Branch programme/details

Language of instruction is English. The study is subject to a fee of 25 000 CZK per an academic year.

Entrance examination: Two part

Content and subject matter of entrance examination (source material for discussion is based on the mandatory attachments provided by the applicant): 

First part

In the first round, the evaluation committee assesses submitted projects based on their quality and compatibility with the foregrounded project topics announced by the Department of Political Science as priority topics for a given academic year. In the first round, a maximum of 28 points can be obtained (depending on the quality of a project with respect to the content, formal side, and priority topics' representation among the applicants). Applicants must score a minimum of 14 points to advance to the second round.

Second part

Research value of the project and the applicant’s ability to justify the chosen topic and situate it within a broader temporal, substantive, or research context (i.e., the relevance of the proposed dissertation topic in the context of current Czech or international research).
The applicant must convincingly demonstrate that the proposed project topic has either not been addressed at all, or has not been sufficiently studied, and that work on the topic constitutes a contribution to the existing state of research (i.e., it provides new empirical or theoretical insights, or introduces original, previously unused methodological approaches, etc.).

The decisive criteria for evaluating the applicant are:

• Quality of the dissertation project, whose conceptual, theoretical, and methodological foundations the applicant must be able to defend during the admission interview (maximum 20 points).
• Motivation for study, based on the list of secondary literature, which the applicant is required to submit electronically to cds-ips@fsv.cuni.cz
   no later than 3 working days before the oral part of the entrance examination (the list must contain at least 30 academic titles relevant to the applicant’s field of specialization) (maximum 6 points).
• Overall academic profile of the applicant, including any previous lecturing and publication activities (maximum 6 points).

In the second round, an applicant can obtain a maximum of 32 points.
Once all candidates have undergone the admission process, the admissions committee will prepare a report. This report will include the point-based evaluation of applicants and the determination of their ranking according to the number of points obtained.

A maximum of 60 points can be obtained for the entrance examination. The minimum number of points required to be admitted to study is determined by the Dean based on the results of entrance examination and with respect to the capacity resources of the faculty.

Chair of the Subject Area Board: prof. PhDr. Blanka Říchová, CSc. (FSV UK), e-mail: blanka.richova@fsv.cuni.cz

Core faculty responsible for the realization of the study programme: Faculty of Social Sciences CU

Contacts for studying at Faculty of Arts, Charles University: Mgr. Jan Bíba, Ph.D., e-mail: jan.biba@ff.cuni.cz

All deadlines and requirements in relation to the admission procedure are set by the core faculty responsible for the realization of a given study programme.

By May 11, 2026, applicants must submit their dissertation project electronically to cds-ips@fsv.cuni.cz. The project, which should be 6-7 standard pages long (1,800 characters per page, including spaces), must include the following sections:
a) a brief introduction to the topic,
b) a definition of the topic,
c) the objective and working hypothesis,
d) the basic methodological approach,
e) the proposed structure of the thesis,
f) a brief analysis of the state of research and, where applicable, the source base.
The maximum score for the entrance examination is 60 points. The dean sets the minimum score for admission, taking into account the number of applicants taking the entrance examination and the capacity of the faculty.

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Part of the application for a doctoral study programme accredited in a non-Czech-language are following mandatory attachments (applicants must state their first and last name, name of the study programme they are applying for, and title of the submitted project for a prepared dissertation in the header of a first page of every mandatory attachment):

a) project for a prepared dissertation in the range of 3–5 standard pages; the topic of the dissertation project is selected by the applicant from the areas or topics specified in the information system or the applicant chooses the topic individually; the chosen topic is consulted in advance by the applicant with the chair of the relevant subject-area board or the contact person specified in the academic requirements for individual study programmes (section 16 RAS), the name of the consultant is then stated in the project;

b) structured curriculum vitae;

c) list of literature corresponding to the study programme;

d) overview of existing academic activities (publication activities, internships, etc.);

