167 PhD Degree Programs

The dental study program consists of the following topics: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthetics, Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, Periodontology and Oral Medicine, Pediatric Dentistry, and Orthodontics. The aim of the postgraduate study of Stomatology is to extend, deepen the knowledge of doctoral students not only in the basic Stomatology field but also in related fields (borderline) and, on that basis, independent scientific work. The main part of the study is solving a specific research task in the field of stomatology, which is in accordance with the research focus of the department. The results of the solution of the given topic are processed by the doctoral student in his / her dissertation. At the same time, it continuously presents them both in the form of a professional article in the relevant periodical and in the form of oral communication at domestic or foreign professional meetings. Study program without specialization.

Immunology is a dynamically evolving discipline integrating the knowledge of molecular and cell biology, physiology, histology, and functional morphology (in the context of evolution and ontogenesis) relevant to the immune system, a self-defense unit composed of functionally interacting molecules, cells, and tissues involved in immune responses. Immunology outputs show a major impact in a multitude of biomedical fields today. Topics such as transplantation, allergy, immune deficiency, autoimmunity, immunosuppression, immunotherapy, or anti-tumor immunity are typical areas of interest to immunologists. Immunology covers all levels of biological knowledge from molecules (cytokines, immunoglobulins, receptors, signaling molecules), cells (a wide array of immunocompetent cells), whole organisms (having transgenic animal models in use and interaction with the immune system is being investigated), and communities (evolution of immune mechanisms, e.g. frequencies of different alleles regulating the immune response within a population). Clinical immunology is an important emancipated immunology specialization, for which the human immune system is the object of studies, and understanding the mechanism of its action leads to the development of potential therapeutic applications. Typically, a four-year postgraduate's study of immunology deepens the master's education having more specialized lectures and mainly by intensive scientific education by the supervisor. Courses and lectures are provided by specialists from the Faculty of Science and Faculties of Medicine of Charles University and, to a great extent, experts from the institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (mainly IMG and IM). Students are conducting doctoral theses, in these institutions mainly, but also in hospitals, clinical laboratories, or private companies - biotechnology development centers. Students are repeatedly reporting the progress of their doctoral theses at conferences, as of a poster or an oral presentation. For their projects, students can receive support through various grant calls. They learn about the international dimension of scientific cooperation in foreign laboratories. The output of scientific activities associated with the elaboration of doctoral theses is numerous posters and presentations at international conferences and publications in international impacted journals. The key activity of the Immunology program guarantor, as well as the immunologists at the Faculty of Science, is student project supervision, stimulation of their independent experimental work, and critical evaluation of the primary literature. In order to achieve that, we provide the course Advances in Immunology (in English). The program is carried out without any specialization.

Doctoral studies are conceived as a preparatory program for scholars and researchers whose creative endeavors contribute to the development of theory and research in the field of education sciences. The program aims preferably to enhance their relevant expertise, disseminate relevant research findings and trends in the field of education, and cultivate methodological competencies of doctoral students. The general focus of the study program offers students the chance to get acquainted more deeply with the pedagogical disciplines. The focal point of the doctoral study is a doctoral dissertation/thesis, defined as an original scholarly work whose findings enrich the respective field of study within the broader context of developing the discipline. Due to the nature and content of the study, the applicant may consult the theme, the structure of the project, and possibilities for its processing with potential supervisors of doctoral studies. Program without specialization.

The study program Pathology includes mainly the following topics: correlation of morphological and molecular findings in cancers with special reference to differential diagnostics, to the methods of detection of viral and bacterial pathogens in carcinogenesis, and to clinicopathologic correlations in hematooncology, head and neck pathology, salivary gland oncology, pathology and oncology of urogenital, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract. The study program underlines description of poorly understood and newly recognized tumor entities, as well This study program is without specialization.

The doctoral program of Pharmaceutical Analysis is focused on the analytical evaluation of drugs, bioanalytical studies and the development of new analytical methods for the evaluation of drugs. Graduate students in this program broaden their basic theoretical knowledge of pharmaceutical analysis and obtain professional experience upon working with state-of-the-art analytical equipment. Graduates are experts at all aspects of drug analysis – the development of new analytical methods, the validation of analytical methods, drug stability testing, and their bioanalytical monitoring. They will be well qualified to work in analytical laboratories of pharmaceutical companies and research institutes, in clinical laboratories of hospitals as well as in the laboratories engaged in pharmacopoeial drug evaluation.

The purpose of doctoral studies in the field of Biblical Theology is for students to cultivate, in the usual way for advanced studies, their ability to think theologically and to deepen their knowledge in the relevant biblical theology disciplines on an expert level. The field covers all aspects of the specialist study of the Bible, such as theological, literary, and historical factors. Studies focus on either the Old Testament or the New Testament field. They include the examination of biblical texts in their relevance for religious and cultural traditions. Depending on the specific dissertation project, studies may deal with textual, linguistic, literary, literary-historical, historiographical, religious, or cultural issues. Normally, they must also raise questions about the theological profile or overall testimony of Scripture in relation to relevant theological questions, and also deal with issues of understanding, communication, and interpretation. The working field of biblical studies also includes the related specialist disciplines – for example, the philology of the ancient and classical languages, the literature of the ancient Near East and the principal cultures of Antiquity, the phenomenology of religions and the study of the religions of antiquity, the archaeology and historiography of the relevant regions – and also a reflection on methodologies in the biblical field, hermeneutical issues, and the history of biblical research and its current trends. Studies are linked to an appropriate degree with other theological fields, and, like other branches of theology, have an interdisciplinary dimension.

