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

• work as a team member responsible for preparing public policies on all government levels
• manage or be a member of management bodies of public and nonprofit organisations
• serve as a university teacher with a focus on the public and nonprofit sectors
• coordinate (manage) local and regional development and its partial subsystems
• serve as a researcher with a focus on the public and nonprofit sectors

Graduates are prepared to work in executive positions in public and nonprofit organizations, to serve as members of bodies responsible for preparing public policies or for promoting local and regional development. Graduates are also prepared to serve as university teachers and researchers in this specialization.

The standard duration of studies is four years; the maximum period from enrolment until the proper graduation is twice the period of standard study.

The study is carried out under the guidance of a supervisor and is governed by an individual study plan approved by the departmental council.

In the course of their studies, the students are required to earn a minimum of 240 credits, out of which at least 120 credits are awarded for the submission of the dissertation thesis.

The students are obliged to attend:

type A/required subjects - required subjects of the common base (Econometrics, Metodology I,II) + field-related required subjects

type B/required elective subjects with a minimum value of 10 credits (the course Teaching assistance can yield a maximum of 25 credits per study)

type C/elective subject

In accordance with the focus of the study programme and after agreement with the supervisor, the students can further choose type C/elective subjects from the current offer of optional subjects within the field or in other fields available at the Faculty of Economics and Administration or Masaryk University as a whole.

Within the type A/required subject of Literature Study, students study world literature and journals relevant to the topic of their dissertation during the first two terms. Based on the knowledge about the current state of research in the area concerned, they specify the research problem investigated in the dissertation and create a project for their research during the third term. From the third term on, the students attend the subject Dissertation Preparation, in which they carry out all the activities necessary for their dissertation under their supervisors’ guidance.

Conditions for proper graduation from the doctoral study programme are:

- gain credits by passing the subjects in the prescribed composition, with a minimum total of 240 credits

- spend at least one month of their studies at a foreign institution (except for Slovakia) or participate in an international creative project the findings of which are published or presented abroad, or is otherwise directly involved in international co-operation

- pass the state doctoral examination

- defend the dissertation thesis.

The state doctoral examination tests the theoretical and methodological knowledge related to the study programme. The general requirements for the exam are included in the programme content; specific requirements represent the thematic areas related to the thesis statements.

Together with the application for the state exam, the students submit their thesis statements, which document 1) the degree of the students’ orientation in the published results of research, and 2) the relevance and theoretical soundness of the chosen research procedure. The state doctoral examination takes the form of a debate on the submitted thesis statements, and the questions are considered in the broader context of the given field. The aim is to demonstrate the readiness of the students for independent research activity in the field.