Provision of the Dean No.48 On the organization of the Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes at Faculty of Science USB

on 25th October 2011
as amended on 20th August 2024

This Provision arises from the current wording of Act No. 111/1998 Coll. on Universities and on the Amendment and Supplementation of Further Acts (hereinafter “the Act”) in the wording of later regulations and from the Study and Examination Code of University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (hereinafter SEC USB) and specifies the conditions for study at Faculty of Science of the USB (hereinafter FSci). This provision is followed by provisions of the Vice-Dean and further internal regulations, which detail the rules and conditions for study on the Bachelor’s and subsequent Master’s study programmes at FSci USB. The provisions concerning departments are also valid to some extent for other organizational units of FSci USB.

Article 1. Study in Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes

1. General rules for the enrolment in and study of subjects, the granting of credits, and the conduct of examinations are determined by the SEC USB.
2. The content, form, and conditions of examinations in English or other foreign languages are established by a provision of responsible Vice-Deans.
3. The means of organization, provision and implementation of practice, excursions, and training events are established by the subject guarantor; in some eventualities they may be specified by a provision of the head of the relevant department of FSci, or Vice-Dean for pedagogical studies.
4. The placement of first-year students into groups for introductory courses is determined by the Vice-Dean for Study before the beginning of the semester. The student chooses his/her own groups for other courses as part of the enrolment process, unless the course guarantor or the head of the relevant department stipulates otherwise.
5. All study-related requests are submitted via IS STAG. If the application is incomplete or has any other defect, the faculty may request a completion. If completion is not made within fifteen calendar days, the application shall be deferred.
6. The Vice-Dean for Study shall decide on all disputed cases relating to studies and on applications made under the SEC USB and this measure. The student has the right to appeal to the Dean. The decision of the Dean is final unless it is an administrative act. Otherwise, the Rector is the appellate authority issuing the final decision.
7. Enrolment and refining enrolment of individual courses takes place twice a year, always for the relevant semester. Enrolment and refining enrolment are governed by the dates set out in the academic year schedule (academic calendar) for the academic year. Prior to the beginning of the semester, the dean shall establish the recommended minimum number of students for the opening of elective courses in a given semester; compulsory and mandatory elective courses may be opened with a lower enrolment; the final decision to open an elective course with a lower enrolment rest with the head of the department. Students are subsequently informed of the courses to be opened at least three days before the start of the advanced enrolment period by means of a list published in the news on the Faculty's website.
8. The student enrolls in courses in a set structure so that he/she can obtain at least 20 credits each semester by completing the enrolled courses. A student is allowed to enroll in courses with a lower cumulative credit value only if he/she has enrolled in or has previously completed all courses of his/her study plan open in a given semester that remain to fulfill the requirements for proper graduation. A student planning a standard interruption of studies (i.e., for full semesters) does not enroll, but informs the Department of Student Affairs ( hereinafter DSA) in writing of his/her decision at latest fifth day after the enrollment deadline. If the student fails to enroll by the deadline and does not excuse himself/herself within five days and request a change of enrolment date, the student's studies are terminated.
9. Until the end of the 3rd week of the teaching period of the semester, it is possible to cancel the registration of a course at the DSA and to register a new course, if the capacity of its scheduling action allows it. From the 4th week of the semester onwards, in exceptional cases, the Vice-Dean for Study may be asked to change the enrolment of courses only with the approval of the course supervisor. In the context of enrolment changes, cancellation of the enrolment of courses with block teaching ex-post is not permitted.
10. Teachers are obliged to announce at least two regular and two make-up examination dates. In the case of a small number of students (i.e. ≤7) in a course, there may be only three exam dates in total (the middle date is both a regular and a make-up date). It is mandatory to announce the dates in the IS STAG.
11. Teachers Lecturers are obliged to announce at least one regular and two make-up credit dates, unless otherwise specified in the course syllabus no later than in the first week of the teaching period of the semester. Credit dates are not obligatorily entered into IS STAG, but such entry is recommended. Unless the instructor of the course stipulates otherwise with regard to its organisation, the first term of credit is held on the date given in the academic calendar.
12. The student has the right to inspect his/her written work after its correction and classification until the end of the examination period of a given semester, at the time specified by the examiner.
13. The examination in the second make-up term is usually held before a committee appointed by the head of the relevant department of the FSci. At the request of the student, the dean may appoint an examination to be held before the committee on any date.
14. Students of cross-border fields of study are to present their printout from the information system of the partner university by 31 August of the relevant year.
15. The student who does not obtain at least 20 credits in their first semester of Bachelor’s or subsequent Master’s study is to have their study terminated according to § 56 para. b) of the Act.
16. The student who
       a) does not obtain in any four consecutive semesters in total at least 80 credits, semesters being considered consecutive even in the event of the student interrupting their studies, or
       b) even after a second enrollment does not fulfil the requirements of compulsory and compulsory elective subjects

is to have their study terminated. The provision under a) does not apply if the student has completed all the subjects in the study plan.

