After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• design and carry out research on various aspects of public and social problems, and on strategies which address them, as well as on problems in human resources development;
• design and carry out strategies which address public/social problems as well as problems in human resources development;
• coordinate institutions and programmes which often address the broader fields of public/social policy;
• evaluate programmes and strategies which are designed to address public and social problems and human resources development;
• critically reflect on ethical problems and dilemmas when designing and implementing strategies and measures in public/social policy and human resources development.

Graduates from the Master’s degree programme in Public Policy and Human Resources Work are qualified to work as experts in the fields public and social policy and human resources development or as researchers in state, nongovernmental, and commercial organisations. They may become teachers in these fields, especially in tertiary education (after passing relevant studies in educational practice when necessary). Acquiring practical experience, they may apply for jobs as managers or programme designers in public policy, social services, social security, or employment service organizations, or in human resources departments in the state, the nongovernmental and/or the private sector. As policymakers or programme managers, graduates may find appropriate positions at (supra)national, regional or local level agencies, for example in the Department of Labour and Social Affairs, in (supra)national or regional centers of nongovernmental organisation networks, or in offices of regional authorities or municipalities, etc. Graduates are capable of performing the aforementioned roles and activities in all branches and fields of their specialization. After passing one of the specialisations they are obliged to choose in the context of their Master’s studies, graduates acquire better preconditions to carry out these aforementioned roles and activities in specialised fields of social policy making and programme management (in the Social Policy specialisation); when designing and managing personnel strategies and programmes in state, nongovernmental or commercial organizations (Personnel Management and Organisation Development specialisation), or when responding to problems of the labour market and employment (Labour Market, Employment Policy and Human Resources Development specialisation).

The standard duration of studies is four semesters.

The student can choose from one of three specialisations: Personnel Management and Organisational Development; Social Policy; or Labour Market, Employment Policy and Human Resources Development.

To be eligible for to the Final State Examination, students must obtain a total of 120 ECTS credits for required, elective and optional courses. Required courses constitute the majority of the degree programme and total 69 credits (including credits for courses focused on writing a Master’s thesis); 4 credits are given for language classes. Out of the elective courses, which make up 47 credits in total, students choose according to their interests and intended professional specialization; from these 47, 15 credits can be obtained from optional courses offered in the curriculum of the given study programme or from other courses offered by another study programme.

All students are required to complete at least one course taught in English from those offered at the department for the given level of studies or during time spent abroad.

During the course of their studies students should follow the "Study Catalogue" for their year of matriculation. They can access the "Study Catalogue" through the faculty website.

Two courses included in the study programme (VPL462, "Specialised Analytical Internship for Human Resources Development and Management," and VPL465, Specialised Analytical Internship for Public Policy and Administration) are included for aiding students during the preparation of a Master's thesis. These courses should be used for the purpose of data collection before the thesis is completed in organisations with a developed personnel management structure, or in organisations dealing with public policy and administration, respectively.

Students thus select the particular course depending on their specialisation. They work under the guidance of their thesis supervisor as well as a consulting specialist from the selected organisation. This subject is elective, it involves 150/100 hours of practice, and 12 hours of supervisory consultation time.

The Final State Examination is a written test in which the task of the students is to demonstrate their expertise by writing an essay in a given time frame of 6 hours on a topic which the students select from a list provided by the department.

The essay must be written at FSS without any possibility of using outside sources.

Another part of the Final State Examination includes the defence of a Master's thesis, the length of which must be between 13,500 and 33,000 words.

Additional information about graduation requirements can be found on the department's website http://is.muni.cz/do/fss/kspsp/mvplzszz/dp_pokyny.html.

Graduates may apply for PhD programmes in related study fields. In particular, at FSS, this is a PhD programme in Social Policy and Social Work.