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Charles University in Prague

Ovocný trh 3/5, Praha 1, 11636
Phone: +420224491111, +420224491260, fax: +420224811883
E-mail: studijni@ruk.cuni.cz, WWW Page: www.cuni.cz

History of school
The university, the first university established in Central Europe, was founded by Charles IV, the Czech King and Roman Emperor, on April 7th, 1348. From the very beginning of its existence, Charles University was characterised as a "studium generale", and the King awarded it all the privileges enjoyed by older universities. The newly established university paralleled other medieval universities of its time in structure, having four major faculties: the Faculties of Theology, Law, Medicine and Arts. Students and teachers at Charles University were among those who identified with the sermons of Master Jan Hus and demanded reforms of church and society. Throughout its history, the fate of Charles University has been closely linked with that of the Czech state and nation. Following the defeat of the Czech anti-Habsburg uprising and the Thirty Years War, the University fell under the power of the Jesuits and a violent recatholicisation period ensued. At this time, Charles University was merged with the Jesuit Clementine Academy and this combined institution became known as the Charles - Ferdinand University. Still the centre of city life, the University continued to shape the Czech national culture. In Prague, the period of the Enlightenment began in the middle of the 18th century and ended at the turn of the following century with Protestants receiving permission to enter the University. Also at this time, the German language replaced the traditionally used Latin. During the revolutionary year of 1848, the University became the centre of national, democratic and revolutionary activities, which ultimaPhoney resulted in government reprisals against the democratic students´ movement and the abolition of many previous progressive reforms established earlier during the period of Bach´s absolutism. During the second half of the l9th century the development of the University was closely tied to the political and economic development of society. In 1882, the upsurge of Czech national life and the scientific, cultural and political development forced the government to divide the University into two separate institutions - one German and one Czech. Not until the new Czechoslovak state was established did Charles University receive the fame it deserved; at this time faculty members included the renowned T. G. Masaryk and E. Beneš. However, in 1939, the Nazis occupied Prague and the University life took a turn for the worse; one of the first Nazi reprisals against the Czech society was aimed at education and Charles University was closed down on November 17, 1939. During the occupation, many professors and students were sent to their deaths in the infamous Nazi concentration camps. Not until liberation in 1945 did the University reopen. When it did, however, it almost immediaPhoney began to offer the superior education with which it was identified in its earliest years. Three years following liberation, however, the University community fell victim again, this time to political purges carried out by the ruling Communist Party. Many professors were dismissed and many students were refused admission for not conforming to Communist Party demands. Not until the arrival of the "Velvet Revolution" in November 17, 1989 and the establishment of an independent democratically elected academic senate were efforts made to correct the obvious deformities that had developed within the University system during the preceding forty years under the Communist Party rule. Since November 1989, democratically-elected, self-governing academic senates have been established on the basis of the new Higher Education Act at the faculties and the University. There is fifty percent student participation in the academic senates and, as a result, students have acquired an important role in the leadership of the University. During first three years after 1989 the University changed from typical state-budgeted organisation into a public institution - i.e. it is responsible for the maintenance of its property and covers part of its budget from the resources generated by the University itself. University Institutes and other facilities are dispersed and, from January 1999, all the buildings and facilities are considered to be the University's own property.

Structure of the Institution
Charles University consists of the following faculties: The Catholic Theological Faculty The Protestant Theological Faculty The Hussite Theological Faculty The Faculty of Law The First Medical Faculty in Prague The Second Medical Faculty in Prague The Third Medical Faculty in Prague The Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen The Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové The Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové The Faculty of Arts and Philosophy The Faculty of Natural Sciences The Faculty of Mathematics and Physics The Faculty of Education The Faculty of Social Sciences The Faculty of Physical Education and Sport The Faculty of Humanities In addition to its faculties, which are the basic units of the University, and the Rector´s Office, Charles University has other components. These include research, teaching, developmental, economic and information centres (institutes) and special facilities. Here we shall mention two of these. The Centre for Economic Research and Graduate Education - CERGE has been developing its activities at Charles University since 1991 with the assistance of many American and European institutions, and it offers doctoral study programmes in economics. CERGE-EI has been awarded US accreditation. The Charles University Environmental Centre is a research and teaching institution which co-ordinates activities in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development between relevant University departments and other institutions outside the University.