The main objective of the study program special education is to prepare highly qualified staff for theoretical and fieldwork in the area of providing special education services in the widest possible range, according to the differentiated structure of the Czech study fields of special education (SSP – support for disabilities related to sight, hearing, physical or mental state, support for citizens with communication skill deficits, autistic spectrum disorders, behavioral disorders or support for people with social disadvantages) with special focus on the current issues of contemporary special education in the international context. The fundamental asset of the Ph.D. study in the field of special education is the preparation of specialists to succeed in independent scientific research projects, leading to their personal and career growth to enrich the scientific field of special education as a modern social science area. Program without specialization.

The broadly conceived doctoral study programme of (general) anthropology focuses on human behaviour, action, and cognition both in their biological (genetic) aspects and evolutionary, social, and/or environmentally conditioned variability. Its general anthropological approach stems from an assumption that (a) it is only a variety and variability of behaviour, action, and cognition that can speak of the character of human existence, and that (b) it is necessary to speak of this existence by way of a synthetizing combination of biological-empirical, cultural-interpretative and reflexively philosophical methods. It is supported by the (Anglo-American) conception of integral general anthropology as a discipline studying both biological and socio-cultural aspects of human beings conceived as complex organisms endowed with language, thought and culture (endowed with a capacity of semiotic, symbolical representation). This assumption is broadened by certain aspects of (German and French) philosophical and historical anthropology. Such conception of (general) anthropology takes into account both the diversity of human cultures and common characteristic features of humanity (both partial evolutional processes and general qualities of biological and cultural evolution of human).

At present, there is a consensus that just having a comprehensive understanding of the planet’s natural system does not suffice. It is necessary to understand the complex interactions between the socio-economic system and the vital planetary systems which provide society with ecosystem and natural services. The Social Ecology doctoral programme contributes to the development of the environmental approaches characteristic in their interdisciplinary nature. The goal of the programme is the advancement of knowledge, which should contribute to the creation of a theoretical base from within the strategy of making economic, social, and cultural development sustainable, especially from an environmental perspective.

Medical microbiology is progressively developing medical discipline closely cooperating with many clinical specializations, e.g. intensive care medicine, transplantology, surgery). For diagnostic purposes, advanced molecular-genetic and proteomic techniques are used. The basic goal of current medical microbiology is to understand the interaction between the pathogen and the host, i.e. understanding the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. The research is also focused on the development of novel diagnostic procedures, efficient therapy, epidemiology of infectious diseases, etc. The study program without specialization.

Over the last two decades, experimental surgery has undergone substantial development following the advancements of its related fields, which considerably extended its research possibilities. These related fields include oncology, anesthesiology, intensive medicine, imaging methods, molecular biology, tissue engineering, biomechanics, software modeling, etc. These fields enabled the research spectrum of experimental surgery to encompass for example experimental treatment of cancer and non-cancerous diseases, and research of artificial organs. Such progress is also allowed to be an up-to-date implementation of the “3Rs” principle of work with experimental animals. The basic domain is the understanding of the methods and procedures of experimental surgery in conjunction with the bordering fields mentioned above. The connection to the clinical fields is crucial as well, as these often define the research questions and apply the results of the research. All of these fields are available for science and research activities.

Postgraduate study in Bioorganic Chemistry serves for the education of chemical experts with an emphasis on the structure and functions of small organic molecules in living organisms and on the possibility of influencing biological processes in these organisms through the action of such molecules. The program is thus directed towards the study of all aspects of organic compounds, which are indispensable for the structure and functioning of living organisms. The broad spectrum of these compounds includes molecules with a building (primary metabolites) function, signaling function, activating or deactivating function in relationship to strategic proteins within the living organisms, and also compounds, which are produced by these organisms (natural products, secondary metabolites, metabolites of xenobiotics). The study is founded on the structure and synthesis of organic compounds with a focus on natural products, heterocycles, and other organic compounds, which are capable of modulating biological processes. Elucidation of the function of such compounds as parts of biological structures as well as that of their influence on biological processes and the possibility to modify this influence through structural changes are no less important. Bioorganic Chemistry thus serves as a link between Organic Chemistry and biomedical disciplines and partially overlaps with Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry. Bioorganic Chemistry is, however, more general than the latter two programs, which are primarily focused on the study and development of drugs, ie. a more limited subgroup of biologically active compounds.

The subject of the study program within the concept of the complex biomedical fields is the issue of physical processes in a living organism, the influence of physical factors on living organisms, and the use of modern physical methods in biomedical fields. Biophysics, as an interdisciplinary field, offers doctoral (Ph.D.) study to university graduates of various specializations (medicine, natural sciences, mathematics, physics, etc.). The study program is carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Medical pharmacology is a basic experimental biomedical field that deals with the kinetics and dynamics of drugs summarizes current knowledge in this area, and solves experimental problems of current pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions, drug side effects. The results are the basis for clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy. It is a study program without specialization.

The study program provides advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of computational mathematics, which deals with the solution of mathematical problems describing phenomena in natural, technical and social sciences. The study is focused on the understanding of problems in a wider context.