FORMAL REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION OF DOCTORAL STUDIES
Version: Released and applicable since 1st August 2019 (last updated: March 2021)
PhD programme: Plant Anatomy and Physiology (Anatomie a fyziologie rostlin)
Guarantor/Doctoral Board head contact: prof. Miloš Barták, mbartak@sci.muni.cz
General outline:
• Semesters 1 - 4 (first 2 years of study) - students work on their research project + fulfil other requirements (theoretical courses, preparing for state
doctoral exam – SDE, teaching assistance
• End of 4th
/5th
semester – SDE (State Doctoral Exam)*
• Semesters 5 - 8 -main focus on research (work on doctoral project and thesis, publications, presentations at conferences, etc.)
General requirements for all students in the programme (please see detailed requirements for the Individual Study Plan in the detailed table below):
Mandatory duties: checked by Dean’s Office
XD100 Ph.D. thesis / Příprava dizertační
práce
Enrolled every semester during entire studies, recommended 20-25 ECTS for semesters 1-4, 30 ECTS
for semesters 5-8, 20 ECTS for semesters 9 +
Bi7434 Plant Physiology Seminar for Ph.D.
students/ Seminář z rostlinné
fyziologie pro DSP
Obligatory for all 8 semesters of standard study duration (with exception of stay abroad)
Bi0100
Bi0101
Doktorský seminář ÚEB I a II /
Doctoral seminar ÚEB I and II
Obligatory for all 8 semesters of standard study duration (with exception of stay abroad)
C7777 Handling chemical substances
/ Zacházení s chemickými látkami
Enrolled every autumn semester during studies
XD102 Teaching Assistance / Pomoc při
výuce
Enrolled 8 times in semesters 1-8, maximum 140 hours in total during studies (recommended 0 ECTS)
XD106 Lecture in the foreign language
/ Odborná přednáška v cizím jazyce
Minimum once during studies (recommended 0 ECTS)
XD110 Placement Abroad / Zahraniční
pracovní pobyt
Minimum 1 month stay, min. once during studies (usually 5 ECTS/month), requirement given by law
Instructions for recognition of Placement Abroad:
https://www.sci.muni.cz/en/students/go-abroad/recognition-of-stay-abroad
(the recognition is done via IS application Internship and Stays, by creating record of the stay and
request for recognition; the course is then registered by Dean’s Office)
Theoretical courses and all other requirements: checked by the Head of Doctoral Board / Head of Doctoral Committee
• minimum 4 courses during semesters 1-4 with corresponding ECTS (before SDE)
(*) Requirements for the Theoretical State Doctoral Exam (SDE):
Requirements for the SDE (to be passed in the middle of studies, the end of 4th
/5th
semester). The Doctoral Board will check following aspects:
1) proficiency in the fundamentals of the broader scientific discipline, i.e. Plant physiology and Anatomy (15% weight),
2) deep understanding to the particular scientific specialization (35% weight),
3) detailed knowledge within the topic(s) of the doctoral research project including context (50% weight).
Individual study plan elements Milestones
Enrolment to
studies (Before
semester 1)
End of Semester 1 End of Semester 4/5
(Theoretical State Doctoral
Exam, SDE *)
End of Semester 8
(Preparation for PhD defence)
(A) research
and
development
activities (ca.
75% of
workload)
1. Research,
dissertation project,
literature survey of
the recent state of
the topic, planning of
experimental and
research activities
(60%).
Topic and
framework of your
PhD project to be
specified with your
supervisor for the
purpose of
enrolment.
CHECK: Dean’s office
[enrolment]
XD100 for each
semester (25 ECTS
for semesters 1-4,
30 ECTS for
semesters 5-8, 20
ECTS for semesters
9+]
CHECK: Dean’s office
Detailed “Research project” for
your PhD work to be submitted
to the Doctoral Board. The
document of 5-10 pages
containing Theoretical
background, Research
hypothesis and objectives,
Approach-methods, Time table
of research activities, Expected
outcomes (publications).
CHECK: Doctoral Board
[Submitted project]
“A half-time thesis” (10-20
pages) to be prepared and
submitted to the Doctoral
Board with literature review
(text may later be used as
Introduction-Background to
final PhD thesis), state of the
PhD project, preliminary
results. “Half-time thesis” is a
document available to and
assessed by the Doctoral
Board during SDE.
Submission of the “A half-time
thesis” is recommended at the
end of 4th
semester. Obligatory
submission is at the end of 5th
semester.
PhD thesis to be submitted
according to the instructions of
Doctoral Board. Formatting of the
thesis should fit formal
requirements of the SCI MUNI.
CHECK: Doctoral Board, Dean’s
office
CHECK: Doctoral Board [SDE
assessment]
2. Publications
(PhD thesis should be
based on at least 2
papers
demonstrating
quality and
independence of the
student (15%)
No formal check
needed
No formal check needed Formal check of the number of
published/under-the-review/
submitted/ prepared
publictaions/manuscripts
Publications of the student
may be included in “Half-time
thesis” submitted to the SDE
(if relevant).
