Doctoral study, as the highest form of study at BUT, is most often the gateway to an academic and scientific career. For this reason, doctoral students are often also beginning scientists, and doctoral study thus differs in many ways from previous levels of education. Here you will find a brief overview of the study progress of doctoral study, including the rights and obligations of doctoral students and supervisors.

Overview of relevant regulations and resources

These regulations and standards contain all the essential information governing doctoral study at BUT. The most important regulation is the Study and Examination Rules of BUT, which are supplemented by internal faculty standards at each faculty/department.

• Study and Examination Rules of BUT
• The Scholarship Rules of BUT
• BUT Code of Conduct
• European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
• Supervisor Standard
• Predatory Publishers – Central Library – BUT
• Internal regulations and standards of the faculty and rules of the training workplace

Study and Examination Rules of BUT

Here you will find an overview of the most important provisions of the Study and Examination Rules of BUT relating to doctoral study.

• State doctoral examination:
  • For students who commenced their doctoral study before 1 March 2025, the state doctoral examination is a compulsory part of their studies. Studies are terminated by the defence of the dissertation after the state doctoral examination has been passed (after fulfilling all the obligations set out in the individual study plan).
  • For students who commenced doctoral studies on 1 March 2025 or later, the obligation to pass the state doctoral examination is abolished. The study of these students is completed by a Final state examination consisting of the defence of a dissertation (after fulfilling all the obligations set out in the individual study plan).
• Doctoral programme students are required to submit their dissertation by the end of the maximum duration of studies. If they fail to do so, their studies will be terminated in accordance with Section 56(1)(b) of the Higher Education Act.
• The standard duration of studies in a doctoral study programme is determined by the accreditation of the programme (usually 4 years), and the maximum duration of studies is twice the standard duration of studies.
• Doctoral Study is conducted according to an individual study plan under the supervision of a supervisor. The supervisor is responsible for the professional development of the doctoral student and continuously monitors the fulfilment of their individual study plan. They are obliged to provide the doctoral student with consultations to the extent specified by the Supervisor Standard. "Specialist supervisors" may also participate in the supervision of doctoral students, in particular by providing specific consultations on the topic of the dissertation.
• A mandatory part of the study requirements is to complete part of the study at a foreign institution or to participate in an international creative project with results published or presented abroad, or another form of direct participation of the student in foreign cooperation.
• The individual study plan sets out for the doctoral student:
  • The content focus of their research and educational activities
  • The required publication outputs
  • The courses that the doctoral student is required to complete and the deadline for their completion
  • Activities related to creative work (especially planned internships and stays at foreign workplaces, participation in conferences, seminars, etc.)
  • Form and scope of any teaching practice
  • Form of compulsory participation in international cooperation
  • Any other obligations

• The individual study plan of a doctoral student in full-time duration of studies usually includes teaching practice, which lasts for a maximum of 4 semesters, with a maximum of 4 hours per week, and may include direct teaching, supervision of final Theses or other forms of teaching.
• The individual study plan is drawn up in the first year of studies for the entire doctoral programme and may be updated at the request of the doctoral student or at the initiative of the supervisor. The individual study plan and any amendments thereto are drawn up by the supervisor together with the doctoral student.
• At least once a year, the doctoral student reports to a committee at the training workplace on the results of creative tasks and the preparation of the dissertation. The committee evaluates the doctoral student, and this evaluation, together with the supervisor's evaluation, forms the basis for the evaluation of the doctoral student by the field council.
• An extended evaluation takes place before the start of the third year of study: before the start of the third year of study, the doctoral student submits a written summary of the progress of the dissertation, which forms the basis for the evaluation according to the previous paragraph.
• If a doctoral student seriously fails to fulfil their obligations set out in their individual study plan, the supervisor, the head of the training workplace or the committee mentioned above may propose to the subject area board that the doctoral scholarship be reduced. Serious failure to fulfil study obligations is considered to be failure to fulfil an obligation that is a condition for advancing to the next stage of study within the deadline set by the individual study plan, failure to fulfil a large number of partial obligations within the set deadline, or insufficient progress in the preparation of the dissertation.
• In the event of an unsatisfactory evaluation of a doctoral student by the supervisor or the committee, the field council shall discuss a design to terminate the study in accordance with Section 56(1)(b) of the Act. A design to terminate the study may also be submitted by the head of the training workplaces or the chair of the field council.
• The dissertation may be either an independent work containing the results of a creative task or a thematically organised collection of published works and works accepted for publication. The dissertation is written in English, unless the subject area board decides otherwise for a specific programme or a specific dissertation.
• The requirements for the scope and quality of publications are set by the subject area board.

