are advised to consult the Centre's website.

Faculty administrator for PhD studies: ing. Iveta Němcová (iveta.nemcova@upce.cz)

Programme Board (Subject Advisory Board) of the doctoral study in philosophy

Internal members:

• doc. Mgr. Ondřej Beran, Ph.D. - chair
• doc. Mgr. Filip Grygar, Ph.D.
• doc. Mgr. Tomáš Hejduk, Ph.D.
• doc. Mgr. Jakub Jinek, Dr. phil.
• doc. PhDr. Aleš Prázný, Ph.D.

External members:

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anna Durnová, Ph.D. - Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaften, Universität Wien
• prof. Miloš Havelka, CSc. - Fakulta humanitních studií Univerzity Karlovy v Praze
• Zora Hesová, M.A., Ph.D. - Ústav politologie, Filozofická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze
• doc. Mgr. Ladislav Koreň, Ph.D. - Katedra filosofie a sociálních věd, Filozofická fakulta Univerzity Hradec Králové
• prof. Dr. phil. Jakub Mácha, Ph.D. - Katedra filosofie, Filozofická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity, Brno
• prof. PhDr. Karel Thein, Ph.D. - Ústav filosofie a religionistiky, Filosofická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze

State doctoral exam and defence of doctoral dissertation

The study is concluded with the state doctoral exam and the dissertation defence that prove the capacity and readiness to independent activity in scientific research. The student applies for the state doctoral exam on a typified form by the deadline scheduled by the study plan for the given academic year; together with the application he or she submits the manuscript of the dissertation in three copies in the prescribed formatting. Two opponents work out a written assessment on the dissertation, one of which at least must be the employee of a different university or academic institution.

The state examination consists of:

1. Defence of the doctoral dissertation

2. Commissional examination in following subjects:

- History of Philosophy

- Political Philosophy

- Philosophy of Education and Comeniology