Postgraduate doctoral studies

Postgraduate doctoral studies (PDS) at the Protestant Theological Faculty are offered in one of the following four fields: Biblical Studies (comprising Old and New Testament); Systematic and Practical Theology (comprising dogmatics, ethics and all practical disciplines such as homiletics, catechetics, poimenics, ecumenics, etc.); Historical Theology and Theology of Religions (comprising church history and history of dogma, and the comparative study of religions); or Philosophy. The programme is open to those who have graduated from a university or other institute of higher education with a master's degree in Protestant Theology (or a related discipline) and have given proof of their academic abilities. Applicants also need to have passed examinations in at least one of the languages important for European theology, other than their mother tongue (i. e. German, English, French, Italian, or Spanish).

Postgraduate doctoral studies consist of research activity leading towards a written dissertation, broadening and deepening the student's knowledge in the field of study, and mastering the techniques of academic work. The dissertation may be written in another language than Czech if there is an appropriate supervisor for that language. Students are also required to attend certain lectures, seminars or convocations, pass an examination in a second language, write various papers, reviews, or literature searches, pass three examinations in theological disciplines, and publish articles in specialist journals. The individual study plan is worked out together with the student's supervisor. Students who fulfil these requirements, and successfully submit and defend their dissertation, are awarded the title of Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) by Charles University in Prague.

Postgraduate doctoral studies can be either full-time (normally lasting three years) or part-time (normally five years). There are no tuition fees for students who are studying in Czech. Tuition fees for students studying in other languages are currently 2,500 euros per year.

Application procedure

Potential applicants should first contact the appropriate Odkaz v rámci webu Head of Department for the field in which they wish to write their dissertation, giving details of the topic for the dissertation and the language they will study in. The Department will then consider if there is an appropriate person available to act as a supervisor. If so, and if possible in consultation with the prospective supervisor, the applicant should submit a written application including the following:

application form

curriculum vitae including a detailed description of theological studies undertaken so far

certified copy of Master's degree

if possible recommendation from a previous academic supervisor or teacher

an outline of the proposed dissertation project, including the topic, field, methods and aim of the research (2-3 pages)

The deadline for submitting written applications is usually 30 April for the following academic year. Entrance examinations then usually take place in June, consisting of an interview with members of the Faculty's Inter-Disciplinary Council for Postgraduate Studies, in which the applicant defends the outline of his or her proposed dissertation project.

Further information can be obtained from the Vice-Dean for Research and Doctoral Studies at Mail

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