Doctoral study

Study plan and duties of doctoral students

The specifics of doctoral studies are defined in the internal regulations of the UHK and FF UHK. Students are obliged to complete all compulsory courses given for individual years / modules within the study. Furthermore, students are obliged to publish partial outputs of their scientific work during their studies. They also participate in teaching activities.

Each doctoral student must pass the state final doctoral examination and defend a PhD thesis, which is evaluated by at least two independent referees. All processes related to the state examination and defence of the PhD thesis proceed in accordance with applicable provisions of the Study and Examination Code (SZŘ UHK), as further elaborated in the Dean's Decree No. 25/2017 Rules for elaboration of doctoral degree theses and organisation of state doctoral exams at the PF UHK. In general, please keep track of the applicable study regulations which are available here. 

The Department of Political Science has recently (2025) obtained a new PhD accreditation starting from the Academic Year 2025/2026; the updated guidelines for the content and requirements of the study programme will be provided below in due time.

Basic information will be provided at the introductory meeting and other related events. The contact person for all questions concerning doctoral studies is Assoc. Prof. Pavel Dufek, Ph.D.

 

Information for students enrolled before 2025

General information on activities and requirements related to the study:

1. Participation in scientific, research and other activities of the Department of Political Science  (only for full-time students) – conferences, projects, entrance exams, open days, journal editing, essay correction, supervision of bachelor theses, opponent reviews, etc.
2. Publication of at least three peer-reviewed articles or chapters in a monograph (or two articles in journals indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus Q1–Q3, subject to further specifications)
3. Participation in teaching in the bachelor or follow-up master programme; it concerns mainly the teaching in seminars or the preparation of their own optional courses (only applies to full-time students) – full-time doctoral students teach 1–2 lessons per week from the summer semester of the first year; from the second year they teach 2-4h a week. In the winter semester of the fourth year they teach 2–4 lessons per week and in the summer semester 1–2 lessons per week if they wish to receive a full scholarship.
4. Twice a year, the student submits (through the Secretary of the Programme Board) a completed Report on the PhD student's activities (including the supervisor's evaluation) concerning the PhD student's study and research activities for the previous semester.
5. Examinations and credits from individual courses must be passed by the end of August of the relevant academic year according to the individual study plan at the latest (the dates of examinations can be arranged with the teacher of the given course). The protocol on completion of the course shall be completed by the examiner and then handed over to the Secretary of the Programme Board.
6. During the first year of study, PhD students and their supervisors consult the PhD thesis intent and write down an extended abstract of the PhD thesis. It should contain the Czech and English title of the thesis, the Czech and English versions of the annotation (about 20 sentences – topic, goals, methodology), and basic literature (10–20 titles). Once the annotation has an acceptable form (approved by the supervisor), the PhD student will enter it in the study agenda system (STAG) – by the end of August of the relevant year at the latest.
7. Subject to demand and/or supply, supervision of bachelor theses (maximum 3 per year) and writing review reports on other theses. (In the case of bachelor thesis management, the doctoral student always consults with his / her supervisor the annotation of the bachelor thesis before it is entered into the system. In the case of an external supervisor, the PhD student sends the annotation for approval to the Head of the Department. The final thesis review shall be always consulted with one's supervisor before being entered into the system. If the PhD supervisor is also the supervisor or opponent of the bachelor thesis, the PhD student will send the review to the Guarantor of the BA programme.)

 

Study plan - courses

The courses of the first and second module are completed by an examination (except publishing activities), the courses of the third and fourth modules are completed by credit.

 

Compulsory module 1

• Methodology of Scientific Research (DMEVT / KDMEV)

Dr. Alberto Lioy

• Theories of Political Systems (DTPS / KDTPS)

Assoc. Prof. Vlastimil Fiala

• Philosophy of Mind, Language and Culture (FIMYJ / KFIMY)

Prof. Jaroslav Peregrin

• Theory and History of International Relations (TEDEM / KTEDE)

Dr. Jan Prouza

• Publication Activity 1 / 2 / 3 (DPUB1 / DPUB2/ DPUB3 )

overseen by each students's academic supervisor

• Ph.D. Seminar 1 (KDSE1) – PhD students participate in doctoral seminars usually held three times per semester (eventual absence must be excused) and continuously consult their supervisor on the procedure for the PhD thesis. Credit is granted by the supervisor on the basis of presentation: public defence of the research plan of the doctoral thesis - the purpose of these presentations is to evaluate methodological and theoretical solutions of the doctoral students' own research, to improve them on the basis of critical discussion and to check whether the methodological, theoretical and empirical knowledge is successfully used. Emphasis is placed on precise formulation of research hypotheses and possibilities of their empirical verification, further on identification and operationalization of studied variables and student's ability to identify a suitable theoretical framework for her/his research and to defend the chosen empirical method.

• Ph.D. Seminar 2 (KDSE2) – Ph.D. Seminar 1 conditions apply

• Dissertation (DISER / KDISE)

overseen by each students's academic supervisor

 

Compulsory module 2 (specialisation module)

students select a specialisation module according to the territorial focus of his / her field of study

(1) Africa

• Africa in International Relations (AFSY / KAFSY)

Dr. Jan Prouza

• Political Institutions in Africa (POLAF / KPOLA)

Assoc. Prof. Vlastimil Fiala

• Foreign Language Exam (other than English) (DZKJA / DKZKJ)

Language centre

• Foreign Research Fellowship (ZASTU / KZAST) – the fellowship must take place in the region of focus and must be at least three months in its entire length; it can be divided into a maximum of three shorter stays (minimum length of one stay is 14 days). The form is approved by the supervisor before the start of fellowship (each doctoral student submits a plan of his / her stay abroad to the supervisor), after his / her return the supervisor evaluates whether the doctoral student has met the objectives of the stay and can be awarded credit (based on the report from the stay abroad).

