Passing the study plan

The student registers for the Final doctoral exam no later than in the 4th (full-time students) or no later than in the 8th semester (part-time students). Along with the application form, the student submits the theses of his/her dissertation thesis that include thorough information about the topic, present situation in the area of knowledge about the studied topic (theoretical background of the work, achieved results in research and their comparison), the project and the aims of the research (the formulation of the project that is dealt with in the dissertation thesis, the aims of the research), the procedure of the research (the specification of the research process, the schedule of the process, the current state of the dissertation thesis), and expected outcomes of the work for the particular scientific area. The exam is carried out in the form of a discussion on the submitted theses.
The defense of the dissertation thesis is carried out in two rounds. The first so-called „small“ defense which is the defense of the first (complete) version of the dissertation thesis is carried out internally in the presence of staff members of the supervising department and invited experts. The purpose is to provide the student with professional discussion at the supervisory department and to assess the quality of the dissertation thesis. The conclusion of the „small“ defense is in the form of a recommendation which he or she can include into the dissertation. The final defense of the dissertation thesis is carried out in front of the committee for dissertation thesis defense. The opponents of the dissertation thesis can be or do not need to be the same as during the „small“ defense.

The study in the doctoral study program consists of relatively independent parts - a study part (specialized courses) and a research part. Nevertheless, as early as in the first semesters of study, students are working on research papers, essays, and other professional texts for conferences at home or abroad. The prerequisite to successfully finish the study is to obtain 240 credits, to undertake an internship abroad, or its equivalent under the Government regulation no. 274/2016, pass the Doctoral state exam and defend the dissertation thesis. The research activities content:
- Literature review and the Preparation of the dissertation thesis – during first two semesters of PhD studies student specifies research topic of his/her dissertation thesis based on study of relevant literature. Till the end of studies student works on preparation of the dissertation thesis with the credit value of at least 120 credits
- Competence in English for academic and specific purposes - completion of two semestrial courses in English or writing a foreign-language paper and giving a foreign-language lecture at a qualified expert forum
- Research workshop - a presentation of a paper at an important and thematically relevant research conference or at a summer school
- Defense of the dissertation proposal – has to be passed no later than in the 4th (full-time students) or no later than in the 8th semester (part-time students)
- Internship abroad or its equivalent - students have to spend at least one month of their studies at a foreign institution or participate in an international reserach project or other involvement in international co-operation
- Participation in teaching (teaching assistance) – students are involved in teaching seminars in bachelor and master programs, supervising bachelor and master thesis, seminar papers evaluation, up to a maximum of 150 hours for the entire studies (max. 10 % of a workload of PhD studies, max. of 8 credits per semester and the max. of 25 credits per the whole study can be obtained by the teaching assistance)
- Publications - the student is obliged to publish at least 3 papers, which he or she contributed to as an author, presenting the results of the research carried out during the preparation of the dissertation thesis. These should include: at least 1 publication of the J type in the WoS or Scopus databases in a language commonly used in the particular scientific discipline and at least 2 publications published according to the supervisor’s recommendation or with his or her approval.

The study of specialized courses forms 15 % of the workload of PhD studies.
Students have to complete all compulsory subjects - Econometrics, Methodology I, Methodology II and study-field compulsory course, before submitting their application to the DSE (defense of dissertation proposal).

Examples of successfully defended theses:
1. Development of institutional environment in transition countries of former Eastern bloc
(https://is.muni.cz/th/guxiw/)

2. Political Cycle and Fiscal Policy: The Importace of their Relation for Economic Policy
(https://is.muni.cz/th/jeslc/)

3. Asymmetric Shocks and Structural Differences between the Czech Economy and the Euro Area
(https://is.muni.cz/th/ft7ab/)

4. Influence of the political cycle on the budget of the US space programs
(https://is.muni.cz/th/o3y0r/)