Rights of doctoral students:

• Doctoral students have the right to proper supervision by their supervisor, who must comply with the Supervisor Standard set out below. This includes, in particular:
  • Methodological supervision during the preparation of the dissertation
  • Ongoing monitoring of the fulfilment of the individual study plan
  • Regular personal consultations at least twice a month
  • Assistance in establishing professional contacts and support in integrating into the professional community
  • Assistance in securing professional internships and placements abroad.
  • Assistance in publishing the results of creative work and preparing first publications
  • Involvement in creative projects (depending on the supervisor's availability)
  • Introduction to the principles of writing research project proposals and obtaining research funding
  • Assistance in finding possible solutions in the event of personal problems (health problems, care for a loved one, etc.) that may interfere with work on the dissertation project.

• Doctoral students are entitled to support from the BUT Doctoral School.
• Doctoral students in the form of study who duly fulfil their study obligations are entitled to a doctoral study income.

Obligations of doctoral students in full-time and combined forms of study:

• Together with their supervisor, they draw up an individual study plan for their studies (see above).
• They fulfil the study obligations set out in their individual study plan.
• They adhere to the planned study schedule so that they can complete their studies within the standard duration of studies, if possible.
• They actively communicate with their supervisor, follow their directives, respond to their suggestions in a timely manner, and immediately resolve any problems with them.
• Respects the internal regulations of the training workplaces.
• Be part of the scientific community of the faculty and the training workplace, strive to acquire new knowledge and skills, and strive for creativity and originality in research work.
• Complies with the ethical principles of scientific work, in particular does not engage in plagiarism or self-plagiarism, see BUT Code of Conduct.
• Presents the results of their creative work according to the supervisor's directives.
• Publishes original results of their research exclusively in journals that cannot be considered predatory, see Predatory Publishers – Central Library – BUT.
• Complies with the provisions of the BUT Disciplinary Code and the Disciplinary Code of their faculty.
• They complete part of their studies at a foreign institution or participate in an international creative project with results published or presented abroad, or participate directly in foreign cooperation in another form.
• They write their dissertation in English, unless the subject board decides otherwise.

Obligations of a doctoral student in a full-time form of study:

• Participates in the research and teaching activities of the training workplaces
• Follow the organisational directives of the head of the training workplace (e.g. attendance and presence at the workplace)

Doctoral study income:

• Doctoral student in a prezenční form of study is entitled to a doctoral study income in his or her first doctoral study programme as stipulated by the Higher Education Act. The amount of this income is set at 1.2 times the minimum wage set on 1 July of the calendar year in which the academic year for which this income is set begins.
• Doctoral study income may consist of a doctoral scholarship, a wage from employment involving creative work related to the preparation of a dissertation, or a combination of this wage and a doctoral scholarship. The full amount of the scholarship and two-thirds of the gross wage according to the wage statement are included in the doctoral income. Employment may be arranged at BUT or with a so-called cooperating employer (i.e. an employer with whom BUT has concluded a contract for the implementation of Doctoral Study).
• It is necessary to apply for a doctoral scholarship each academic year through the BUT Information System. Retroactive applications can only be submitted for the month preceding the month of application.
• The doctoral scholarship is always paid retroactively for the previous month.
• Some partial rules may be set by internal faculty/unit regulations.
• For more information, see: Doctoral income or the websites of your faculties and units.

Supervisor standards

The rights and obligations of supervisors at BUT are governed by Guideline No. 7/2024 "Supervisor Standard".

BUT Doctoral School

• This is a supportive educational platform for students of doctoral programmes in the field of continuing education, see the website University-wide Doctoral School at BUT.