Branch programme/details

Programme offered jointly by the Faculty of Arts and the Institute of Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The language of instruction is English. Jewish Studies is a fee-paying programme; the annual tuition fee is EUR 2,500.

The programme is only open to graduates of master’s studies. Applicants for the PhD programme must demonstrate an excellent grounding in the field in addition to a clear vision of their future work. Specifically, this means showing potential skills in independent research, a solid grounding in the field’s research methods and a basic knowledge of literature related to the prospective dissertation project in addition to the ability to read secondary literature in English (or preferably more languages) prior to joining the programme.

In order to succeed in the programme, applicants must have a knowledge of the relevant language sufficient enough to allow them to complete the dissertation project; the competence required is not necessarily a complex linguistic knowledge, but skills in the aspects of the language relevant to the project (e.g. passive knowledge of the older language if the applicant is intending to conduct history-oriented research; on the other hand, applicants planning field research should have skills in modern spoken language, etc.).

Applicants must submit a dissertation proposal as part of their application; the proposal should be consulted in advance with the prospective supervisor and the director of the programme. During the entrance examination, the proposal is discussed to test the applicant’s knowledge of the fundamental theoretical concepts of the field, their grounding in topics related to the prospective dissertation project as well as the ability to speak about discipline-related topics in English. In addition, the examining board assesses the applicant’s academic background, including previous studies, practical experience or, where appropriate, the list of publications in the field or related disciplines.

Where projects revolve around research working with materials in one or more of the source languages, the examination board will place a huge emphasis on the applicant’s ability to use these languages. Furthermore, candidates must demonstrate that they are prepared to conduct their research project in terms of the physical availability and nature of the source material, given the possibilities and limitations afforded by the study programme.

Entrance examination: single round – oral interview

Content, subject matter of entrance examination:
1. Submitted proposal for PhD dissertation, and discussion of this proposal, with some parts of the discussion held in English: 0–35 points
2. Assessment of the applicant’s previous studies, research, and other academic activities (successful master’s thesis or a part thereof): 0–15 points
3. Assessment of the applicant’s knowledge of a language used in the region to test whether the knowledge is sufficient to allow for successful completion of the dissertation project: 0–10 points

PhD dissertation topics must be consulted beforehand with the Chair of the Subject Area Board. Chair of the Subject Area Board (Programme Director): doc. PhDr. Pavel Sládek, Ph.D., e-mail: pavel.sladek@ff.cuni.cz.

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An applicant can only be admitted if they submitted a proof of their language competence for study in the respective programme, are awarded a minimum of 30 points in the entrance examination and, at the same time, score enough points to place among the expected number of students admitted to the respective programme of study (see the admissions procedure requirements applicable to the individual programmes of study); admissions will be granted to all applicants who score the same number of points as the applicant who comes in last place in the ranking of admissions. Please note that different expected numbers of admissions apply to full-time and combined forms of study. Applicants cannot be admitted without submitting evidence of their prior education no later than on the enrolment day (refer to 5.4 hereof).

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:	14.06.2023	Until:	16.06.2023
Alternative date (of entrance exam):	22.06.2023	Until:	22.06.2023

The graduate of the Ph.D. programme of Jewish Studies is according to the focus of hir or her dissertation project a specialist on a specific time period of Jewish history and/or literature, or on a specific segment of Jewish thought and/or religion. He/she is an expert capable of academic work. He/she masters the relevant source material in the original language and can analyse it by the means of the selected research methods, using the recent academic literature. He/she can present the results of his/her research in one of the world languages and publish in scholarly journals. He/she can apply his/her erudition both in academic teaching and popularization of science.