Final theses and final examinations on the first and second level of higher education

The head of the study programme shall coordinate the topic and approve the supervisor (incl. the co-supervisors) of the final thesis and the Director of the academic unit shall confirm these no later than during the penultimate semester of the student's studies. By the deadline specified in the academic calendar, the institute director approves the thesis topics and supervisors by issuing an official order. The student will receive a notification about the order in the Study Information System (SIS) and can also view it on their SIS dashboard under My Data.

Within each academic unit, there is a designated deadline and procedure for students to have their thesis topic and supervisor approved. You can find out how this process works in your institute on your unit's website or by contacting your study counsellor.

The admission to the defence of a final thesis or sitting for a final examination is granted if the student has completed courses (including traineeship) stipulated in the study programme, meets the graduation requirements and has no financial obligations to the university. 

The tasks of the student in compiling the final thesis are the following:

1) To compile an action plan for the final thesis, identify and evaluate thematic literature and formalize the research results in the form of a correct and final thesis, following the principles of academic ethics and assuming responsibility for the accuracy of the data
contained in the thesis and the results; 
2) To submit parts of the final thesis for perusal and commentary to the supervisor, according to the agreed schedule;
3) To submit a properly formalized final thesis by the deadline given by the unit.

The tasks of the supervisor in compiling the final thesis are the following:

1) Assist the student in refining the topic, formulating the research problem, selecting methods, selecting relevant literature and other sources, and in providing academic credibility; 
2) Coordinate the action plan of the final thesis, counsel the student, supervise and consult with the student during the process of conducting research in all its phases; 
3) Verify that the student's final thesis meets the requirements set with respect to the content and form, and confirm by signature that the final thesis is in accordance with the requirements and is allowed to proceed to defence. 
4) Consistently support the writing of the thesis to ensure the compliance of the thesis with the principles of academic ethics; 
5) Propose a schedule for the completion of the thesis. The agreed schedule shall specify the dates and stages of meetings, the submission of thesis chapters or other parts of the thesis, the provision of feedback, and other relevant activities, taking into account the general deadlines established in the study programme.

The supervisor and the student have the right to initiate termination of cooperation due to disagreements by submitting a justified application to the head of studies.

Requirements for the Final Thesis

The requirements for the final thesis, including volume, format and reviewing requirements and assessment criteria, are set by the Director on the proposal of the collegial board of studies in accordance with international standards. The requirements shall be made available to the student by the intermediate week of the autumn semester.

See your institute’s website for guidelines on writing and formatting theses in your field:

Submitting the Final Thesis

The exact dates for the submission of a final thesis and defence shall be announced to the student no later than two months prior to the date of the defence.

The student shall submit the final thesis, (digitally) signed by the student and the supervisor, and register for the defence in SIS. All final theses shall be submitted electronically in PDF format and on paper if the academic unit makes a request for it. The supervisor/head of study programme shall give their approval to submitting a final thesis to the defence with a digital signature. The student assures with their confirmation that the thesis is in compliance with the principles of academic ethics; permission is granted to reproduce the thesis and to make the thesis available to the public; and that it may be used in the plagiarism identification system as a data source.

After registering for the defence of the final thesis, the student has the possibility to apply for withdrawal from the defence but no later than one day prior to the defence and only in exceptional circumstances, which shall be justifiable. A negative review or the emergence of a breach of the principles of academic ethics shall not be considered a justified reason.

Defence of Final Thesis

The defence of the final theses is public and before a defence committee during an examination session. The defence may be declared closed if a thesis contains information that cannot be made public due to author's property rights belonging to other people, legal acts regulating personal data protection, a state or commercial secret or due to other confidential information in the thesis.

Results of the Defence

Students shall be informed of the results of the defence no later than the day following the defence. 

A positive grade of the final thesis cannot be improved by retaking.

A student whose thesis received a negative result at the defence can defend it again once within two semesters as of the defence on the condition that the student is not deleted from the matriculation register. The committee has the right to make proposals, require improvement of the thesis, choosing a new topic and/or supervisor. If the student does not receive a positive result for defending the final thesis by the deadline referred to in the given Subsection, the student shall be deleted from the matriculation register.

Absence from the defence of final thesis without a valid exceptional reason shall be equal to fail (F). A student who was absent with a valid exceptional reason shall have the right to defend the final thesis on the basis of a valid registration on a date given by the chairman of the committee. If a student who was absent for a valid exceptional reason does not submit proof of this within three working days of the day of defence of the final thesis, a negative result shall be entered to the protocol. 

In the case of an emergence of a breach of the principles of academic ethics the defence committee shall immediately initiate a clarification of the circumstances, collecting relevant evidence and an explanation from the student. The student is obliged to provide an explanation at the earliest opportunity but no later than three working days. In the case the breach is confirmed, the defence committee:
1) Shall immediately make a reasoned proposal to the Director not to allow the student to the defence and may recommend the deletion of the student from the matriculation register or issuing the student a warning on the condition that the student writes a new or substantially amended final thesis. The Director shall inform the student of their written decision at the earliest opportunity;
2) Shall immediately make a reasoned proposal to the Director to declare the student's defence closed if the student has already been allowed to the defence by written Order of the Director based on Section 26(2). The Director shall inform the student of their written decision at the earliest opportunity. The assessment committee, reviewer, student and, upon the request of the student, up to two more persons shall take part of the defence;
3) Shall assess the final thesis at the defence taking into account the severity of the breach of the principles of academic ethics and may make a recommendation to the Director to delete the student from the matriculation register or to issue a warning to the student on the condition that the student writes a new or a substantially amended final thesis. The grade awarded by the committee and/or the decision of the Director shall be communicated to the student in writing at the earliest opportunity;
4) Shall arrange a new assessment taking into account the additional circumstances if the breach of the principles of academic ethics was discovered after the defence of the final thesis. 

Contesting the Result or Procedure to the Final Thesis

Study Regulations