In accordance with Sections 48 - 50 of Act 111/1998 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions and the Modifications and Amendments of Other Acts, I announce the rules of admission for entrance into the cross-border master study programmes at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (hereafter FSci USB) for the academic year 2024/2025.

Article 1. Study programmes opened

Enrolled applicants may request reduction of the fee.

Article 2. Admission deadlines

1. Main term

Students are admitted to all the programmes listed in Art. 1 of this Decision during the term. Applications may be submitted until 18 May 2024. Applicants must submit a certified copy of proof of successful completion of the Bachelor's degree and Transcript of Records[1] no later than 20 May 2024, 11:00 a.m. The entrance examinations for Biological Chemistry will take place on 10. June 2024. The entrance examinations for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science between 4 and 16 June 2024. Applicants will be informed on exact date at least 7 days ahead.

2. Additional term

Students are admitted to Biological Chemistry to fill vacant capacities. Applications may be submitted from 1 July to 31 October 2024. Applicants must submit a certified copy of the proof of successful completion of the Bachelor's degree and Transcript of Records no later than 6 February 2025, 11:00 a.m. The entrance examinations for Biological Chemistry will take place between 8 and 15 November 2024. Applicants will be informed on exact date at least 7 days ahead.

For documents issued by a foreign university, the faculty reserves the right to request higher forms of verification or nostrification.

Article 3. Application submission

Applications must be submitted online at https://wstag.jcu.cz/portal/studium/uchazec/eprihlaska.html?pc_lang=en . The application fee of CZK 700 can be paid by credit card through the JCU payment gateway or by bank transfer to account number 104725778/0300; variable symbol - 6020106, specific symbol - electronic application number generated by the electronic application system. Applicants are advised to agree with electronic communication (to be expressed in the application).

The applicant shall deliver the documents of previous education in person or by post to the Department of Student Affairs of the Faculty of Science at the following address:

Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia
Department of Student Affairs,
Branišovská 1760
370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Article 4. Eligible applicants

Admitted to study may be an applicant holding a Bachelor’s degree who fulfils the conditions set out in Art. 5. of this Decision.

Article 5. Entrance exam

5.1. General 

1. All parts of the exam are conducted in English. Applicant must obtain at least 50 % of the points for every part of the exam.
2. The entrance exam includes an English language exam. The candidate does not have to take it if he/she has passed the final Bachelor's exam in English at the FSci USB with a grade better than or equal to "very good minus" or if he/she comes from a country where English is the main language[2]. Certificates at level B2 and higher according to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports's list of standardized examinations are accepted as a substitute for the English language entrance examination. An official TOEFL score of 180 (computer-based test) or higher, or a score of 500 (paper-based test) or higher are accepted as well.
3. The entrance exam takes place on site at FSci USB. It may be carried out in distance mode at the written request of the applicant. Requests to hold the entrance examination by distance mode are approved by the Vice-Dean for Study on the basis of the opinion of the study programme guarantor or person in charge of programme administration. Distance examination is not claimable.
4. Applicants cheating during the entrance examination will receive a score of 0 points for every exam.
5. A list of applicants will be compiled according to their score. Candidates will be admitted up to the number specified in Art. 1 (after deduction of the places filled by candidates admitted under paragraph 5.3 a without a professional examination). Any candidate with the same score as the last candidate determined by the number in Art. 1 will also be admitted.

5.2. Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

1. Graduates of the bachelor's degree may be admitted to study in the follow-up master's degree if they have earned at least 120 credits (ECTS) for courses in the field of computer science, and their weighted average in these courses is 2.0 or better, and if they successfully pass the entrance examination.
2. The entrance exam is oral, conducted in English, and consists of knowledge in Computer Science.