During the elaboration of the Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis, i.e. after the submission of the tender protocol, the student is required to enroll every semester in the Bachelor’s or Master’s Thesis Practice course at the respective workplace where the qualifying work is assigned. The number of credited internships is to be determined by the study plan of the programme. After their exhaustion, the student is to enroll in an internship with a credit value of zero.

Article 2. Theses

1. The student chooses the topic of the thesis on his/her own or in cooperation with the of his/her study programme guarantor.
2. A student studying two programmes shall produce two qualifying theses, one in each programme. This condition does not apply to combinations of two fields of study - in this case the student will produce one thesis in the field of his/her choice.
3. If the thesis is to include information classified according to a special regulation or on the basis of a contract with a JU partner, the student, in cooperation with the thesis supervisor, shall request the Dean's approval for the use of such information on the form in Annex 2 of this measure. Consent must be obtained by the student no later than 6 months before the planned submission of the thesis. If consent is not granted, the thesis must not contain classified information. The above procedure shall also be used if the contract with the external partner is concluded by an legal entity cooperating with JU in the implementation of the study programme.
4. The thesis may include a manuscript of a publication of which the student is the author or co-author. If the thesis contains a manuscript, the following are also mandatory components of the thesis:
      a) A declaration sheet stating the student's contribution to the acquisition of data for the manuscript and the contribution to the writing of the manuscript, both expressed as a percentage and in words;
      b) A thorough literature review of the topic prepared exclusively by the student.

5. If the student is a citizen of a country sanctioned under a special regulation prohibiting technical assistance, the obligation to publish the full text of the thesis immediately after submission for defense applies.
6. Qualification requirements for thesis supervision are set out in the Dean's Measure D84 as amended.

Article 2.1 Bachelor Thesis

1. Students of bachelor study programmes choose the topic of their bachelor thesis from the first semester, but no later than the end of the examination period of the fourth semester of study[1]. The student is to submit the completed form (Assignment Protocol for the Bachelor’s/Master’s Thesis, which is Annex 1 of this provision) including all the necessary signatures[2] to the DSA, and a copy is to be submitted to the head of the relevant FSci workplace. If the thesis is carried out at a workplace outside the FSCi, the student submits a copy of the assignment protocol together with the original to the DSA.
2. The bachelor's thesis can be a research paper (i.e. a review and evaluation of published works on the given topic) or it can have a classical structure of an experimental thesis (i.e. an introductory review of the basic relevant literature, an experimental part describing materials, methods and procedures, results and discussion, or a conclusion). The bachelor's thesis may be a practically oriented project, especially for professional or educational programmes. The form of the bachelor thesis is specified by the department in which the thesis is carried out.
3. The student shall report on the preparation of the bachelor thesis at least twice during the study, namely:
      a) Students of the Biology programme at the seminar of the supervisor's workplace;
      b) Students of other non-educational programmes at a seminar of the supervisor´s workplace and programme supervisor´s workplace, unless otherwise specified by the programme supervisor[3];
      c) Students of educational study programmes at seminar specified in Measure P7 issued by Vice-Dean for Pedagogical studies.  

Article 2.2 Master’s Thesis

1. In the course of study in the follow-up Master's degree programme, all students choose the topic of their thesis, which may be related to their Bachelor's thesis. Unless the programme curriculum or the head of the department stipulates otherwise, the student chooses the topic of the thesis by the end of the examination period of the first semester of study. The completed form (Bachelor's Thesis/Diploma Thesis Assignment Protocol, which is attached as Annex 1 to this measure), bearing all necessary signatures, is to be submitted by the student to the DSA, with a copy to the head of the supervisor's department at the FSci. If the thesis is solved at a workplace outside the FSci, the student submits a copy of the assignment protocol together with the original to the DSA.
2. The thesis may take the form of a manuscript for a scientific journal accompanied by an extended literature review; the original data may be attached to the thesis as appendices.
3. The student shall report on the preparation of the bachelor thesis at least twice during the study, namely:
      a) Students of non-educational programmes at the seminar of the department of the supervisor and the programme/field[4] guarantor, regardless of the faculty of JU where they prepare their thesis, unless otherwise specified by the programme guarantor;
      b) Students of educational study programmes at seminar specified in Measure P7 issued by Vice-Dean for Pedagogical studies. 

