Doctoral thesis preparation and its defence
Get a basic idea of doctoral thesis preparation and completion of studies in a doctoral programme.
PhD candidate Supervisor Doctoral Board
Doctoral thesis preparation
“The doctoral thesis must include original results of the creative work of the PhD candidate submitting the thesis, published in a manner customary for the dissemination of results of research, development or other creative activities typical of the relevant field, or results accepted for such publication.
The doctoral thesis may also include an artistic output or a functional prototype of a technical device, a patent application, or technical documentation created during research, development, or innovation activities, or another application-oriented result of research, development or innovation.”
Section 47(4) of the Higher Education Act
Language of doctoral thesis
Doctoral theses at MU are typically written in Czech or English or Slovak, as the case may be. For more information about the language of the thesis see Section 36(6) of the SE Regulations.
Form of doctoral thesis
Unless stipulated otherwise by the dean or the Doctoral Board, a set of articles that have been published can be acknowledged as a doctoral thesis, in case they form a thematically coherent whole with a common introduction and consistent text. Such a set must be attached a self-contained introduction to the subject and a commentary.
For more information about the doctoral thesis see Sections 31 and 36 of the SE Regulations.
The requirements may further be specified by your faculty, institute or department; we therefore recommend following their current information.
Completion of doctoral studies
The latest amendment to the Higher Education Act (only in Czech) has introduced changes in the completion of doctoral studies beginning from 1 March 2025. The method of study completion depends on the date of enrolment in a doctoral degree programme.
How to proceed?
PhD candidates who started their studies before 1 March 2025 complete their studies with a doctoral state examination and a public defence of the doctoral thesis.
What you should know about the doctoral state examination
- Provisions about the doctoral state examination are set out in Section 32 of the SE Regulations valid until 30 April 2025.
- Doctoral state examination must be taken before the doctoral thesis defence.
- The result of the doctoral state examination is assessed as “passed” or “failed”.
- In case the PhD candidate fails the exam, one resit is possible.
- The dean may interrupt the studies until the date of the repeated doctoral state examination. The period of interruption is not included into the total duration of study.
- Should the PhD candidate fail to properly excuse their potential absence at the examination within 5 working days, they shall get the “fail” grade.
What you should know about the doctoral thesis defence
- Doctoral thesis defence is governed by Section 33 of the SE Regulations valid until 30 April 2025.
- No later than 7 working days before the defence, the PhD candidate will receive
- supervisor’s opinion
- at least two reviewer’s reports.
- The doctoral thesis is made available to the public via IS MU no later than 5 working days before the defence.
- A doctoral thesis that was published in another way shall not be made available to the public.
- In justified cases, the publishing of the thesis may be postponed by 5 years at the maximum.
- The reason for postponement is proposed by the supervisor to the PhD candidate, and postponement must be approved by the dean of the relevant faculty.
- Postponement must be approved before the thesis defence.
- The justified reason for postponement must be made available to the public via IS MU.
- No later than 7 working days before the defence, the PhD candidate will receive
- The result of the doctoral thesis defence is assessed as “passed” or “failed”.
- A defence of a doctoral thesis which in its relevance and quality significantly exceeds the usual standards can be assessed as “passed summa cum laude”.
- In case the PhD candidate fails the defence, one resit is possible.
- The dean may interrupt the studies until the date of the repeated doctoral thesis defence. The period of interruption is not included into the total duration of study.
- Should the PhD candidate fail to properly excuse their potential absence at the thesis defence within 5 working days, they shall get the “fail” grade.
PhD candidates who enrolled in doctoral studies from 1 March 2025 onwards and those whose first period of doctoral studies started no later than on 1 March 2025 complete the studies with the final state examination consisting of the defence of the doctoral thesis.
What you should know about the final state examination consisting of doctoral thesis defence
All matters concerning the final state examination are stipulated in Section 32 of the SE Regulations effective from 1 May 2025.
- No later than 7 working days before the defence, the PhD candidate will receive
- supervisor’s opinion
- at least two reviewer’s reports.
- The doctoral thesis is made available to the public via IS MU no later than 5 working days before the defence.
- A doctoral thesis that was published in another way shall not be made available to the public.
- In justified cases, the publishing of the thesis may be postponed by 5 years at the maximum.
- The reason for postponement is proposed by the supervisor to the PhD candidate, and postponement must be approved by the dean of the relevant faculty.
- Postponement must be approved before the thesis defence.
- The justified reason for postponement must be made available to the public via IS MU.
- The result of the doctoral thesis defence is assessed as “passed” or “failed”.
- A defence of a doctoral thesis which in its relevance and quality significantly exceeds the usual standards can be assessed as “passed summa cum laude” (for more details see Section 32(9) of the SE Regulations).
- In case the PhD candidate fails the defence, one resit is possible.
- The dean may interrupt the studies until the date of the repeated doctoral thesis defence. The period of interruption is not included into the total duration of study.
- Should the PhD candidate fail to properly excuse their potential absence at the thesis defence within 5 working days, they shall get the “fail” grade.