Auxiliary Historical Sciences

The aim of the doctoral degree study programme Auxiliary Historical Sciences is for graduates to acquire an excellent knowledge of auxiliary historical sciences, the history of administration and editing techniques, as well as at least one world language. They will acquire in-depth knowledge, particularly in the subject of their specialization. The programme also aims to train graduates to be able to conduct independent and original scientific research in the field of auxiliary historical sciences on an international level and to be able to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the performance of their scientific research and further develop them in their own work, primarily in primary research and publishing activities. The programme is focused on students mastering all the skills needed for standard communication within the scientific community (publishing specialist texts, presenting research at conferences, etc.), in both domestic and international forums.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• address serious scientific questions in a creative manner, develop methodological procedures, and define theoretical models
• present and publish their scientific results in domestic and international scientific forums
• conduct educational and popularization activities in academic and memory institutions (archives, libraries, museums)

The primary places of employment for graduates are the network of archives with historical collections, libraries with historical collections, museums and scientific or academic institutions focused on critical publishing of historical sources. Furthermore, graduates are able to work at any history-related organization in the Czech Republic or abroad.

The doctoral degree study programme is conceived as specialist preparation for academic practice. The doctoral programme subjects are focused on the independent preparation of contributions for scientific conferences, papers for publication, and specialist discussion. The structure of the subjects also encourages practice in the framework of foreign cooperation.

The dissertation is the main output of the doctoral degree study programme: it is a text with the character of an original authorial scientific monograph in the field of auxiliary historical sciences, a standard component of which is a partial edition of a previously unpublished source or a relevant part of it (as an appendix to the work) or a complete scientific critical edition of a whole source with an appropriate commentary and an accompanying study. The work is ordinarily submitted in electronic form or in three hard copies bound in hardcover, on white A4 paper with numbered pages, with a minimum of 180,000 characters. An obligatory component of the authorial manuscript is a title page, containing the name of the university, the faculty, the institute, the field of study, the title of the thesis, the name of the author, the name of the supervisor and the year of submission. Furthermore, the work must contain the author’s declaration as to the originality of the work, the contents and a list of literature. The organization and the actual text of the dissertation are the subject of regular consultation with the supervisor. An essential chapter of the thesis is a Methodological Introduction, in which the student explains the reasons and manner of their approach, the methods chosen, how they critically evaluated of the initial information, and so on.