Archival Studies

Degree programme objectives

The Bachelor's degree study programme in Archival Studies prepares qualified professionals for archival practice and records management. The objective of the study is to gain basic knowledge of the archival network in the Czech Republic and of methodology and current archival legislation. Besides familiarisation with archival practices, such as the use of information technologies, students learn about the history of administration, study legal and Czech history, and gain general knowledge of the current administrative and legal systems in the Czech Republic. Students gain a thorough knowledge of the auxiliary historical sciences which they will use in their further professional career. They learn to combine knowledge of individual disciplines and apply that knowledge in basic archival activities (pre-archival care, archival processing including creating basic archival finding aids, making archival material accessible for researchers and providing qualified research services).

Study plans

Archival Studies

full-time, single-subject

Admission Procedures
Admission to Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026
Submission deadline until midnight 28/2/2025

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
This programme is taught in Czech.

The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the oral Field of Study Examination. Applicants may also be admitted based on other criteria, see Admission without the Entrance Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
Field of Study Examinations will be held from 22 April to 27 April.
The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations. Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.
Learning Potential Test (TSP)

For admission for studies in this degree programme, you do not need to take the TSP.

Field of Study Examination
This examination is only in Czech. It is intended to check the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study. It is done in the form of an online oral interview lasting up to 30 minutes.

Basic description of the Field of Study Examination:
In the first part of the oral examination, applicants must answer 10 questions about history to the extent of a secondary school curriculum. The second part of the examination is a motivational interview comprised of two motivation questions. The motivational part of the exam will take into account the candidate's previous activities that demonstrate his/her interest in the field, e.g. reading field-specific literature, study visit to a selected archive, participation in the Scriptorium Brunense summer school of Auxiliary Historical Sciences, etc.
Admission without the entrance examination
You may be exempt from the entrance examination based on at least one of the following criteria:
1. submission of officially certified confirmations of your participation in the nationwide round of Students’ Professional Activities (SOČ) in the field of history and the History Olympiad;
2. secondary school results from profile subjects of Czech (Slovak) language, history, Latin or German language, basics of social sciences.
Secondary school results may be applied for an exemption from the entrance examination by those applicants whose average grade was 1.5 or higher in each of the four profile subjects. The total average result in all subjects is not taken into consideration. Secondary school seminars are also disregarded. The average grade of each profile subject is calculated based on the results of the last four years of study in the following way: the mid-year grade is calculated from the final year, whereas the final grades are calculated from the previous three years. It is also necessary that applicants have studied each of the profile subjects for at least two years during the last four years.
Enter your grades in your e-application. Then print the grades out and let your secondary school certify them with a stamp and a signature. Upload the scan of the certified grades into your e-application. You can also upload officially certified school reports or any other documents certifying your school results.
Please upload the officially certified documents directly to your e-application in the section Application for the Exemption from the Entrance Examination no later than 29 February.
Recommended reading for the examinations under this field
- Popelka, Miroslav. Dějepis 1 pro gymnázia a střední školy - Pravěk a starověk. Praha : SPN, 2001.
- Čornej, Petr. Dějepis 2 pro gymnázia a střední školy - Středověk a raný novověk. Praha : SPN, 2001.
- Hlavačka, Milan. Dějepis 3 pro gymnázia a střední školy - Novověk. Praha : SPN, 2001.
- Kuklík, Jan. Dějepis 4 pro gymnázia a střední školy - Nejnovější dějiny. Praha : SPN, 2002.
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
- Total number of points in the Field of Study Examination: 100
- Limit for successfully passing the Field of Study Examination: 50

Studies

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Objectives
The Bachelor's degree study programme in Archival Studies prepares qualified professionals for archival practice and records management. The objective of the study is to gain basic knowledge of the archival network in the Czech Republic and of methodology and current archival legislation. Besides familiarisation with archival practices, such as the use of information technologies, students learn about the history of administration, study legal and Czech history, and gain general knowledge of the current administrative and legal systems in the Czech Republic. Students gain a thorough knowledge of the auxiliary historical sciences which they will use in their further professional career. They learn to combine knowledge of individual disciplines and apply that knowledge in basic archival activities (pre-archival care, archival processing including creating basic archival finding aids, making archival material accessible for researchers and providing qualified research services).
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- explain the theoretical and methodological bases of archival theory and practice;
- apply knowledge of legislation in basic activities of records management and archival practice;
- define specific aspects of archival material and choose appropriate methods of processing;
- compile qualified research from archive funds of relevant archives;
- analyze selected historical issues and formulate relevant questions;
- apply IT skills with commonly used archival programs
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates of the Archival Studies programme have the knowledge and skills applicable to basic activities of all types of archives, registries, administrations, and state and local government, and in the relevant departments of museums, galleries, and libraries. Graduates from the Bachelor's degree programme are expected to continue in the Master's degree programme in Archival Studies.
Practical Training
The study programme includes three obligatory practical trainings.
The first practical training takes place in a weekly joint block at the Brno City Archive totalling 40 hours. The block takes place after the end of the second semester. The completion of the Archival Studies I course is required.
The second practical training takes place in a weekly joint block totalling 40 hours at the Moravian Provincial Archive after the end of the third semester.
The third obligatory practical training is individual, lasting three weeks, totalling 120 hours. It starts after the end of the fourth semester and may take place until the beginning of the fall semester. Students choose from the current offer of terms and topics of archives involved (the Moravian Provincial Archive, the Brno City Archive, the State District Archive in Zlín, Břeclav, Blansko, Benešov and many others). The practical training can also take place abroad (eg. Niederösterreichisches Landesarchiv St. Pölten). The completion of the course Archival Studies III is required.
Goals of Theses
The Bachelor's thesis examines a particular area of an academic issue appropriate to the type of study. Here the student must demonstrate the ability to carry out independent academic worky, to master the relevant academic literature and to analyse the material under study.
A standard scope of a Bachelor's thesis ranges from 70,000 to 90,000 characters including footnotes and content. Students can work with already published texts and data accessible for secondary analysis. They should demonstrate the ability to work critically with specialized texts, process the concepts and theories discovered there, and find relevant answers to the given question.
Instructions for Final State Examinations and elaboration of the Bachelor's Diploma thesis are regulated by FF Directive No. 6/2017 On Final State Examinations for Students of the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University.
http://archivnictvi.phil.muni.cz/media/2878034/vzor_bakalarske_prace.pdf
Access to Further Studies
After completing the Bachelor's degree programme, it is possible to continue further studies in the Master's degree programme in Archival Studies (after satisfying the admission requirements).