Dissertation defence

The dissertation defence is a public event, usually held in English.

• The condition for defending the dissertation is that at least part of the results have been published or accepted for publication in a journal that is included in the Web of Science (WoS) database and has an impact factor (IF) higher than the median of the field, and the student must be the first author of the publication. If the journal has an IF below the median, the student must have at least two such publications. For co-authored publications, the student must clearly define his/her contribution to the results.
• The dissertation thesis is evaluated by two independent reviewers without conflict of interest from institutions outside MU, and at least one reviewer ideally from abroad.
• In exceptional cases, and only on the recommendation of the Departmental Board, a monograph with original results may be accepted instead of a published article. In this case, the articles are attached to the dissertation as draft manuscripts in appendices and the work is evaluated by three referees.
• The dissertation format is flexible. If the student has co-authored at least three publications, it is preferred that the dissertation is compiled as a collection of previously published or accepted papers, accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and commentary on the topic. If there are fewer publications, the thesis must be in the form of a monograph with original results.
• The defense consists of a presentation of the main goals of the thesis, followed by a discussion with the reviewers, committee members and the academic audience. The student must demonstrate independent research competence, effectively present their results and critically evaluate their work.

The dissertation is submitted electronically through the IS MU. Preferred file formats are PDF, RTF or DOC (MS Word). It is recommended to use an official template to include all required sections.

Exact instructions can be found here.

State doctoral exam (SDE)

• In accordance with the approved amendment to the Higher Education Act (No. 52/2025 Coll., amending Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education), the State doctoral examination for students entering doctoral studies will be abolished as of July 2025.