5.3. Biological Chemistry

1. Graduates of the Biological Chemistry bachelor programme from FSci USB are admitted without entrance exam.
2. Graduates of the bachelor's degree may be admitted to study in the follow-up master's degree if they have earned at least 80 credits (ECTS) for courses in the field of chemistry and 15 credits (ECTS) for courses in the field of biology, and their weighted average in these courses is 2.0 or better, and if they successfully pass the entrance examination.
3. The entrance exam consists of three written tests:
   • Biochemistry;
   • Molecular Biology;
   • General, Organic, and Analytical Chemistry

Article 6. Applicants with special needs

An applicant with special needs (with disability, chronic illness, or other health problems) has the right to use the support measures and services provided by the university during the entrance examination and, if accepted, also during their study. If they wish to assert this claim, they must select the option YES in the column “Consideration of special needs” in the online application form. After fulfilling all the administrative requirements associated with the application for study, they will be contacted by the staff of the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs and acquainted with the next steps. More detailed information can be obtained on the centre's website (www.centrumssp.jcu.cz), by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by telephone (00420 389 036 026). It is also possible to consult with the staff of the centre about the suitability of choice of a study programme before submitting an application for study.

Article 7. Further provisions

1. The dean appoints an admissions committee, chaired by the vice-dean for study, and composed of associate professors and academic staff with a scientific degree from FSci USB for each programme offered. The committee, based on the results of the admission examinations, will rank the applicants, and propose to the dean a decision on their admission or non-admission.
2. The dean, based on a proposal by the chair of the committee, will decide within one week whether or not to accept the applicant. The applicant is immediately informed of the decision.
3. Applicants who, no later than the fifth working day after the scheduled date of the entrance examination, submit a physician's certificate attesting to their unfitness to participate in the examination will be invited to the examination on an alternative date, organized in the same way as the examination on the original date.
4. Unsuccessful applicants shall have the right to appeal to the Dean within 30 days after receiving the decision. If the appeal is rejected, the candidate may present it to the Rector of the University for a final decision. The appeal is to target paragraph 5 of this Decision, otherwise it is to be deemed to be without basis. In formulating the appeal, the applicant has the right to view the documentation of her/his admission process but does not have the right to see the documentation of other applicants or the committee

These conditions for admission were discussed and agreed upon by the Academic Senate of Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice on 16^th of January 2024.

České Budějovice, 18^th of January 2024                                                                              

prof. RNDr. František Vácha, Ph.D.
The Dean of the Faculty of Science

[1] Applicants holding a dere from USB do not have to submit diploma nor Transcript of Records.

[2] Australia, anglophone Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America, South Africa

Peatland Ecology Working Group

We are an informal working group concerned with peatland ecology. We combine expertise in plant ecology/ecophysiology and soil biology in our research topics, allowing us to combine different approaches to gain a comprehensive understanding of peatland ecosystem functioning. The group brings together not only some members of the Department of Ecosystem Biology and the Department of Experimental Plant Biology, but also people from other institutions.

One of the directions of our research is to evaluate the impact of long-term drainage and revegetation on the functioning of different peatland types (bogs, fens, spruce mires) with a focus on vegetation, organic matter quality, nutrient transformations, microbial community composition, production and emissions of greenhouse gases. Monitoring the impact of hydrological revitalization on the restoration of basic ecosystem functions of peatlands aims to identify suitable ecological indicators to evaluate the revitalization success.

Another topic is how plants have adapted to the specific environment of peatlands and how they influence peatland development. Our focus is on Sphagnum, i.e. moss ecosystem engineers, which often have a determining influence on the process of peat deposition. Therefore, in addition to the ecology and physiology of peatland plants, we also focus on the biochemical properties of their dead biomass from which peat is formed.

We also focus on interactions in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum in ecosystems with organic soils. We study plant biomass and nutrient allocation patterns, and the quantity and quality of plant inputs (litter, root exudates) to the soil. We thus link above- and belowground plant processes to understand how changing environmental and management conditions may impact the processes and functioning of these ecosystems.

We are involved mainly in research of peatlands in the Bohemian Forest mts., in cooperation with the Šumava National Park, but also with other institutions. Within the framework of international cooperation we have participated in research of peatlands in various European countries. Selected long-term monitored sites in Šumava are also part of the Global Peatland Microbiome Project.