[1] Students of the Biological Chemistry programme choose the topic of their bachelor thesis during the third semester of their studies.

[2] Students on the Biology programme are not required to have their assignment protocol signed by the programme guarantor; students on the study programme/field Biology for Education (double major), respectively of the the Biology programme with a focus on education for secondary schools, are not required to have their assignment protocol signed by the study programme/field guarantor if their thesis is to be written on a biological topic at FSci.

[3] I.e. if the workplace of the supervisor and the programme guarantor is different, the student presents the same presentation twice.

[4] I.e. in case the workplace of the supervisor and the programme guarantor is different, the student presents the same presentation twice. If the programme supervisor or his/her authorised representative attends the presentations at the seminar of the supervisor's workplace, the obligation of two presentations is considered to be fulfilled.

Article 3. State Final Examination

1. The State Final Examination (SFE) consists of a defense of the qualification thesis and an examination in the subject areas, which may consist of individual examinations or a single examination arranged in tiers.
2. Students apply in writing for examinations in the subject areas and for the defense of qualification theses. They must submit a completed application form for the defense of their thesis and/or for the subject area examination at the DSA on the dates specified in the academic calendar for the academic year.
3. The defense of the thesis may take place in a different semester than the examination from the subject areas. Examinations in individual subject areas may not be spread over several semesters, unless otherwise specified by special regulations.
4. Students may take the examination in the subject areas after they have completed the study plan of their programme and have obtained a number of credits equal to sixty times the standard period of study in years, i.e. 180 credits in Bachelor programmes and 120 credits in Master programmes.
5. If the defense of the qualification thesis takes place after the semester in which the student passes the examinations in the subject areas of the SFE, the student will only enroll in the thesis practical part for zero credits.
6. A record of the examination, or part thereof, is made. The chairman shall authorize one of the committee members or another person with the appropriate role for IS STAG to draw it up. The obligatory components of the minutes shall be determined by the measure of the Vice-Dean for Study P8.
7. If the particular parts of the examination are held separately, only the relevant part of the record is filled in by the person specified in paragraph 6, for which he/she is also responsible. The overall grade shall be completed by the registrar of the last part of the examination or by the DSA.

Article 3.1 Examination in the Subject Areas

1. On the application form for the examination in the subject areas of the SFE, the student shall fill in (if relevant for his/her field of study) whether he/she will take the examination orally or in writing. The decision on the option of the written form of the examination in the subject areas is the responsibility of the head of the department providing the course area.
2. Application for an examination in the subject areas may be cancelled by the student in the form of a request to withdraw from the examination at least three weeks before the date of the examination. Later withdrawal is considered an unsuccessful attempt to pass the relevant part of the examination. In justified cases, the Vice-Dean for Study authorize withdrawal from the subject areas SFE without loss of the term in less than three weeks prior to the course.
3. Questions from individual areas of the bachelor's SFE are available on the FSci website in the Studium section or in IS STAG for individual exams (subjects with the code XXX/SYY, where XXX is the department code and SYY is the identifier of the individual exam.
4. The content of the Master's degree subject areas/levels examinations defined by the department guaranteeing the programme and is available on the FSci website or in IS STAG.
5. Members of examination boards for subject areas examinations are appointed by the dean on the proposal of the relevant head of department, programme guarantor or vice-dean. The appointment also includes the appointment of the chairperson of the board.
6. The student is obliged to personally appear at the DSA for the final check of studies at least three working days for study programmes implemented exclusively at the JU or seven working days for cross-border programmes before the examination of the subject areas.
7. The bachelor's SFE of are coordinated by the Vice-Dean for Study in collaboration with department heads.
8. State Master's examinations are provided by the department that guarantees the student's chosen study programme. In the case of teacher education students, the exams from professional subjects are provided by the Centre for Science Education and the department of the Faculty of Education of the JU according to the combination chosen by the student in mutual coordination, and the exams from pedagogical-psychological subjects and didactics of biology by the relevant department of the Faculty of Education.
9. The student is informed of the time and place of the relevant part of the SFE at least five days before the event by e-mail. The information will be sent to the student by the organizing person or department.
10. If the examination in the subjects (subject fields) of the Bachelor’s examination or in subjects (subject fields) or levels of the Master’s examination is classified in certain parts with the grade unsatisfactory it is possible to repeat this examination once only. In such a case, the student is to repeat:
       a) In the case of Bachelor’s state examinations: only the examination in the subject field that was classified with the grade unsatisfactory;
       b) In the case of a Master’s state examination consisting of a single subject field: only the examination in the subject field which was classified with the grade unsatisfactory;
       c) In the case of a Master’s state examination consisting of a single unit organised into separate levels: the complete examination in the given unit.

