PhD Admission procedure

The selection of a dissertation topic is crucial for the entire doctoral study. Knowing the dissertation topic before the entrance examination is a fundamental requirement for admission to doctoral studies. A student may build upon their master’s thesis and continue their work with an appropriate supervisor. Alternatively, they can choose their own topic or select one of the topics annually announced by supervisors.

You can find the complete list of supervisors and announced topics for download in this PDF.

All applicants to the doctoral programme must take an entrance examination. The exam is conducted in the form of an interview in English.

Foreign applicants applying for study in the Czech language (excluding citizens of the Slovak Republic) must also take an examination in Czech (both written and oral) on the day of the examination.

Part of the entrance interview includes a discussion of the dissertation proposal, where the applicant describes their research focus and dissertation topic, and provides the name of their supervisor. In serious circumstances, an applicant may request in writing from the Dean of the faculty to be allowed to take the entrance examination via video call.

An applicant may apply for multiple programs (not study forms); however, a separate application must be submitted for each program along with the administrative fee associated with the admission process. For doctoral studies, it is assumed that the applicant has a clear interest in a specific field of study.

The administrative fee for the admission process is non-refundable in case of absence from the entrance examinations.

For the Applied Informatics program, a dissertation proposal document of approximately 5 pages in English is required, structured as follows:

1. Definition of the subject area.
2. Current theoretical and practical problems in addressing the subject area (with references to relevant literature – see point 3).
3. List of current literature related to the subject area, brief overview of the most significant, especially foreign institutions (possibly specific experts) dealing with this area.
4. Own experiences in the subject area (master’s thesis, publications, practical experiences, etc.), or related fields.
5. Preliminary definition of dissertation goals, proposal of methods to achieve them, and an indicative idea of possible scientific results (e.g., new empirical findings, methodology, prototype software, etc.) and how their validity/applicability will be verified.

For the Econometrics and Operations Research program, and the Statistics program, a dissertation proposal document of approximately 1-2 pages in English is required.

Detailed information regarding the admission process for VSE doctoral programs can be found on the Department of Science and Research website.

For the application to the program, the following documents need to be submitted to the faculty:

1. Appendix to the application and Declaration concerning previous and current studies, which can be found at the following website here.
2. Structured professional curriculum vitae, optionally including a list of own published professional works.
3. Electronic version of verified conversion of the document confirming completed higher education, or diploma and final transcript; applicants from the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics at VŠE do not need to submit a verified diploma, as the system will match and verify the diploma on completion of the master’s degree automatically. Graduates from foreign universities will demonstrate proper completion of their master’s studies by submitting a document of general recognition of foreign higher education according to the instructions provided on the website https://edu.vse.cz/. VŠE will assess for the purposes of the admission procedure whether the foreign education of the applicant meets the legal requirement for admission to study. An applicant who expects to complete his/her master’s degree by the deadline after submitting his/her application, and an applicant who has received his/her previous education abroad, must submit proof of higher education no later than the date of the admission decision.
4. Dissertation proposal, outlining the applicant’s own vision for the focus of their research activities and dissertation.
5. Applicants to FIS study programs further state the name of the prospective supervisor willing to mentor them in their application. During the admission process, applicants demonstrate their language and professional skills, interest in a specific field within the discipline, and ability to preliminarily formulate the topic of their work in collaboration with the prospective supervisor.

It is necessary to submit an electronic application for admission and pay an administrative fee for procedures related to the admission process.

Upon submitting the electronic application, the applicant will receive (at the email address provided in the application) an account number and a variable symbol to use for payment of the administrative fee for the admission process, which can only be paid by postal order or bank transfer. The administrative fee for the admission process for the academic year 2024/2025 is 960 CZK or 50 EUR for procedures related to the admission process conducted in a foreign language.

The payment is considered complete when the prescribed fee amount sent with the corresponding variable symbol is credited to the school’s designated account. If the amount is lower (e.g., due to bank charges), the applicant will not be included among the registered applicants.

The admission interview is conducted in English, allowing the applicant to demonstrate their professional language skills. Foreign applicants applying for programs in the Czech language (excluding citizens of the Slovak Republic) are required to take a Czech language exam on the day of the interview (both written and oral).

Part of the admission interview involves an analysis of the Dissertation Proposal, where the applicant describes their research focus and dissertation project, and it is also necessary to provide the name of the supervisor.

For serious reasons, the admission procedure may be conducted online upon request approved by the Dean.

Confirmation of interest in enrolling to study will take place online from January 30 to February 14, 2025. Online enrollment will be conducted through the electronic return system via the INSIS system.

Those who do not confirm their enrollment online will have the opportunity to participate in enrollment in person on February 17, 2025.

Students who confirm their intention to enroll online, as well as those who attend in person, will be enrolled in the doctoral program on February 17, 2025.