• Foreign Expert Course 

 

 (2) Latin America

• Latin America in International Relations (LASYM / KLASY)

Dr. Pavlína Springerová

• Political institutions in Latin America (POILA / KPOLL)

Dr. Alberto Lioy

• Foreign Language Exam (except English) (DZKJA / DKZKJ)

Language centre

• Foreign Research Fellowship (ZASTU / KZAST) – the fellowship must take place in the region of focus and must be at least three months in its entire length; it can be divided into a maximum of three shorter stays (minimum length of one stay is 14 days). The form is approved by the supervisor before the start of fellowship (each doctoral student submits a plan of his / her stay abroad to the supervisor), after his / her return the supervisor evaluates whether the doctoral student has met the objectives of the stay and can be awarded credit (based on the report from the stay abroad).

• Foreign Expert Course 

  

Elective courses module – at least two out of three courses must be completed during the study

• Conference abroad (ZAHK1 / ZAKN1) – each student consults her/his participation in a foreign conference with their supervisor before leaving. The supervisor decides whether the character of the conference and the PhD student's contribution corresponds to the relevant professional and regional focus of the PhD study. The supervisor decides on the granting of credit upon the doctoral student’s return and submission of a written form of his / her contribution.
• Foreign Internship (ZAHS1 / ZAST1) – the course takes the form of a foreign internship lasting at least 31 days. Its nature depends on the offer of the host institution and may include lectures, seminars, theoretical training, individual training under professional guidance, work on the PhD thesis, language training or work placement. Before leaving for an internship, each student submits to their supervisor a plan containing the main objectives of the internship. Upon return, the student completes the defence (submits a report from the stay) during which he / she proves the fulfilment of the set plan. The supervisor decides on the granting of the credit.
• Research Project (SPVY1 / SPV1) – a student grant competition is announced annually at FF UHK. The student discusses the content of his / her specific research project with his / her supervisor and submits its final form for approval. The supervisor decides on granting the credit based on the fulfilment of all project objectives and outputs.

 

Schedule of credits (except publishing activities) and examinations can be proposed by the doctoral student within the individual study plan (ISP) - in the first year (by the end of January) he / she submits a binding ISP approved by the supervisor, the Programme Board and the Dean of the Philosophical Faculty. Any subsequent changes to the ISP are then approved by the Programme Board and the Dean upon the student's official request. The postponement of the completion of a course to the next academic year may exceptionally be approved by the Chair of the Programme Board.

Publishing activities must be performed continuously - the supervisor decides on the granting of credits based on the entry of the publication record into the OBD.

To complete the study, it is necessary to defend the PhD thesis and pass the state doctoral examination (SDE). All information on the defence and SDE can be found in the  Dean's Decree No. 25/2017 Rules for elaboration of doctoral degree theses and organisation of state doctoral exams at the PF UHK.

 

The course of the State Doctoral Examination and the Defence of the dissertation is based on the Study and Examination Regulations of the University of Hradec Králové.

State Doctoral Examination

1) For the state final examination, the student must submit to the committee in advance a list of 20-25 books not related to the dissertation. The state final examination lasts about one hour. The exam consists of three questions (1 question related to the heading Methods of Scientific Work and Theory, 1 question related to the heading Comparative Politics of the African/Latin American Area, 1 question related to the student’s list of books).

2) In a closed session, the State Doctoral Examination Board will evaluate the course of the State Doctoral Examination and decide by vote on its classification (Passed/Failed). If a student fails the state doctoral examination, he/she is not admitted to the defence. The Doctorand may re-sit for the State Doctoral Examination only once, no earlier than six months after the date of the failed examination.

 

Defence

The doctoral candidate must submit his/her thesis of the dissertation (The thesis contains in a brief form the basic ideas, methods, results and conclusions of the dissertation in the same structure as the thesis. The theses are of the following length approximately 25 standard printed pages and are presented in A5 format.), curriculum vitae and a list of his/her publications to the committee in advance.

1) The chair of the committee will introduce the doctoral candidate, the topic of the dissertation, and provide the dissertation defence committee with an overview of the doctoral candidate's published scientific work.

2) The doctoral candidate will explain the essential content and main results of his/her dissertation.

3) The supervisor shall inform the dissertation defence committee of his/her opinion on the doctoral candidate's work and the dissertation to be defended.

4) The opponents will present the essential content of their opinions,

5) The doctoral candidate shall give his/her opinion on the opinions of the opponents,

6) The chair of the committee will open a discussion in which all present may participate and which may cover the whole field of the study.

7) In a closed session, the dissertation defence committee, in the presence of the opponents and the supervisor, will evaluate the defence of the dissertation. The doctoral student's supervisor attends the committee meeting with an advisory vote if he/she is not a member of the committee. In a secret ballot, the committee shall decide on the outcome.

7) The doctoral candidate is informed of the decision and its justification.