Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Social Studies Basics

Understanding and being articulate.

Degree programme objectives

The purpose of the Follow-up Master’s degree programme in Teacher Training of Basics of Social Sciences for secondary schools is to prepare university-trained professionals who will be able to clearly and convincingly teach Humanities and Social Sciences Basics for various types of secondary schools. In addition to specialist knowledge in the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, religious studies, fundamentals of economics, and law, the students also get didactic competencies; they will be able to manage pedagogical and psychological situations related to teaching and running schools and to treat students in a individual and differential manner. The objective of the study is active mastery of theoretical and practically applicable knowledge and skills with which the graduate will be able to enter the reality of secondary schools and to continue to improve and develop with the help of their own teaching experiences. The emphasis is placed on a systematic interpretation, familiarizing students with the current forms of problems in particular disciplines of social science and humanities and critical thinking and reasoning. The study programme is designed for students who have already completed a Bachelor’s degree in at least one of the disciplines comprising the subject of Humanities and Social Sciences Basics, and who want to pursue the teaching profession in the future. Graduates are qualified to work as teachers at secondary schools and lecturers at public and private educational institutions or as workers in publishing companies focused on educational and pedagogical literature.

Study plans

Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Social Studies Basics

full-time, single-subject

Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Social Studies Basics

full-time, major

Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Social Studies Basics

full-time, minor

Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Social Studies Basics

combined, single-subject

Admission Procedures
Admission to Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026 (beginning: Autumn 2025)
Submission deadline until midnight 30. 4. 2025

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30
The programme is open to graduates of bachelor's degrees in the humanities and social sciences
Admission requirements:written subject test.
The written test covers knowledge of philosophy (including logic), psychology, sociology and study of religion. The test will consist of 50 questions, with five answer choices, of which exactly one will always be correct (correct answer +1 point, wrong answer -0.2 points, 0 points omitted). A list of recommended literature is available below. The time limit for the test is 40 minutes.
Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have successfully passed the state bachelor's examination in Philosophy at the MU Faculty of Arts. Including Philosophy as a minor study plan. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".
Website: Department of Philosophy.
General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.
Recommended reading for the examinations under this field
ZENATY, Gerhard a LIESSMANN, Konrad Paul. O myšlení: úvod do filosofie. Olomouc: Votobia, 1994. ISBN 80-85619-94-6.
BLECHA, Ivan. Filosofie. 4. opr. a rozš. vyd. Olomouc: Nakladatelství Olomouc, 2002, 279 s. ISBN 80-7182-147-0.
PEREGRIN, Jaroslav. Filozofie pro normální lidi. Illustrated by Luboš Bokštefl. Praha: Dokořán, 2008, 142 stran. ISBN 9788073631925.
KELLER, Jan. Úvod do sociologie. 3. upr. vyd. Brno: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1995, 186 s. ISBN 80-85850-06-0.
BERGER, Peter L. Pozvání do sociologie. Translated by Eduard Urbánek. 1. vyd. Praha: Federální ministerstvo obrany ČSFR, Správa sociálního zařízení, 1991, 157 s. ISBN 80854690801.
BALCAR, Karel. Úvod do studia psychologie osobnosti. Vyd. 1. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1983, 231 s.
FONTANA, David. Psychologie ve školní praxi. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 1997, 383 s. ISBN 80-7178-063-4.
SMÉKAL, Vladimír. Psychologie osobnosti. 1. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1989, 346 s.
WAARDENBURG, Jacques. Bohové zblízka : systematický úvod do religionistiky. Translated by Břetislav Horyna - Dalibor Antalík. Vyd. 1. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1997, 163 s.
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 20 points (out of 50). /p>

Studies

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Objectives
The purpose of the Follow-up Master’s degree programme in Teacher Training of Basics of Social Sciences for secondary schools is to prepare university-trained professionals who will be able to clearly and convincingly teach Humanities and Social Sciences Basics for various types of secondary schools. In addition to specialist knowledge in the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, religious studies, fundamentals of economics, and law, the students also get didactic competencies; they will be able to manage pedagogical and psychological situations related to teaching and running schools and to treat students in a individual and differential manner. The objective of the study is active mastery of theoretical and practically applicable knowledge and skills with which the graduate will be able to enter the reality of secondary schools and to continue to improve and develop with the help of their own teaching experiences. The emphasis is placed on a systematic interpretation, familiarizing students with the current forms of problems in particular disciplines of social science and humanities and critical thinking and reasoning. The study programme is designed for students who have already completed a Bachelor’s degree in at least one of the disciplines comprising the subject of Humanities and Social Sciences Basics, and who want to pursue the teaching profession in the future. Graduates are qualified to work as teachers at secondary schools and lecturers at public and private educational institutions or as workers in publishing companies focused on educational and pedagogical literature.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- clearly and persuasively articulate basic theoretical and methodological knowledge of philosophy, psychology, religious studies, sociology, political science, law, and economics
- explain the relationship between different social science disciplines, including their overlaps into the fields of science and engineering
- reflect assumptions, the nature and value starting-points of different trends in thought and opinions
- use the obtained knowledge of teaching methods and forms and design educational content
- assess the topicality and relevance of particular trends in thought and argue in favour of their own proposed solution
- effectively plan, realize and evaluate their teaching at the standard level determined by the current curriculum.
- reflect on their experiences acquired during the micro-teaching and later apply them in their teaching. They are also able to use reflection and self-reflection as a tool for their own professional development.
- understand the principles of inclusive education and apply them in their teaching. The graduate is also able to implement basic diagnostic tools and use the acquired data for supporting individual students in a classroom.
- take into account students’ individual needs with regards to their learning style, maturity, personality, skills, knowledge, talents and other categories related to a student’s psychological profile.
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
The main occupational profile of graduates is the profession of teacher of the subject of Humanities and Social Sciences Basics at secondary schools. In addition, graduates can find jobs as teachers at public and private educational institutions or as workers in publishing companies focused on educational and pedagogical literature. The graduates will be prepared to design educational contents of a subject based on the focus and the needs of the educational institutions.
Regulated Professions
- Secondary school teacher
Practical Training
Practical training at secondary school is an obligatory part of the curriculum. An integral part of the teaching methodology is also feedback on the practical training.
For more information:
https://www.phil.muni.cz/student/pedagogicke-praxe
Goals of Theses
A standard scope of a Master's thesis ranges from 140,000 characters including footnotes, cover sheet, content, index, list of literature, and annotations. 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.
Access to Further Studies
After completing the Master’s degree study programme, it is possible to continue further studies in a doctoral degree study programme (after satisfying the admission requirements). The Faculty of Arts doesn't offer follow - up Doctoral's degree in Teacher Training's study programmes.