List of Higher Education faculties: Phone 1 Phone 2 Fax E-mail WWW Page
- Catholic Theological Faculty+420 +420220181383+420 +420 +420220181234studijni@ktf.cuni.czwww.ktf.cuni.cz
- Protestant Theological Faculty+420 +420 221 988 621+420 +420 +420221988215studijni@etf.cuni.czweb.etf.cuni.cz
- Hussite Theological Faculty+420 +420241733122+420 +420 +420241732294studijni@htf.cuni.czwww.htf.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Law+420 +420221005201+420 +420 +420221005207ferjenci@prf.cuni.czwww.prf.cuni.cz
- First Faculty of Medicine+420 +420224964201+420 +420 +420224964178mlino@lf1.cuni.czwww.lf1.cuni.cz
- Second Faculty of Medicine+420 +420224435830+420 +420 +420224435820olga.lupacova@lfmotol.cuni.czwww.lf2.cuni.cz
- Third Faculty of Medicine+420 +420267102208+420 +420 +420272730776 www.lf3.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Medicine in Plzeň+420 +420377593430+420 +420 +420377593439martina.buriankova@lfp.cuni.czwww.lfp.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové+420 +420495816334+420 +420 +420495513597zaluda@lfhk.cuni.czwww.lfhk.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové+420 +420495067426+420 +420 +420495518002Vlasta.Shejbalova@faf.cuni.czwww.faf.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Philosophy & Arts+420 +420221619111+420 +420 +420221619354prijimacky@ff.cuni.czprijimacky.ff.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Science+420 +420221951155+420 +420 www.natur.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Social Sciences+420 +420 222 112 111+420 +420 +420224235644 www.fsv.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics+420 +420221911262+420 +420 +420 221 911 426studijni@mff.cuni.czwww.mff.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Education+420 +420221900111+420 +420 +420224947150uchazec@pedf.cuni.czwww.pedf.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sport+420 +420220172075+420 +420 +420220563167bolfova@ftvs.cuni.czwww.ftvs.cuni.cz
- Faculty of Humanities+420 +420251080211+420 +420 +420251080363prihlaska@fhs.cuni.czwww.fhs.cuni.cz


Basic Information About Academic Programmes


Lifelong Learning


Admission


Organisation of studies
The study programmes at Charles University are organised in the form of regular full-time study, rather than in the form of part-time study. The University provides all types of study programmes - bachelor, master and doctoral. Master study programmes constitute the main type of studies at all faculties of the University. In the academic year 2003/2004 the University provided 116 bachelor and master study programmes (i.e. 282 branches) and 92 doctoral study programmes (i.e. 210 branches). Doctoral study programmes represent the highest level of studies at Charles University. Doctoral students are supervised by academic staff with top qualifications and undertake independent work with the aim of expanding their education and acquiring research skills. Finally, in the thesis, which they write and present for assessment, they aim to make an original contribution to their particular academic discipline. Doctoral study programmes are organised by the University in collaboration with experts from outside higher education, especially from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The University awards the following degrees upon completion of: Bachelor study programmes: "Bakalář "(i.e. "Bachelor"), abbreviated to "Bc.". Master study programmes: Graduates from master's studies in the arts, theology, social sciences, education, law, natural sciences, pharmacy and sport gain the title "Magister" (i.e. "Master"), abbreviated as "Mgr.". Graduates from medical studies are awarded the academic title of "Doktor medicíny" (i.e. "Doctor of Medicine"), abbreviated as "MUDr." from General Medicine, and the academic title of "Zubní lékař" (i.e. "Doctor of Dental Medicine"), abbreviated as "MDDr.", from Dental Medicine. Graduates from pharmacy studies after the state rigorous examination: "doktor farmacie" (i.e. "Doctor of Pharmacy"), abbreviated as "PharmDr." Graduates from law studies after the state rigorous examination: "doktor práv" (i.e. "Doctor of Law"), abbreviated as "JUDr." Graduates from theology studies after the state rigorous examination: "Licenciát teologie" (i.e. "Licentiate of Theology"), abbreviated as "ThLic." or "Doktor teologie" (i.e. "doktor of Theology"), abbrevitated as "ThDr." Graduates from humanities, teacher training and social studies after the state rigorous examination: "doktor filozofie" (i.e. "Doctor of Philosophy"), abbreviated as "PhDr." Graduates from natural sciences programmes after the state rigorous examination: "doktor přírodních věd" (i.e. "Doctor of Natural Sciences"), abbreviated as "RNDr." Doctoral study programmes: "Doktor" (i.e. "Doctor"), abbreviated as "Ph.D." or "doktor teologie" (i.e. "Doctor of Theology"), abbreviated as "Th.D."

