The University of Defence offers education in accredited courses in Bachelor’s, Mater’s and doctoral degree programmes focused on military, military management, economy, engineering and health and medicine. Besides, it is a lifelong learning centre carrying out the non-accredited ultimate defence qualification courses intended for senior officers. The school is open to civilian and international students, too. The University of Defence belongs to the national university education system providing its graduates with education comparable to what they could learn at a civilian university in the Czech Republic.
The University of Defence primarily educates military professionals and experts to work for national security and defence systems as requested by the Army, government administration and obligation to other democratic countries. The process is based on the latest knowledge of defence, research and development at both national and international levels and internal research. The University orients studies to provide for wide and general graduate profiles for their better adaptability and career promotion under variable military conditions. The versatility of the education allows graduates to enter their civilian-life careers when they leave the Army of the Czech Republic.
The school has changed profoundly and updated its curriculum plans to achieve the developed European universities standard by introducing the three-stage system of education pursuant to the Bologna declaration. Owing to the expected high interlinks between the military and civilian scholastic systems, the University has adopted the credit system for the syllabus so that previous education can be more easily recognised when changing branches, faculties or schools. The University of Defence is a member of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) whose members’ graduates from engineering degree programmes may apply for the European Engineer (EUR ING) title recognised throughout the entire European Union.
The University of Defence intends to provide the students with a wide range of knowledge making them capable in a particular area of command and control rather than train them for a special position in the Czech military units. The students learn the military and command skills during their military training courses outside the University within the basic military training or application courses. Training of the students – the Czech military professionals to be – accentuates the formation of personality qualities of commander – manager, cell officer, technician, military economist or medical doctor, his/her theoretical and practical qualification, including physical fitness, mental resistance and language proficiency. All studies and opportunities offered by the UoD are, of course, available to female cadets as well. Graduates from the University are ready to serve in the units deployed abroad in overseas missions or NATO operations.
The University of Defence organises higher education in the following forms:
- Three-year Bachelor’s degree programme, with the exception of the study programme Military Pilot, awarded title of "bakalář" (Bc.),
- Four-year Bachelor’s degree programme Military Pilot with the awarded title of "bakalář" (Bc.),
- Two-year follow-on master degree programme with the awarded title of "inženýr" (Ing.),
- Five-year master degree programme of military pharmacy with the awarded title of "magistr" (Mgr.), and military dentistry with the title "doktor zubního lékařství" (MDDr.),
- Six-year master degree programme of military general medicine with the awarded title of "doktor medicíny" (MUDr.),
- Three- or four-year doctor degree programme with the awarded title of "doktor" (Ph.D.).
The Bachelor’s degree programme and the long-cycle Master’s degree programme are intended for General Certificate of Secondary Education holders while the Master’s degree programme is designed for Bachelor’s degree programme graduates. Both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes grading is based on credit evaluation system. The doctoral degree programme is made for Master’s or long-cycle Master’s degree programme graduates.
The above-mentioned degree programmes can be carried out in a mode as follows:
The classes in on-site mode are attended by study groups. Each group receives its own class schedule according to their plans of studies. The combined studies adopt on-site mode form during consultation periods and distance-learning mode in the time between two consultation periods.
Text: LTC RNDr. Antonín Müller, CSc.; updated on 4 January 2011