About the program

The political science program at the Department puts emphasis on comparative politics and modern political analysis, although other subfields of political science are fully covered as well (such as modern political philosophy, political participation, or electoral campaigns). Geographically, the program focuses mainly but not exclusively on the European region.

Study of political science at the Department follows the ECTS credit system, which entails differentiation into the Bachelor (BA), Master (MA), and Doctoral (Ph.D.) stages/degrees.

The idea behind this three-tier system is to gradually familiarise students with deeper and more complex knowledge about the genesis of political thinking and political theories, political systems of European and non-European countries (including comparative studies), political parties and party systems, elections and electoral studies, interest representation, or the history of the Czech political system. A number of courses are taught in English each term, both by members of the Department and by foreign/visiting lecturers (for more information, please consult the Study catalogue).

Bachelor’s Degree Program

Students of the three-year-long Bachelor’s degree program will become familiar with fundamentals of all the main areas of political science. Also, students are invited (although not obliged) to choose a specialisation in one of four subfields:

• Political thinking and contemporary democracy
• Communication in politics
• Electoral studies
• Politics in Western democracies

Apart from fulfilling the general requirements of the Bachelor’s degree program, students who choose a specialisation need to complete at least five courses which belong to their specialisation.

Study of the BA program may proceed in two modes: etiher as a single-subject study, or as a double-subject study (in the latter case political science will be combined with another study program).

Master’s Degree Program

The two-year Master’s degree program (full-time single-subject study only) builds on the content of the Bachelor’s degree. It has a narrower scope, thus enabling students to attune their path through the degree to their further job plans. Our Department is unique among other departments of political science in the Czech Republic in that it offers the option (which is again voluntary) to specialise in one of four tracks:

• Czech Politics (graduates are experts on Czech politics, able to analyse domestic political actors, understand both past and present trends that have shaped the Czech political system, and competently analyse the nature and implementation of public policies)
• Democratisation and Human Rights (graduates are experts in the fields of democracy, democratization, and humans rights studies)
• Comparative Political Science (graduates are experts possessing comprehensive knowledge of both European and non-European countries, deep understanding of the logic of various political systems, as well as requisite analytical skills
• Electoral Studies and Political Marketing (graduates are experts on the issue of electoral engineering, also possessing the skills necessary for designing political campaigns or providing analytical and expert services for political parties, civil service, and other organisations or institutions)

Apart from the Master’s degree university diploma in political science, students who complete a specialisation track also receive a diploma supplement detailing the content of the track as well as the skills and competences acquired.

Doctoral Degree Program

The doctoral program as the highest stage of university studies is a four-year program (either full-time or part-time). Students are expected to deal in detail with a specific research topic or issue area  thus undergoing independent training for a future career as a highly qualified expert.

Career prospects

Graduates of the political science program are trained for successful careers in many professional fields such as public administration, political consulting and lobbying, think-tanks, political parties, non-governmental organisations and interest groups, diplomacy, specialized media, research and university-level teaching, high-school level teaching, and many others

The Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, was founded in 1990 with the ambition to provide comprehensive education in the field of political sciences. Over time, the department has become a well-respected academic institution both domestically and internationally. The academic staff is comprised of high-level experts in their respective fields.

Currently, the department offers two study programs in Czech and one in English:

• Political Science
• Security and Strategy Studies
• Conflict and Democracy Studies (English, MA only)

The BA and MA programs both in Political Science and Security and Strategy Studies are full-time study programs (part-time study is not offered at either level). The doctoral degree can be studied either full-time or part-time.