Article 3.2 Thesis Defense

1. The thesis is submitted in electronic form by uploading it to STAG IS, in the form according to the Measure of the Vice-Dean for Study P5 as amended, before submission for defense. The manuscript of the thesis cannot be withdrawn after it has been registered by the DSA and the date of submission has been marked. This does not affect the student's right to submit a revised version of the thesis in the event of an unsuccessful defense.
2. The student may cancel the application for the defense by requesting to withdraw from the defense at least three weeks before the date of the defense. A late withdrawal is considered an unsuccessful attempt at the defense. In justified cases, the Vice-Dean of Studies may allow withdrawal from a defense without loss of term even less than three weeks before the defense.
3. The defense of the thesis is organized by the department where the thesis was assigned, with the exception of cross-border study programmes, for which the defense is provided by the department of the programme guarantor, as well as the theses from the fields of Teaching for Secondary Schools carried out at a workplace outside the FSci, for which the defense is provided by the Vice-Dean for Pedagogical Studies.
4. The bachelor thesis is assessed by at least one reviewer appointed by the head of the department or by the Vice-Dean for Pedagogical Studies on the proposal of the supervisor.
5. The master thesis is assessed by at least two reviewers appointed by the head of the department, or by the Vice-Dean for Pedagogical Studies on the proposal of the supervisor. It is recommended that one of the referees works at a workplace outside the FSci.
6. The reviews by the supervisor and referee(s) must be available to the student via STAG IS at least three working days before the defense; otherwise, the student has the right to withdraw from the defense without penalty. In this case, the head of department is obliged to organize an alternative date for the defense in the same semester. The head of the department is responsible for the delivery of the reviews by supervisor and the internal opponents.
7. If there is a serious discrepancy in the opinions of the reviewers, the head of the department appoints another reviewer. Article 3.2, paragraph 6 is not affected. All the opponent's evaluations of the thesis shall be considered during the defense. A serious discrepancy is defined as a difference in the evaluation of two grades or higher.
8. The defense of the thesis must take place even if the thesis supervisor or reviewers do not recommend the thesis for defense. In the case of negative opinions, the defense may be cancelled at the request of the student, with the thesis being graded as unsatisfactory.
9. The defense of the thesis is assessed by a committee appointed by the dean on the proposal of the head of the department in which the thesis was assigned. In the event that the department of the programme guarantor and the guaranting department differ, the programme guarantor or a representative of the department of the programme guarantor must also be a member of the committee. The members of the committee are all persons appointed for the defense by the Dean on the proposal of the head of department, including the reviewer(s) and the supervisor. The reviewer shall be a member of the committee; the supervisor and the supervisor-specialist, consultant and supervisor may be non-voting members of the committee. If the reviewers fail to appear for the defense, the grade proposed in the report shall not be included in the final defense grade.
10. The grade of the defense is determined as the arithmetic average of the grades of the individual members of the committee, so that the thesis is classified as excellent if the arithmetic average is lower than 1.50, as very good if the arithmetic average is equal to or higher than 1.50 and lower than 2.50, as good if the arithmetic average is equal to or higher than 2.50 and lower than 3.50, and at the same time if the majority of the committee members voted for the acceptance of the thesis and a failing grade if the arithmetic average is equal to or greater than 3.50 or if at least half of the committee members voted against accepting the thesis. In the event of a tie, the vote of the chair of the committee shall prevail.
11. If, during the course of the defence, there is a concern about the unauthorised use of data, information or texts of a third party, the committee may vote to postpone the announcement of the outcome of the defence. Within seven working days, the chair of the committee shall submit a proposal to the dean to initiate disciplinary proceedings, which shall include materials supporting the suspected disciplinary offence.  The Dean shall review the complaint without undue delay. If he/she agrees with the opinion of the committee, he/she shall submit a proposal to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee to initiate disciplinary proceedings. If he/she does not agree with the opinion, he/she shall inform the student of the grade and have it entered in the student's record. In both cases, the Dean shall also inform the initiator of his/her decision.
12.  If the thesis is classified with a failing grade, the thesis defense may be repeated once after the thesis has been completed/revised.

Article 4. Concluding remarks

1. If there are several language versions of this measure, the Czech version shall be binding in case of conflict.
2. The wording of this Provision valid from 31. 8. 2023 is annulled.
3. This amended wording shall come into effect on 1. 9. 2024.

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

Annexes:

• Annex 1 – application form - Assignment Protocol for a Bachelor’s/Master’s Thesis
• Annex 2 - application form - Request for Consent to the Use of Classified Information
• Annex 3 – application form – State final examination/thesis defense