Branch programme/details

The goal of the doctoral study program (DSP) is to educate excellent experts in the physics of nanostructures and nanomaterials suited for future carrier in basic and applied research in nanotechnologies. The main pillars of the DSP are the theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics and physics of surfaces, advanced experimental and theoretical methods for studying the nanostructures, and smart technologies for preparation of nanostructures and nanomaterials. The DSP is of highly interdisciplinary nature and fits to the cutting-edge topics of current physical and material sciences like spintronics, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine and quantum computing. It is the only DSP in the Faculty of mathematics and physics, which integrates various areas of physics and materials research with outreach to chemistry, biology and medicine. In coherence with the tradition of the education in the Faculty of mathematics and physics, the ultimate goal of the education in the DSP is to provide deep theoretical background for understanding the key physical principles and phenomena underlying the unique properties of nanostructures and nanomaterials.

The programme does not contain specializations.

Admission for studies will be granted to the applicants, who
• Submitted a complete application form together with all obligatory attachments before the deadline,
• they successfully passed the entrance examination or they were granted an entrance examination waiver,
• they successfully passed the language examination or they got a waiver of it

Invitation to subject entrance examination
The invitation to the subject entrance examination will be sent to those applicants, who
• submitted a complete application together with its obligatory attachments 2,3 and 4 before the deadline,
• paid the application fee,
• did not obtain the confirmation of the waiver of the subject entrance examination before mid-May 2020.The invitation to an entrance examination is delivered through the University Electronic Information System. In mid-May all applicants without a waiver receive an invitation to take the entrance examination from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. If the Faculty approves the waiver, the invitation ceases to apply.

Entrance examination
The entrance examination consists of two parts, subject and language one. The subject part of the entrance examination takes the form of a discussion about the chosen study programme. The committee gives the applicant three questions related to the chosen study programme. The committee judges the correctness of the answer, the knowledge of the field and overall readiness for doctoral studies. Each answer is evaluated on the binary Pass/Fail scale. The applicant must obtain three passing grades. If the applicant has chosen one of the thesis topics offered by the faculty and has obtained an approval of a future supervisor, or if the comittee accepts the annotation of the applicant‘s own topic, the applicant will successfully pass the exam with only two passing grades from three questions.
The language entrance examination consists of a written test containing 100 questions (completing gaps in a text, i.e. choosing the correct word for each gap). The exam verifies that the applicant has an adequate command of the English language, i.e. at least at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This is an equivalent of 50 correct answers. All applicants with a score between 50 and 79 correct answers who will complete all other necessary admission requirements will be obliged to include an English course for PhD. students offered by the Faculty as an obligatory part of their individual study plans.

Admission to Doctoral studies is conditioned by successful completion of a Master's study programme.

Verification method:	entrance exam
Confirmation date (of entrance exam) from:	18.06.2020	Until:	19.06.2020
Alternative date (of entrance exam):	26.06.2020	Until:	26.06.2020

Application deadline is extended to 30th June 2020.

Waiver conditions of the subject entrance examination
The subject entrance examination may be waived for applicants who have chosen one of the thesis topics offered by the faculty and obtained an approval of a future supervisor, and for whom at least one of the following conditions applies:
1. Their work has been recognized in the SVOČ competition in computer science, mathematics, or teaching of mathematics (for study programmes in the fields of Computer Science and Mathematics);
2. their work has been recognized at the Czech-Slovak Student Conference on Physics (for study programmes in the field of Physics);
3. their original scientific work on a relevant topic has been published, or has been accepted for publication, in a reviewed medium indexed by MathSciNet, SCOPUS or ISI Web of Knowledge databases;
4. they have finished a master's study programme in the field of Physics, Computer Science, or Mathematics in the academic year 2019/2020, and their grade in each part of the state final examination is „excellent“ or „very good“ (for study programmes in the field of Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics);
5. they have gained at least 120 credits in the master's study programme in the field of Physics, Computer Science, or Mathematics in academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21, and their average study grade (according to the Code of Study and Examination, Art. 8, Par. 13) is at most 1.5, where 1=„excellent“, 2=„very good“, and 3=„satisfactory“ (for study programmes in the field of Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics);
6. they have achieved other remarkable results testifying their ability for doctoral studies.
It is necessary to apply for the waiver and prove that the applicant satisfies some of the above conditions, by no later than May 31, 2020 in case of points 1,2,3,5 and 6, and by June 19 in case of point 4.
Conditions for a language examination waiver
The language examination will be waived if the applicant fulfills at least one of the following waiver conditions:
A. The applicant spent at least two years of his/her previous education at secondary or university level with English as the sole language of instruction in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, UK or USA.
B. The applicant does not need to take the language examination of English if (s)he has already passed one of the following exams (in some cases we recognize the exam only with a minimum score or level):
• General State Language Examination in English in the Czech Republic
• examination in English at Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (including the entrance examination from English for Ph.D. studies)
• TOEFL (ITP) – 627 points
• TOEFL (iBT) – 95 points
• IELTS – min. 7 points
• Cambridge English Certificate: C1 Advanced
• Cambridge English Certificate: C2 Proficiency
• Unicert – min. level C1
• LanguageCert: C1 Expert
• LanguageCert: C2 Mastery

The language examination waiver and the compliance with one of the conditions mentioned above must be requested before April 30, 2020 (or, in exceptional cases, before September 30, 2020).

The graduate of the PhD study branch Physics of nanostructures will be competent in the theoretical and experimental physics of low-dimensional structures in semiconductor, metallic, and dielectric materials, as well as biological, plasmonic, and hybrid nanostructures. According to the focus of the PhD thesis, he/she will be an expert in the preparation and growth of various types of nanostructures and in the application of experimental and theoretical methods of their investigation. The graduates can practice in basic physical, chemical or biophysical research, as well as in applied material research, biomedical engineering, catalysis research, nanofluidics, in the research of micro- and nanomechanic systems, and industrial nanotechnology.