• Integrating Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) into peatland carbon models: From local to global perspective (2025–2027, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Petra Straková)
• MiDiPeat (Monitoring of peat microbial diversity through vegetation properties and its implication for carbon dynamics across European peatlands; 2024–2026, European Biodiversity Partnership, PI: Tomáš Hájek/Zuzana Urbanová)
• LIFE for MIRES (Transboundary restoration of mires for biodiversity and landscape hydrology in Šumava and Bavarian Forest; 2018–2024, LIFE Programme, PI: Zuzana Urbanová)
• The influence of plant functional type and phenology on plant inputs to soil as affected by simultaneous changes in environmental factors (2019–2022, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Keith Edwards)
• Decay resistance of Sphagnum – biochemical causes and consequences (2018–2020, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Tomáš Hájek)
• Effect of hydrological restoration of long-term drained peatlands on functional diversity of soil microorganisms in relation to organic matter quality (2014–2016, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Zuzana Urbanová)
• Functional diversity of soil microorganisms in spruce swamp forest and its effect on soil DOM (2013–2016, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Tomáš Picek)
• Calcium tolerance in Sphagnum, its physiological and genetic backgrounds, and consequences in mire ecology (2010–2014, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Tomáš Hájek)
• The importance of newly assimilated carbon on plant–soil interactions in wet grasslands under changing environmental conditions (2009–2013, Czech Science Foundation, PI: Keith Edwards)

On the basis of § 48-50 of Act No. 111/1998 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions, I hereby declare the conditions for admission to study in the cross-border Bachelor’s programme Biological Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (hereafter FSci USB)  in collaboration with Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.

1. Number of admitted applicants

2. Important dates in admission process

Applications must be submitted by 31 March 2024. Evidence of attainment of full secondary or full secondary vocational education must be received by 17 June 2024, 11:00. The entrance examination will be held on 20 June 2024 and an alternative date of 21 June 2024.

3. Submission of applications

Applications are to be submitted in electronic form (https://www.jcu.cz/uchazec-o-studium/e-prihlaska). Mandatory attachments to the e-application is a copy of proof of payment of the admission fee, unless the applicant has completed payment by credit card directly from the application webpage. The document may be added to the e-application even after its submission, but if they are not delivered by the deadline specified in paragraph 2, the application will be excluded from the admission procedure. The necessary details for payment of the fee are set out in Article 6 of this measure.

4. Criteria for acceptance

In addition to passing the entrance exam, applicants for admission to the programme must meet the following requirements:

1. Completion of full secondary or full vocational secondary education - proof of attainment completion of this education (an officially verified copy of the school-leaving certificate; in the case of foreign applicants, validated documents proving the completed level of education and completed courses; the faculty reserves the right to request higher forms of verification or nostrification) must be submitted to the Department of Student Affairs FS USB by 16 June 2023, 11:00 AM (in person at the Department of Study Affairs FS USB or by mail to the address of the Department of Study Affairs FSci USB, Branišovská 1760, 370 05 České Budějovice - the delivery date is decisive).
2. The applicant's grade point average in MINT/STEM subjects (mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics) for the entire secondary school studies is 2.5 or better, or a GPA (grade point average) score of at least 50%.

Subject to the above conditions, candidates who satisfy the requirements set out in Article 4.1 or Article 4.2 may be admitted up to the number set out in Article 1 of this Decision. The ranking of candidates will be established in accordance with the rules set out in Article 4.3.

A candidate applying for a Bachelor's degree programme in which he/she is already studying at the FSi USB cannot be admitted to this programme.

4.1 Entrance examinations

The entrance exam is held on site. The entrance exam takes the form of a written test in chemistry, mathematics verifying knowledge at grammar school level and English verifying the applicant's ability to study in English. The English exam can be replaced by the submission of a certificate at B2 level or above, which will be assessed by the FSci Languages Department. Applicants from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America are not required to take the English language examination. The language certificate, if applicable, must be submitted at the latest together with proof of completion of secondary education.

Applicants who do not obtain a score of at least 50 % in any of the tests will not be admitted.

