During the first two years of study, students are required to take at least three vocational courses focused on hard skills. These courses can take the form of standard semester courses, summer schools or specific intensive courses.

A recommended list of hard skills courses is available below, but other relevant courses can be selected from the course catalogue.

Summer schools and short-term vocational courses that exceed 10 hours of instruction and are equivalent in intensity and focus to standard courses are also accepted. Course offerings are published in the News section, but other relevant courses may be selected. Participation in a summer school or specific course is subject to the approval of the instructor and the program sponsor. Recognition of course completion as part of the hard skills requirements is at the discretion of the program sponsor or his/her designee. It is recommended that the possibility of course recognition be consulted prior to taking the course.

During the first two years of study, students are obliged to attend at least one professional course or training focused on the development of soft skills. These activities may focus on presentation and communication skills, teamwork, management and leadership skills development or, for example, professional competences in bioinformatics and biostatistical data processing.

Courses can be taken within the offer of the Centre for the Development of Educational Competences (CERPEK MU), the PhD Academy of the South Moravian Innovation Centre, or other educational institutions, including summer schools and short-term training courses.

In the case of courses that are not listed in the MU course catalogue or the recommended list (see link), it is necessary to consult their suitability with the supervisor and programme guarantor or his/her designee before taking them.

Students participate in specialized seminars focused on the presentation of the latest research findings, not only in the field of plant biology. Recommended activities include seminars organized at the Faculty of Science of MU or within CEITEC MU, such as Mendel Centre Seminars in Life Sciences (IS MU: S2009) Life Sciences Seminar (IS MU: S5030, S5035, XD010, XD011, Bi0011), Life Science PI Seminar (IS MU: S5020), NCBR Seminar (IS MU: CB060, CC060), Doctoral Seminar IEB (IS MU: Bi0100, Bi0101) or the Seminar of the Institute of Experimental Biology FGP (IS MU: C9950).

It is also possible to attend professional lectures organised outside Masaryk University, within other academic and research institutions. However, participation in lectures within conferences is not counted among the lectures attended; only individual professional lectures organised by research institutes are recognised.

Credit for the course Specialised Seminar - ExPBio (IS MU: C0030) may be awarded on the basis of a list of completed lectures submitted by the student. The list may be verified by the programme guarantor or his/her designee against the official electronic attendance register kept for seminars organised by Masaryk University.

To receive credit, student is obliged to:

- full-time students must attend at least 8 lectures per semester,

- combined forms of study at least 4 lectures per semester.

Template for confirmation of student´s participation (download here):

• Lecture date
• Place of venue
• Name of speaker
• Lecture title
• Brief content of lecture (one sentence)

The completed template should be placed in the course "Submissions/Odevzdávárna" at the end of each semester. After checking, credit will be given by the program guarantor.

Students are obliged to present their research results in a form of presentation at least once during their four years of study at an international conference, forum or workshop. If you are attending an international conference abroad, please contact the guarantor and copy the PhD coordinator with the following information:

• Title and website link of the event
• Date of presentation
• Place of venue
• Name of speaker
• Lecture title
• Brief content of the lecture (in one sentence)

The guarantor will ensure that credit is awarded in the IS MU under the subject "Lecture in the Foreign Language" (IS MU: XD106).

Completion of an internship abroad (at least 30 days)

During studies, the student is obliged to complete a foreign internship (IS MU: XD103) or alternatively a foreign professional practice (IS MU: XD110) of at least one month (in total for the duration of your studies), or in accordance with the requirements of national or university standards. The thematic focus of the internship or work experience must be related to the topic of the dissertation.

In exceptional and justified cases, the departmental board may decide on an alternative way of fulfilling this obligation, for example by active involvement in an international project for a minimum of two years.

Always contact the Mobility coordinator prior to departure to be infromed about the current documentation required before, during and after the internship.

Students are obliged to take the course “Handling Chemical Substances” (IS MU: C7777) every semester for the entire duration of your studies.

Students are obliged to attend and present their results at the ExPBio PhD Retreat every year. The detailed participation procedure is defined in the PhD Retreat guidelines. Full-time students are obliged to actively participate in the direct organisation of the Retreat. In justified cases, the program guarantor or his/her designee may decide on an alternative way of fulfilling this obligation. Upon completion of the Retreat, students are awarded “ExPBio PhD Retreat” credit (IS MU: C0020) in the information system.

The establishment of a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) is a mandatory part of the doctoral studies. It serves to continuously monitor study progress in collaboration with external experts. The TAC is responsible for monitoring the progress of the thesis project, providing expert advice and support to both the student and the supervisor.

Credit is awarded to the student for completion of each TAC meeting in the MU Information System (IS MU:C0010).

Link to the Semester Schedule https://is.muni.cz/predmety/obdobi?lang=en