Linguistics

The admission procedure to doctoral study programmes at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University is two-round. In the first round, the documents submitted in advance are assessed. The second round takes the form of an oral interview. Only those applicants who succeed in the first round are invited to the second round. The oral interview is usually conducted in person and, in exceptional cases, remotely (online).

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Deadline for submitting documents for the admission procedure: April 30

The documents required for the admission process are:

• a) curriculum vitae;
• b) dissertation project in Czech or English;
• c) a list of creative and publication activities (if applicable);
• d) a commitment to cooperation with a specific supervisor and consultant (if applicable).

  Documents for the admission procedure must be inserted into the e-application (rubric “Documents”) by 30 April. Applicants are required to include their full name and application number on all attached documents.

  Requirements and evaluation criteria for the admission procedure

  In the first round of the admission process, the submitted materials are assessed. A committee composed of experts in the field evaluates the adequacy and quality of the materials, and above all, the quality of the dissertation research project.

  The oral interview in the second round takes the form of a discussion about the dissertation project. In the second round, the following will also be assessed:

• a) professional preparedness;
• b) language proficiency;
• c) motivation for study;
• d) previous experience with research work;
• e) a commitment to possible cooperation with a specific supervisor and consultant.

  The assignment of the applicant to a specific supervisor from the list of active supervisors is decided by the field committee upon the recommendation of the admissions committee.

• Round 1: Evaluation is based on (a) the applicant’s preparedness for study, assessed through their curriculum vitae, list of publications and their relevance to the project, and defended master’s thesis with reviews (max. 10 points), (b) the dissertation project including a list of relevant literature for the project (max. 20 points), (c) the suitability of the project in relation to the study program, potential supervisors, and the capacity of the department (max. 20 points).
• Round 2: Committee discussion of the dissertation project (max. 50 points).

  In both rounds of the admission process, a minimum threshold for success is set, i.e., for advancing to the next round of the admission procdure (the lowest number of points). These thresholds may be lowered, taking into account the current capacity of the given study program at the time of the admission process. The minimum threshold for success in all programs is 50% of the total score in the respective round of the admission procedure. The maximum score in both rounds of the admission procedure is 50 points.

Graduates will be prepared for careers in academic and scientific institutions in primary and applied research, but their education and skills will also enable them to pursue careers outside this framework, primarily in organizations and institutions involved in education or in other sectors where they can utilize their skills.

The research topics addressed by doctoral students reflect the scientific research strategy of the linguistic and philological disciplines at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, and fall into the following areas:

1) Linguistic issues of specific languages/linguistic groups

2) Language and discourse in interaction and communication

3) General linguistic typology

4) Formal approaches to language

5) Linguistic diachrony

6) Contrastive linguistic studies

In their research, doctoral students use a variety of modern linguistic methods according to their research and field of study, e.g., functional, formal, synchronic, diachronic, comparative, computational, corpus, and cognitive linguistics approaches.

During their studies, doctoral students work on the basis of their Individual Study Plan (ISP), which is approved by the departmental board and whose fulfillment is subject to review and approval each semester by the supervisor, consultant, and departmental board.

The study program is supervised by a qualified supervisor, and additional expert consultants may be appointed for individual students within the Thesis Advisory Committee.

Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate is able to:

• conduct advanced research in linguistics, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to investigate complex linguistic phenomena;
• critically analyze and interpret data from various linguistic subfields, including phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, language typology and historical linguistics;
• contribute original theoretical insights to the field of linguistics, advancing existing knowledge and frameworks;
• demonstrate mastery of a wide range of linguistic theories and models, applying them effectively to both theoretical and applied linguistic problems;
• communicate research findings clearly and persuasively, both in written and oral formats, to academic, professional, and lay audiences;
• critically evaluate and synthesize existing literature, identifying gaps and opportunities for further research;
• apply linguistic theory to real-world problems, particularly in areas such as language acquisition, language teaching, translation, or computational linguistics;
• teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students in linguistics, fostering critical thinking and research skills;
• contribute to interdisciplinary research, integrating linguistic insights with other fields such as anthropology, psychology, computer science, and communication studies;
• engage with and contribute to the academic and professional linguistics community through conference presentations, publication in peer-reviewed journals, and participation in scholarly activities.

Graduates of doctoral studies in Linguistics will find employment:

(1) in academia:

- teaching at various levels of study (bachelor's, master's)

- research in the field of linguistics

(2) in the professional field:

- development of software/applications focused on communication

- analysis of data samples, e.g., media language

(3) in other fields that require critical thinking and language analysis skills.

Doctoral studies do not include formalised professional practice, except in cases where such practice is included in the individual study plan (e.g. in connection with the collection of language data in the field or based on the nature of linguistic ethnographic research).

During their studies, doctoral students must complete:

- a study/research stay abroad lasting at least one month (for full-time study in a continuous period, for part-time study in total)

- courses and activities developing their teaching skills (for full-time students, these are usually activities related to the work of the supervisor's department; for part-time students, teaching practice outside the supervisor's workplace may be recognized)

- courses developing their professional knowledge

- fulfilling the conditions for creative activity (presentation of research results in the form of presentations at professional forums in the Czech Republic and abroad and professional articles according to the program requirements)

The dissertation addresses a specific research problem corresponding to the type of study. In it, the student must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent and original scientific work, i.e., formulate a hypothesis, create an outline and specify a work schedule, search for and process relevant professional literature according to the thematic focus of their work, collect sufficient linguistic data, and subsequently describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the collected material in the appropriate context of current developments in the field and using adequate research methods. The thesis must be submitted in the required scope and standard quality in terms of content, language, and form, in accordance with the standard requirements for dissertations. The thesis is written under the supervision of a supervisor and is evaluated on the basis of reviews by two independent opponents. The length of the dissertation is usually 200,000-400,000 characters without appendices and bibliography, depending on the topic and focus of the thesis.

The dissertation contributes to the development of the field and pushes the boundaries of scientific knowledge.

The dissertation meets all ethical requirements and complies with the regulations issued by Masaryk University, the Faculty of Arts, or field standards in terms of form and content.

In the event of publication of the dissertation or parts thereof, it is assumed that all outputs will be affiliated with the supervisor's workplace.