Pre-higher
Education System
Duration of compulsory
education
Age of entry: 6
Age of exit: 15
Structure of school
system
Type/level of education:
Primary
Type of school:
BASIC SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 9
Age level:
from 6 to 15
Certificate awarded:
VYSVEDCENI
Type/level of education:
Pre-university
Type of school:
GRAMMAR SCHOOL (GYMNASIUM)
Length of program (years): 4
Age level:
from 15 to 19
Certificate awarded:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI (MATURITA)
Type/level of education:
Professional
Type of school:
SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 4
Age level:
from 15 to 19
Certificate awarded:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
Type/level of education:
Apprenticeship
Type of school:
SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 3
Age level:
from 15 to 18
Certificate awarded:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
Type/level of education:
Apprenticeship
Type of school:
SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 3
Age level:
from 15 to 18
Certificate awarded:
VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATE
Type/level of education:
Professional
Type of school:
SECONDARY APPRENTICE SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 4
Age level:
from 15 to 19
Certificate awarded:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
Type/level of education:
Professional
Type of school:
HIGHER PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL
Length of program (years): 2
Age level:
from 19 to 21
Certificate awarded:
ABSOLUTORUM
Description of secondary
school system
Secondary education comprises three main types of school:
grammar school (gymnasium), secondary professional school and apprentice
school. Grammar schools prepare for university studies and the secondary
professional schools for a wide range of professions. As for the apprentice
centres, they prepare either for the blue-collar or for the public service
sector. All studies culminate in the passing of the Maturita examination
and the award of the Maturitni vysvedceni.
Higher Education System
Structure of system
Higher education is provided by universities offering
courses in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering,
medicine and pharmacy, theology, as well as in economics, veterinary medicine,
and agriculture. Other higher education institutions include teacher training
colleges and academies of music, where performing and fine arts are taught.
All these institutions are state administered and financed through the
Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Education.
Main types of higher
education institutions in country
Type of institution: UNIVERZITA
Translation:
UNIVERSITY
Type of institution: VYSOKE
UCENI TECHNICKE
Translation:
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Type of institution: TECHNICKA
UNIVERZITA
Translation:
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Type of institution: AKADEMIE
Translation:
ACADEMY
Type of institution: VYSOKA
SKOLA
Translation:
HIGHER SCHOOL
Main laws/decrees governing
higher education
Name of law/decree:
Higher Education Institutions Act no. 172/1990
Date:
1905
Institution type: all
higher education institutions
Administrative structure
of higher education
Name of body:
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Role:
Responsible for the administration and the financing of higher education
institutions.
Street: Karmelitska 7
City: Praha 1
Postal code: 11812
Telephone: 420-2-5193111
Fax: 420-2-5193790
Name of body:
Ceska konference rektoru (Czech Rectors' Conference)
Address:
P.O. Box: Masaryk University
Street: Zerotinovo nam. 9
City: Brno
Postal code: 60177
Telephone: 420-5-4212-8270
Fax: 420-5-4212-8262
E-Mail: fojtikova@muni.cz
Name of body:
Rada vysokych skol (Council of Higher Education Institutions)
Role:
Represents the universities in their dealings with the Ministry
Street: Jose Martiho 31
City: PRAHA 6 VELESLAVIN
Postal code: 16252
Telephone: 420-2-3162703
Fax: 420-2-3162703
Academic year
Classes start:
September
Classes end:
August
Long vacation:
from 15 June, to 1 September
Languages of instruction
Czech, German, English
Stages and Organization of Higher
Education Studies
University
level studies
Stage 1:
First stage
Description: The first stage usually takes 3 to 4 years,
covering all main disciplines, except in medicine, pharmacy, architecture
and law. It is conceived either as an independent course whose graduates
are fully qualified for particular professions, or as the first stage of
longer studies whose graduates can continue towards the "Magistr" or "Inzenyr"
degree. This short study cycle leads to the academic degree of "bakalar"
(Bc).
Stage 2:
Second stage
Description: This stage lasts from five to six years and
graduates obtain the degree of magistr (Mgr.), inzenyr (Ing.), doktor vseobecne
mediciny (MUDr.), doktor veterinarni mediciny (MVDr.). In medicine and
veterinary medicine, students must sit for a final state examination and
submit a thesis.
Stage 3:
Doctoral study
Description: It requires three years of full-time study
or four to six years of part-time study. It may only be carried out by
university graduates. Doctoral studies lead to the advanced degree of doktor
(Dr.).
Teacher
education
Training of primary/basic
school teachers
Teachers of basic schools specialized in music education
are usually graduates of 4-year or 6-year conservatoires. Basic school
teachers must hold a Bachelor or Master's degree.
