Important Information, Dates, Rules and Documents
Guarantors of Ph.D. Study Programmes
Doctoral (postgraduate) studies at the Department of Genetics and Microbiology can be pursued in two four-year study programmes: Molecular and Cell Biology, Genetics, and Virology, and Microbiology (basic information about these two programmes can also be found here). Both programmes are available in Czech and English and can be studied in either full-time or combined form (the combined form is recommended for candidates who intend to work while studying, especially if their job requires significant time dedicated to non-research-related activities, leaving less time for their scientific doctoral project. A typical example is students in medical fields who also work in hospitals or medicinal institutes, participate significantly in clinical or advisory activities, teach at their faculty, etc.).
The most important part of doctoral studies is creative research by the student, the main output of which is the Ph.D. thesis, i.e., a comprehensive scientific treatise that clearly defines original results and cites all sources. This work demonstrates the students' ability to conduct independent scientific research and to publish the results of their research in a clear and comprehensible manner.
At the Department of Genetics and Microbiology, doctoral students can directly engage in research topics that are being pursued by the individual Department's Laboratories. Many doctoral study programmes accredited at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, are also a part of the Doctoral Study Programmes in Biomedicine, in cooperation with many other faculties and institutes of Charles University, institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and other institutes that serve as training workplaces for postgraduate doctoral students (regarding our Department, we closely cooperate particularly with the Institute of Molecular Genetics, the Institute of Microbiology, the Institute of Biotechnology and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, but also with other research insitutions, mostly in the field of medicine).
More information about our current offer of Ph.D. thesis topics, Ph.D. theses successfully defended at the Department in the past and the overall organization of their defenses within the Department can be found here.
Doctoral studies also include completing selected lectures/courses, active participation in conferences, involvement in international collaboration and preparation of grant projects. The specific responsibilities of doctoral students are determined by the Subject Area Boards of the respective doctoral study programmes.
Based on the previous education and focus of doctoral students, the Department offers various specialized lectures, courses, and seminars as specific subjects within their study plans. These subjects introduce students to new knowledge, methods, and techniques in the fields of genetics, molecular and cellular biology, microbiology and virology, and provide a broader foundation for their research, essential for helping students navigate the rapidly developing and demanding areas of biological sciences in general. An overview of these subjects can be found here. Additional courses are offered through medical faculties or institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences associated with both doctoral programmes, or through Subject Area Boards of other Doctoral Study Programmes in Biomedicine, to which both of the above-mentioned study programmes belong. Selected lectures and courses that may be particularly useful or interesting for our doctoral students can be found, e.g., here.
Further important information (study regulations and various guidelines, schedules, forms, and instructions, etc.) regarding doctoral studies at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, is available here.