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

• understand the process of seeking, retaining, and organizing information
• work with information technologies for education and for presenting information
• understand the domains of digital libraries, library systems, and standards
• understand the legal and ethical aspects of working with information
• work with data and databases at an advanced level
• approach the issues of information sources in a historical and cultural context
• use research methods to identify the information needs of users

The range of potential jobs for graduates of the field is extensive – professional librarians, information specialists, editors, and various non-managerial and managerial positions in the commercial, research, public, and non-profit spheres with a focus on information services.

Potential job destinations:

- libraries, information centres

- information services

- academic departments (science and research support)

- public services and non-profit sector

- media, PR, and advertising agencies

- consulting and advisory services

- start-up companies, self-employment

The curriculum of the Bachelor’s degree programme is composed of type A/required courses, type B/selective courses, and type C/elective courses. In addition, students are free to select from a range of courses available on a university-wide level. The study is completed with the defence of the Bachelor’s thesis and the final state examination.

The Bachelor’s degree programme can be studied full-time or in a combined study mode. The total minimum number of credits required for the study programme is 180, of which 112 credits are type A/required courses: 4 credits for a foreign language examination in accordance with Masaryk University graduate language competence guidelines, 2 credits for physical education, 4 credits for Philosophy for Non-Philosophical Disciplines Students; 50 credits are type B/selective courses; and 8 credits are type C/elective courses,

A compulsory component of the studies is the completion of the practical courses Reference Services 1 and 2. The Division of Information and Library Studies has established long-term cooperation with institutions at which internships can be completed.

Students may also enrol in non-compulsory internships as part of the following courses: Internships, Research Project, Participation at Conference, and Research Project Seminar.

The final state examination is comprised of a Bachelor’s thesis defence and an oral examination before a board of examiners. The student is expected to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and orientation in the field, in the scope defined by the range of topics for the final state examination (FSE).

In order to be able to sit the FSE, students must have the required number of credits and have their Bachelor’s thesis accepted. No later than five days prior to the date of the final state examination, the student applies with the Office for Studies for a certificate proving that they have fulfilled the conditions of the study programme.

The final state examinations are held three times a year – in January, June, and September. All dates may serve as a regular examination date or a re-sit date. Submission of a Bachelor’s thesis is understood as applying for a FSE date. If you decide to postpone the FSE (e.g. from June to September), there is no need to notify anybody of this fact. You will simply submit your thesis within the deadline for the next examination date.

The decision on the classification of the Bachelor’s thesis is made by the committee for final examinations on the basis of the reports of the reader and the thesis supervisor, the committee’s assessment of the thesis, and the student’s performance at the defence.

The reader will be assigned to the student. The reports of both the supervisor and the reader will be available in the thesis archive in the IS no later than three calendar days prior to the date of the final examination.

The oral part of the final examination takes place in front of a committee and the student is assigned one topic that is subsequently discussed. The student has 15 or 20 minutes for preparation and 15 or 20 minutes for the examination.

Students who fail the FSE for the first time will have their studies automatically interrupted by the Office for Studies until the beginning of the following examination period (or, more specifically, until the FSE re-sit date). Thereafter, the studies are resumed and the student is automatically enrolled for the FSE.

Further information is available at: http://kisk.phil.muni.cz/cs/povinnosti.

Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programme can (subject to meeting the admission conditions) continue with their studies in any follow-up Master’s degree programme. At the Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University, students can continue their studies directly in the follow-up Master’s degree programme Information and Library Studies.