4.2 Other admission methods

Applicants who meet at least one of the following conditions may be admitted to study without an entrance examination:
 a) Participation at the nationwide round of the secondary school competition (Olympiad) in any of the natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) or Mathematics; the application form must be enclosed with an authorized copy of the document confirming placing;
 b) Participation at the International Field AP (Advanced Placement) examination organised by the College Board with a score of 5-3;
 c) Participation at any Olympiad focused on natural sciences in categories corresponding to the 1st to 4th grade of secondary school who repeatedly (i.e., at least twice) ranked no worse than fifth; the application form must be enclosed with an authorized copy of the document confirming placing;
 d) Participation at the MATEMATIKA + tests organized by the Center for the Evaluation of Educational Outcomes (CERMAT) with a result of 1 to 2;
 e) Achieving a percentile of 70 or better in chemistry and mathematics in tests administered as part of the National Benchmark Examinations or independently administered by SCIO (https://www.scioexams.com) no older than one year.

For admission under (a) - (e) of this Article, the applicant must deliver certified copies of the documents proving that the relevant condition has been met together with the application for waiver of the entrance examination to the Study Department of the Faculty of Science by 30 April 2023.

4.3 Entrance examinations

If the number of applicants exceeds the limit set for individual fields of study in Par. 1, the criteria for admission will be (in descending order):

• Applicants fulfilling the conditions set out in points (a) to (d) of Article 4.2 of this Decision;
• Applicants fulfilling the conditions under point e) of Article 4.2 of this Decision, together with candidates whose score in the entrance examination tests will be at least 70 %, ranked according to the percentile achieved, or the percentage score achieved in the entrance examination;
• Applicants whose score in the entrance examination tests will be less than 70 % but greater than or equal to 50 %, ranked according to the percentage score achieved in the entrance examination; if the entrance examination consists of more than one test, the arithmetic average of the percentages is used.

5. Applicants with special needs

An applicant with special needs (with a disability, chronic illness, or other health problems) has the right to use the support measures and services provided by the university during the entrance examination and, if accepted, also during their study. If they wish to assert this claim, they must select the option YES in the column “Consideration of special needs” in the online application form. After fulfilling all the administrative requirements associated with the application for study they will be contacted by the staff of the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs and acquainted with the next steps. More detailed information can be obtained on the centre's website (www.centrumssp.jcu.cz), by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by telephone (00420 389 036 026). It is also possible to consult with the staff of the centre about the suitability of choice of a study programme before submitting an application for study.

6. Entrance proceedings fee

The admissions fee is CZK 700.
Bank: ČSOB
Account No.: 104725778 / 0300
Identifier used for domestic payments (“Variabilní symbol”): 6020106
Specific code (“Specifický symbol”): the number of the electronic application form generated by the electronic registration system (foreign applicants must also add their name + surname).
The application fee may be paid by the applicant by bank slip, bank transfer, or through the JU payment gateway.

For payments from abroad:
BIC: CEKOCZPP
IBAN: CZ20 0300 0000 0001 0472 5778
Bank: ČSOB

7. Decision of admission/ non-admission

A written decision of admission or non-admission will be sent to every candidate immediately after an evaluation of the overall order of the candidates has been made (late June – early July). If the candidate does not agree with a decision of non-admission for study, they have the right to request that the Dean review the decision, this request is to be submitted to the Dean within 30 days of the decision being delivered. If the Dean refrains from changing the decision, the request is to be passed on for review by the Rector of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The decision of the Rector is final. A request for a review of the decision may only be justified by a statement that there was an incorrect evaluation of the fulfilment of the conditions detailed in Paragraphs 3 and 4. In all other cases, the request for review is considered as unjustified. In order to attain the necessary material for their argument, the candidate has the right to examine the documentation used by the Dean in making the decision. The candidate, however, does not have the right to examine the documentation of the other candidates or the records of the panel.

8. Final provisions

The Czech language version of this Decision is binding for the admission procedure.

These conditions for admission to study on the Bachelor’s study programme of Biological Chemistry at FSci USB were approved by the Academic Senate of FSci USB on 25 November 2023.

České Budějovice, 28 November 2023

prof. RNDr. František Vácha, Ph.D.
Dean of the Faculty of Science USB