Student Services
Charles University provides students with most of the required course literature. The University has a total of 19 central libraries and approximaPhoney 400 libraries in various departments and at other units. The Charles University Press publishes some of the university-mimeographed texts (about 250 titles yearly). Charles University has an insufficient number of halls of residence for its students. Students from Charles University occupy a total of approximaPhoney 11, 000 beds in Prague, Pilsen, Brandýs nad Labem and Hradec Králové. There are student canteens in each housing establishment. The halls of residence are used in summer for accommodating the participants in programmes organised by the University (congresses, conferences, symposia, etc.). This special summer accommodation is under the management of the Carolina Agency. In 2002, Charles University in Prague established the Information and Advisory Centre (IAC) for its students. IAC is composed of two departments: Department of Information Services and Department of Advisory Services. Each department is located in a different location in Prague. IAC takes care of University tasks and supports activities of the Rector and Vice-Rector for Public Affairs, especially in following areas: a. Collecting, processing and publishing information on studies and lifelong education; b. Providing information on study opportunities abroad and within the framework of international programmes, and dealing with the respective formal procedures; c. Providing information on other University activities, d. Providing counselling services (e.g. career, social, legal and psychological counselling and services for students with special needs); e. Organizing presentations. Contact: Information and advisory Centre of Charles Department of Information Services Address: Celetná 13, 116 36 Praha 1 Phone: +420 224 491 850, Fax: +420 224 491 895 Web site: http://www.ipc.cuni.cz, Email: ipc@ruk.cuni.cz Department of Advisory Services Address: Školská 13, 116 36 Praha 1, Czech Republic Phone: + 420 222 232 452, Fax: + 420 222 232 252 Email: ipc@ruk.cuni.cz

Information for Foreign Students
Nationals of other states may study either on the basis of paying their own fees, through government-funded scholarships, or on the basis of reciprocal agreements established by inter-governmental agreements. Foreign nationals who are interested in government-funded scholarships should apply to study at Charles University via representative offices of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those who wish to study on an individual fee-paying basis should apply directly to the faculty in which they are interested. International students must have a secondary school leaving certificate, which is equivalent to the Czech "maturita" certificate (individual faculties will provide advise on equivalence) and are required to undergo admission proceedings, which at the Charles University faculties, are administered in the same way for both foreign and Czech candidates. At certain faculties individual fee-paying international students may study in English. Fees differ depending on the faculties and forms of study. (Approximate figures: humanities: 4,000 - 25,000 USD per academic year, medical studies: 5,000 - 10,500 USD per academic year). The University can provide accommodation in student halls of residence and meals in student canteens for all international students. The accommodation costs in student halls of residence range from CZK 3,720 to CZK 6,000 (USD 138-227) per month. The cost of board (3 meals daily) is around CZK 3,240 (USD 120) per month.




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