e) proof of language competence, i.e. scan of any of the following documents of language competence in the foreign language in which the study programme is accredited: secondary school-leaving examination with a curriculum realised in the relevant foreign language; proof of completion of any university degree programme accredited in the relevant foreign language; proof of successful completion of any certified examination in the relevant foreign language at B2 level or higher according to the list in the appendix to these Requirements, proof of completion of a language examination in the relevant foreign language at B2 level or higher, completed as part of any university course; for graduates of the Faculty of Arts or other faculties of Charles University, a relevant document generated from the information system may be submitted instead of a certified copy. The list of language certificates recognised by the University is attached to these Requirements. Along with the language in which the study programme is accredited, courses might be conducted in a language logically related to the given study programme or the dissertation project. In such cases, language competence in a related language is examined during the entrance examination (section 16 RAS).

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General and faculty requirements for admission to study at the FA CU: https://is.cuni.cz/studium/eng/prijimacky/index.php?do=info_fakulta&fak=11210

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

proof of language competence, i.e. scan of any of the following documents of language competence in the foreign language in which the study programme is accredited: secondary school-leaving examination with a curriculum realised in the relevant foreign language; proof of completion of any university degree programme accredited in the relevant foreign language; proof of successful completion of any certified examination in the relevant foreign language at B2 level or higher according to the list in the appendix to these Requirements, proof of completion of a language examination in the relevant foreign language at B2 level or higher, completed as part of any university course; for graduates of the Faculty of Arts or other faculties of Charles University, a relevant document generated from the information system may be submitted instead of a certified copy. The list of language certificates recognised by the University is attached to these Requirements.

English

Level B2

• BEC 2 – The Business English Certificate 2
• Education First certificate in English 10, 11, 12
• FCE – First Certificate in English
• IELTS 5.5 – 6.4
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Communicator (City&Guilds)
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Communicator LanguageCert
• Pearson JETSET 5
• Pearson PTE Academic 42–58 points
• Pearson PTE General Level 3
• Pitman Intermediate (Level 2) – Intermediate First Class Pass – B2 Vantage
• STANAG 6001 – 2nd degree (examination of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic)
• state basic language examination
• TELC – B2 English for Technical Purposes
• TELC – Certificate in English for Business Purposes – B2
• TELC (The European Language Certificates) – Certificate in English – advantage (B2)
• TESA – Test of English for Studies Abroad 42-49 points
• TOEFL CB 183–212
• TOEFL iBT 65–78
• TOEFL paper 513–549
• UNIcert II

Level C1–C2

• BEC 3 – The Business English Certificate 3
• CAE – Certificate in Advanced English
• CEIBT – Certificate in English for International Business and Trade
• CPE – Certificate of Proficiency in English
• Education First certificate in English 13, 14, 15, 16
• IELTS 6.5 – 9
• ILEC – International Legal English Examination (Cambridge)
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Expert (City&Guilds)
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Expert LanguageCert
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Mastery (City&Guilds)
• International ESOL and Spoken ESOL – Mastery Language Cert
• Pearson JETSET 6
• Pearson JETSET 7
• Pearson PTE Academic 59–90 points
• Pearson PTE General Level 4, 5
• Pitman Advanced (Level 3)
• Pitman Higher Intermediate (Level 2)
• proof of completion of a study programme focused on English (English/American Studies) at a higher education institutiion
• school-leaving (maturita) examination in English as the first foreign language in grammar school classes with teaching of selected subjects in a foreign language
• special state language exam – interpreting, translating
• STANAG 6001 – 3rd degree (examination of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic)
• state general language examination
• TESA – Test of English for Studies Abroad 50-60
• TOEFL CB 213–300
• TOEFL iBT 79–120
• TOEFL paper 550–677
• UNIcert III–IV

Graduates of the doctoral programme in Political Science have theoretical and methodological expertise and the ability to apply these skills to analysis as well as to critically reflect various approaches to analysis and to select relevant research methods. They have the ability to further develop their knowledge and participate in preparing and implementing international grant projects. Furthermore, graduates have skills in team work and participation in multidisciplinary projects. They are also able to conduct analyses of contemporary trends taking into consideration their historical roots and the actors’ cultural specificities.