Two papers in IF-having journals
(above the median of cluster)minimum
criteria:
(1) One paper (a student is the
first-author) published in IF-having
journal, (ISI WOS platform).
(2) One paper (a student is coauthor)
published in IF-having
journal, (ISI WOS platform).
CHECK: Doctoral Board [Thesis].
3. Presentation of
results on an
international
conferences etc.,
including preparation
of talks and/or poster
presentations
No formal check
needed
No formal check needed No formal check needed
List of oral presentation(s) in
English at an international
conference, if there are any,
must be included in the “Halftime
thesis” for SDE
At least one oral presentation in
English (Certification or equivalent)
to appropriate scientific audience
must be documented.
Preferentially: international
conference active participation of
a student or equivalent approved
by the Doctoral Board.
CHECK: Dean’s office [XD106]
(B)
Specialized
courses and
theoretical
preparation
(15%)
4. Theoretical
courses, preparation
to the state doctoral
exam – SDE (15%)
Identification of
student’s knowledge
gaps and additional
knowledge to get
before SDE.
Plan to be made for
the courses, practice
and trainings for the
first two years. The
courses at the MU
or outside
universities can be
taken. Selection can
be changed/updated
for each semester.
CHECK: Supervisor
No formal check needed Objection is to pass
successfully pass at least 8
credited theoretical courses.
CHECK: Doctoral Board
[IS.MUNI]
A student should have all
study requirements fulfilled
and submit the application to
theoretical SDE (Doctoral
Board organizes SDE further).
Not relevant anymore, all
requirements fulfilled before.
5. Doctoral seminars To enroll obligatory
seminars for 8
semesters)
Year 1-4
(1) Plant Biology
Seminar I (Bi7433),
(2) Plant Biology
Seminar II ( Bi8434),
(3) Plant Biology
Seminar III (Bi9435),
(4) Plant Biology
Seminar IV (Bi0436)
Autumn semester
No formal check needed CHECK: Dean’s office Get credits for the seminars in all
semesters when student works at
the MU in Brno. Semesters when
student is at international stay
abroad are excluded.
CHECK: Dean’s office [IS.MUNI]
Life Sciences
Seminar (XD011)
Spring semester
Life Sciences
Seminar (XD010)
CHECK: Student
(C)
International
experience
and
competitiven
ess (5%)
6. Further improving
of English
competences
(attending courses,
seminars,
conferences, writing
publications, all in
English).
No formal check
needed
No formal check needed No formal check needed
List of attended courses,
´English-speaking seminars
and conferences´ (active
participation, i.e. oral
presentation), must be
included in the “Half-time
thesis” for SDE
No formal check needed
CHECK: Dean’s office [XD106]
7. Stay or internship
abroad - mandatory
participation in
international
cooperation. (5%)
No formal check needed No formal check needed
Information on intended
(instutition, time schedule) or
already fulfilled stay
(instutition, time schedule)
must be included into the
“Half-time thesis”
Minimum length of the stay
abroad is 1 month. Longer stays
(about 3 months) are preferred in
some topics of PhD study (where
appropriable, e.g. multidisciplinary
projects).
CHECK: Dean’s office [stay abroad
in IS; e.g. XD110]
(D)
Pedagogical
competences
(5%)
8. Teaching
assistance -
classrooms,
exercises, advisory
activities towards
undergraduate
students and
comparable. (5%)
About 140 hours
through the whole
doctoral studies
period.
CHECK: Student
No formal check needed CHECK: Dean’s office [IS;
XD102 for all semesters]
CHECK: Dean’s office [IS; XD102 for
all semesters]
(E) Other
transferrable
skills.
9. Career
development preparation
and
management of
projects, scientific
writing,
communication,
other soft-skills.
No formal check
needed
Check offers of PHD
TRAINING SCHOOL
and outside of MU
CHECK: Student
No formal check needed No formal check needed No formal check needed
Environmental Health Sciences - recommended theoretical courses
Plant Anatomy and Physiology - basic courses Plant Anatomy and Physiology - special courses
Bi7270 Plant embryology
Bi7270c Plant Embryology - Practice
Bi8670 Principles of Plant Biotechnology
Bi8670c Principles of Plant Biotechnology - Practice
Bi8030 Production Biology
Bi8030c Production Biology - Practice
Bi0007 Ecophysiology of higher plant photosynthesis
Bi0007c Ecophysiology of higher plant photosynthesis - Practice
Bi8180 Physiology and cultivation of algae and cyanobacteria
Bi8180c Physiology and cultivation of algae and cyanobacteria
Bi0321 Polar biology of plants
Bi9001 Statistical analysis of experimental data
Bi9001c Statistical Analysis of Experimental Data - Exercise
Bi0077 English for Plant Biologists
Bi0077c English for Plant Biologists - practice
Bi5880c Advanced Methods Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence - Exercise
Bi0078 Advanced English for Plant Biologists
Bi0078c Advanced English for Plant Biologists - practice
Bi6130 Stress Plant Physiology
Bi6130c Stress Plant Physiology - Exercise
Bi8920 Fluorescence microscopy
V Brně, 31.7.2019 Vypracoval: Prof. M. Bartak (OFAR ÚEB PřF MU)