Training of secondary school
teachers
Teachers for grammar schools, apprentice centres and secondary
professional schools are trained at Faculties of Education, Arts and Humanities,Natural
Sciences, Mathematics and Physics, Faculties of Physical Education and
Sports as well as at technical, economic and agricultural universities,
medical faculties and Academies of Arts. In order to practise, teachers
must hold the Magister degree and at technical, economic and agricultural
universities, the Inzenyr degree.
Training of higher education
teachers
Teachers at technical, economic and agricultural universities
must hold the Inzenyr degree. Academic staff members may be appointed to
the following ranks: profesor (professor), docent (associate professor)
odborny asistent (senior assistant), asistent (assistant) and lektor (lecturer).
They are trained in universities and higher education institutions and
they advance on the academic professional scale according to the academic
degrees obtained.
Non-formal
studies
Distance higher education
Several faculties offer distance education leading to
degrees of bakalar, magister and inzenyr.
Lifelong higher education
Part-time or extra-mural study courses are organized for
employees at the levels of undergraduate, graduate and extraordinary studies
(among which University of the 3rd Age).
Grading system
Usual grading system in (upper)
secondary school
vyborne (excellent); velmi dobre
(very good); dobre (good); nevyhovel (unsatisfactory/fail).
Highest on scale: vyborne
Pass/fail level:
dobre/nevyhovel
Lowest on scale:
nevyhovel
Main grading system generally
used by higher education institutions
vyborne (excellent); velmi dobre
(very good); dobre (good); nevyhovel (unsatisfactory/fail).
Highest on scale: vyborne
Pass/fail level:
dobre/nevyhovel
Lowest on scale:
nevyhovel
Other main grading system
used
Theses: with honours; pass;
fail.
Admissions to Higher Education
Admission
to Vocational/Technical Studies
Admission to higher vocational/technical
or other professionally oriented non-university level studies
Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s)
required for entry
Name of sec. school credential:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
For: all programmes
Numerus clausus established
in the country for students entering higher vocational/technical education
At level of institutions: Y
Specified restrictions of
the country/state level:
Insufficient capacity
Admissions
to university level
Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s)
required for entry
Name of sec. school credential:
MATURITNI VYSVEDCENI
For: all higher education institutions
Total number of years of primary
and secondary school study: 12
Other admission requirements
established at national level:
In higher education institutions specialized in arts
study and in faculties of education, part of the entrance examination is
called "talentova zkouska" (talent examination).
Numerus clausus established
in the country for students entering university level education
At level of institutions: Y
At country/state level: N
Specified restrictions of
the country/state level:
Insufficient capacity at some
faculties
Admission
for foreign students
Special admission requirements
for foreign students at national level:
Definition of a "foreign"
student:
A foreign student is a person enrolled at a Czech institution
of higher education who is not a permanent resident of the Czech Republic.
Quotas established for foreign
students:
At institution level: N
At country/state level: N
Special entry regulations
for foreign students in country/state:
Foreign students wishing to study in the Czech Republic
must hold a valid passport. They have to apply for a visa to the embassy
or consulate of the Czech Republic in their country and for a residence
permit.
Health requirements:
Health certificate required
Language proficiency requirements
for foreign applicants whose first language is not the language of instruction
Are there examinations at institution
level? Y
Other special academic requirements
for foreign students set up at national level:
The secondary-school-leaving certificate must either
originate from a state with which the Czech Republic has agreements on
the equivalence of diplomas for university entrance or be validated by
the Regional School Authorities (skolske urady).
Authority to whom foreign
student applications should be addressed:
Application to individual institutions:
Y
For entry to: All types of institutions
and programmes.
Application to national/central
body: N
Name of national/central body:
Study departments of individual faculties
Earliest application closing
date for foreign students admissions
For Tech./Voc. non-university
level studies:
For first university level studies:
28 February
Reference to further
information materials on foreign students admissions
Title:
Higher Education in the Czech Republic. Guide for Foreign Students
Publisher:
Centre for Higher Education Studies, Praha
Year of publication: 1996
Recognition of studies and
qualifications
System of "recognition" or "accreditation" of studies completed and
credentials awarded within the country:
Description:
Recognition of diplomas and other kinds of documents certifying
the completion of periods of study is the responsibility of the individual
higher education institution.
Recognition of studies
completed and credentials awarded in foreign countries
Bodies primarily addressing
questions relating to the recognition of foreign credentials and studies
in higher education
Name of body: Centrum pro
studium vysokeho skolstvi-stredisko pro ekvivalenci dokladu
Address:
Street: U Luzickeho seminare 13
City: Praha 1
Postal code: 11800
Telephone: 420-2-532332
Fax: 420-2-551945
E-Mail: skuhrova@csvs.cz
Recognition of foreign credentials
to enter an institution: Y
Recognition of foreign credentials
to enter a profession: Y
Description of services provided
and types of students dealt with:
Provision of information, documentation services, referral
enquiries and advisory services for decision-makers.
