Doctoral Degree Programme
Development Plan
Identification of the evaluated doctoral degree programme
Name of the programme Regional Economics
Guarantor doc. Ing. Vladimír Žítek, Ph.D.
Form full-time or combined
Language English
Faculty Faculty of Economics and Administration
Information on the evaluation meeting
Date of the On-Site Visit: 12-14 October 2022
Members of the Evaluation Panel: Institution
Jaromír Kovářík (chair) University of the Basque Country
Renáta Kosová Imperial College London – Business School
Emma Galli Sapienza University of Rome
Jana Fidrmuc-Palagova University of Warwick – Warwick Business School
Tom Broekel University of Stavanger Business School
Date of the separate meeting with students of the evaluated degree programme: 13 October 2022
Student representatives (DSP REEK):
Tereza Lelková
Filip Emmer
The discussion with students was organized at the faculty level, not at the level of individual
programs. Therefore, the conclusions regarding the students have limited explanatory validity in
relation to the implementation of the DSP Regional Economy.
Doctoral Degree Programme Development Plan
Based on the outputs of the Evaluation Report and On-Site Visit, the following objectives have been
identified and formulated for the further development of the evaluated doctoral degree programme
(please indicate the objective of the doctoral degree programme development, the proposed
measures, and the expected date of implementation of the measures).
Summarizing comments:
The Doctoral Board of the Regional Economics doctoral degree programme has been informed of the
conclusions of the evaluation meetings and evaluation reports of the doctoral degree programme,
both for the Regional Economics degree programme and for the Faculty of Economics and
Administration as a whole. The evaluation indicates that a significant portion of the comments and
recommendations relate to the organization of studies at the faculty level, and the possibility of
implementing changes is largely limited by the existence of national and university regulations. The
fundamental requirement for the unification of doctoral degree programmes at FEA MU is
considered unsubstantiated by the Doctoral Board. In their opinion, there are insufficient arguments
that the merging of programmes will lead to an improvement in the quality of study parameters. On
the contrary, there may be several problems related to the specifics of individual research fields,
where, for example, the Doctoral Board would not be able to assess proposed proposals regarding
dissertation topics or the focus of foreign internships. In this regard, negative experiences from
similar changes in Slovakia cannot be ignored.
Regarding the structure of subjects, there is some agreement regarding their relevance to the
doctoral level of study. This does not apply to subjects guaranteed by the supervising Department of
Regional Economics, where this issue is unequivocally reflected and resolved. It is also necessary to
consider that given the number of students in individual programmes and the diversity of their focus,
the main educational potential lies in the opportunity to attend external courses. This option has
been widely used in recent years, especially in the implementation of specific research projects. The
offer of foreign courses and their availability fully meets the existing demand. Self-study also plays an
important role, where the ability to find the necessary resources is one of the goals of study.
The fact that the study is significantly dependent on the supervisor arises from the nature of its
functioning in the Czech Republic. The supervisor is a key partner for the student but not the only
one. The Doctoral Board also plays a very significant role, as it approves all the parametric settings of
the programme and matters concerning individual students. Another possibility is offered by the
supervising department, which has several experts who provide support to students. We agree to
increase the flexibility of adjusting topics, for example, through their regular revision. We also agree
to reduce the number of students supervised by one supervisor, with a maximum of three
considered optimal. The capacity of the admission procedure is already adjusted to this intention.
In the last two years, there has been a significant increase in the degree of internationalization of the
study. Students regularly go on mandatory foreign internships, which are carried out at relevant
workplaces that are part of prestigious foreign institutions. Here, the Doctoral Board appeals for
caution regarding the extension of the mandatory internship duration. Longer stays are hampered by
both the willingness of institutions to accept our students (mentioning a month as the limit) and
would also become a significant limit to interest in studying (for many, it would be discriminatory).
Last but not least, the faculty cannot finance such long stays.
The Doctoral Board agrees to include a mandatory seminar where PhD students present their
research and progress made in the previous year. This was already included in 2022 and is now
repeated in 2023. At the same time, it considers it more appropriate for independent presentations
before the Doctoral Board of the Regional Economics doctoral degree programme rather than at the
faculty "conference." Presentations before the Doctoral Board allow for more extensive discussion,
and the comments of external members of the Doctoral Board dealing with regionally oriented topics
are more beneficial to students, including recommendations for potential sources or contacts.
Many other suggestions and recommendations encounter the financial limits of the faculty and
department. It would certainly be interesting to build some form of regionally oriented doctoral
school, but we encounter legislative rules, student affiliation, and especially problems with their
financial support. Similarly, inviting students from doctoral programmes to foreign universities as a
common part of the implementation of our study programmes appears problematic. In connection
with the funding of the study programme, it seems essential for supervisors to plan capacities for
students in external project applications, where possible.
Structured chart:
The objective of the degree
programme development*
Measures leading to the
objective implementation
Implementation of measures
(year or cycle)
Introduce a system allowing
flexible changes to dissertation
topics
Opening a regular item on the
Doctoral Board agenda:
Revision of dissertation topics
Annually
Internationalization of further
activities of the Regional
Economics doctoral degree
programme
Implementation of foreign
internships or other forms of
direct participation in
international cooperation
Ongoing
Increase support for PhD
students from other academic
staff of the supervising
department
Direct involvement of assistant
professors in the support
system of the Regional
Economics doctoral degree
programme
Ongoing
Reduce the number of students
supervised by one supervisor to
a maximum of three
Consideration within the
admission process
Ongoing
Request an annual
presentation of the research
progress of individual PhD
students
Implementation of an internal
research seminar (prior to the
Doctoral Board)
Annually
Involve students in research
projects funded by external
sources
Capacity planning for PhD
students in project proposals
Ongoing
Development plan was discussed by the Doctoral Board of Regional Economics Programme
at its meeting on 15/09/2023 and subsequently approved by all votes by per rollam voting
on 19/09-22/09/2023.