4

INDIVIDUALIZED DOCTORAL

PROGRAMMES


Strategic objectives:

4.1         Emphasize individual work with doctoral candidates and focus on their socio-economic
status

4.2         Establish a doctoral school and apply common standards and quality assurance processes
in all doctoral programmes

4.3         Actively support doctoral programme graduates in launching their academic as well as
non-academic careers

4.4         Improve and promote the international reputation of doctoral programmes at Masaryk
University


Key indicators:

·         Number of doctoral candidates per supervisor

·         Average scholarship amount allocated to doctoral candidates

·         Proportion of unsuccessful doctoral candidates in various study phases

·         Common doctoral programme standards applied to all new and reaccredited degree programmes

·         Proportion of students participating in international mobility during the course of their
doctoral programme

·         Number of doctoral candidates who completed their Master’s studies outside of MU

·         Number of doctoral programme graduates employed by top domestic and international
institutions

·         Proportion of doctoral candidates among all students


Tools for achieving strategic objectives

INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES AND ACTIVITIES:

·         Introducing tools designed to elicit feedback from students regarding the quality of
doctoral programmes

·         Emphasizing the importance of supervisors’ expertise and work performance

·         Establishing partnerships and cooperation with representatives of the application sector
with respect to scholarship support for doctoral candidates

·         Creating a doctoral school designed to implement common doctoral programme components
(e.g. transferable skills teaching, international marketing, supervisor training and conference
organization) and promote the application of common standards

·         Revising doctoral programmes and doctoral board activities

·         Defining common doctoral programmes standards

·         Revising the credit system as currently applied to doctoral programmes

·         Defining, preparing and initiating the joint teaching of transferable skills and the
scientific method across doctoral programmes

·         Preparing and implementing strategies for promoting doctoral programmes and recruiting
applicants from the Czech Republic and abroad

·         Developing various forms of cooperation with the Academy of Sciences of the Czech
Republic and with both domestic and international universities and research institutions


DECENTRALIZED MEASURES AND ACTIVITIES:

·         Revising doctoral programmes planning procedures as well as the evaluation of doctoral
candidates

·         Expanding the range of feedback services provided to doctoral candidates throughout their
studies (e.g. active participation of doctoral boards, introduction of mentoring)

·         Reinforcing international ties associated with doctoral candidate preparation while
implementing joint doctoral thesis supervision

·         Developing doctoral programmes including joint doctoral programmes implemented in
collaboration with other institutions

·         Integrating doctoral candidates in actual research activities and investigating projects
by dedicated research teams

·         Establishing performance-based scholarships and stipulating conditions for their awarding

·         Locating suitable scholarship fund development mechanisms and securing additional sources
of funding for doctoral candidates

·         Implementing an internal evaluation system for doctoral programmes, especially in the
context of common standards and graduate career placement

·         Revising minimum field-specific doctoral thesis requirements

·         Providing career counseling and services designed to help doctoral programmes graduates
succeed both at home and abroad

·         Supporting doctoral candidate internships in the application sector and at research
institutions

·         Supporting the implementation of domestic and international industrial doctoral
programmes