Name of body: Ministersvo
skolstvi, mladeze a telovychovy CR
Address:
Street: Karmelitska 8
City: Praha 5
Postal code: 11812
Telephone: 420-2-5193111
Recognition of foreign credentials
to enter an institution: Y
Recognition of foreign credentials
to enter a profession: Y
For access to university level
studies:
The relevant regional school authority (skolsky urad)
is competent to confirm the equivalence of secondary-school-leaving certificates
obtained abroad with "maturitni vysvedceni" if the bilateral agreement
between the Czech Republic and countries of the origin of the documents
exist and to establish the nostrification of the documents if there are
no agreements.
For access to advanced studies
and research:
Holders of recognized master's degrees (or another equivalent
degree) have access to doctoral studies (doktorske studium) or scientific
training (vedecka aspirantura). If bilateral or multilateral agreements
on equivalences exist, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports establishes
the equivalence. In other cases, the nostrification of documents is established
by higher education institutions.
Principal multilateral agreements adopted by the country relating
to recognition of studies, degrees and diplomas
Name of agreement: CONVENTION ON THE RECOGNITION OF STUDIES,
DIPLOMAS AND DEGREES CONCERNING HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE STATES BELONGING
TO THE EUROPE REGION
Year of signature: 1993
Name of agreement: THE EUROPEAN AGREEMENT ON THE ASSOCIATION
OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Year of signature: 1993
Principal biliteral agreements signed by the country relative to
recognition of studies, degrees and diplomas
Country: Azerbaijan
Country: Belarus
Country: Bulgaria
Country: Cuba
Country: Hungary
Country: India
Country: Poland
Country: Romania
Country: Russian
Federation
Country: Slovak Republic
Country: Slovenia
Country: Yugoslavia
Student services
Main student services
at national level
Name of service: Akademicka
informacni agentura
Address:
Street: Senovazne namesti 26
City: Praha 1
Postal code: 11121
Telephone: 420-2-24229714
Category of service provided:
Academic and career counselling services
Are these services available
to foreign students? N
Name of service: Foreign Relations
House of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Address:
Street: Senovazne namesti 26
City: Praha 1
Postal code: 11121
Telephone: 42-2-24229714
Category of service provided:
Special services/Centre for foreign students
Are these services available
to foreign students? Y
Is there a national social
security system health insurance for home students? Y
Is it available for foreign
students? Y
Cost/fee (per year, in national
currency): US Dollar 300
Special travel concessions
for students:
By road: Y
By rail: Y
Is it available for foreign
students? Y
Principal national
student associations and unions
Name: Czech Student Union
Address:
City: Praha
Name: Student Chamber of Council
of Higher Education Institutions
Address:
Street: Jose Martiho 31
City: Praha 6 Veleslavin
Postal code: 16252
Telephone: 42-2 3162703
Fax: 42-2 3162703
Student expenses and financial
aid
Average student expenses in
national currency:
Average living costs for current
academic year: US Dollar 5000
| Tuition and fees for national students |
Tuition and fees for foreign students |
| Minimum: |
Minimum: US Dollar 3000 |
| Maximum: |
Maximum: US Dollar 10000 |
|
Financial aid available for Higher Vocational/Technical
studies |
Financial aid available for first degree studies |
Financial aid available for advanced/doctoral studies |
| Grants for foreign students: |
|
Y |
Y |
| Grants for home students: |
|
Y |
Y |
| Loans for foreign students: |
|
|
|
| Loans for home students: |
|
|
|
Main body(ies)
providing information on foreign student financial aid
Name: Foreign Relations House
of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Address:
Street: Senovazne namesti 26
City: Praha 1
Postal code: 11121
Telephone: 420-2-24229698
Fax: 420-2 24229697
Grants/scholarships:
Y
Loans:
N
Category(ies) of foreign
students dealt with: Foreign students studying on the basis of cultural
bilateral agreements.
Publication(s) listing
scholarships/grants/loans available
Title:
Study Abroad 1996-1997
Publisher:
UNESCO
Year of publication: 1995
International Cooperation
Principal national bodies responsible for facilitating international
cooperation and exchanges in higher education
Name: Ministersvo skolstvi,
mladeze a telovychovy CR
Address:
Street: Karmelitska 7
City: Praha 7
Postal code: 11812
Telephone: 420-2-5193111
Fax: 420-2-5193790
Participation of country in multilateral or
major bilateral higher education exchange programmes
Name of programme: PHARE
Name of programme: TEMPUS
Name of programme: HEURAS
Name of programme: SOCRATES
Name of programme: LEONARDO
DA VINCI III
Date:
1996/1997
Source:
Centre for Higher Education Studies, Prague, 1997
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