Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague
The Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the newest faculties of Charles University. The Faculty was founded in 1990, shortly after the Velvet Revolution. It soon became a regional centre of teaching and research in area studies, economics, international relations, journalism, media studies, sociology and political science. The Faculty offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in social sciences. While the languages of instruction are Czech and English, students can choose from classes in a wide range of other languages, including French, German, Russian and Spanish.
The Faculty enrolls around 4,000 full-time students. Approximately 150 are enrolled in one of the English language degree programs.
Organisation of study
Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences are intended to prepare students for a professional career in the private sector, public administration, national governments, European institutions, academic research or the media. They are divided into three individual cycles:- A bachelor's degree cycle
- A master's degree cycle
- Doctoral studies
Degree programs
- Bachelor in Economics and Finance offers training in mathematics, statistics and econometrics. It covers key fields of economics and finance, mostly through courses surveying recent theory and empirics.
- Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies offers versatile exploration of “the East”, understood as a territory composed of Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula and Post- Soviet areas.
- Central European Comparative Studies focuses on Germany, Austria and the Visegrád Countries with an overlap onto neighboring regions.
- Corporate Finance and Strategy is a two-year English-language Master's double-degree program with the University of Strasbourg aiming at providing students with a broad knowledge and understanding of economic theory with a focus on financial and international economics.
- European Studies focuses on the study of Europe and on the European integration process in all its complexity and variety.
- Geopolitical Studies seeks to explore the dynamic relationship between international politics and human geography, focusing on essential theories, thinkers and regions.
- International Economic and Political Studies offers a multidisciplinary investigation of contemporary political, economic and social issues.
- International Masters in Economy, State and Society in partnership with UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies. The program offers three distinct study tracks, reflecting the unique multidisciplinary expertise of the consortium institutions.
- Master in International Security Studies offers students a tour through security, conflict and strategic studies in the context of international relations.
- Master in Economics and Finance gives the student a thorough grounding in both theoretical and applied economics.
- Public and Social Policy provides students with relevant knowledge of policy-making process and cultivate their analytical skills. The program offers deeper knowledge in concrete policy domains such as social policy, health policy, educational policy, employment policy or others.
- Sociology in European Context is a program designed for international students interested in gaining in-depth knowledge of the state of the present-day field including its theory and research methods.
- Transatlantic Studies aims to provide English speaking students with deep, interdisciplinary knowledge of transatlantic relations since 1945. The program gives a Central European perspective on transatlantic relations.
Other programs
Admissions
The application deadline for English language degree programs is April 15. In general, applications must include: completed application form, copies of all relevant diplomas and transcripts, short academic resume detailing and all relevant qualifications and experience. Students who are not native speakers should include details of any tests of the English language they have taken. Undergraduate students applying to graduate programs must hold a bachelor diploma in a related field of study.Scholarships and funding
- Scholarships for Students from Developing and Transition Countries administered directly by the Faculty of Social Sciences
- Czech Government Scholarships for Developing Countries
- International Visegrad Fund Scholarships
- Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window Lot 3 Scholarships for Students from Israel and Palestine
International mobility
International mobility at the Faculty is mainly based on the European Higher Education Area which is coordinated by the Bologna Process. Its most visible demonstration is the ERASMUS Programme. In addition to the Erasmus Programme, the Faculty participates in other smaller student exchange programs, such as Erasmus Mundus, CEEPUS or AKTION. The Faculty is also intensively developing international cooperation beyond the framework of the European programs. This includes the maintenance of or entering into new cooperation with partner universities in North America, Asia and the Middle East.
Institutes
- Institute of Economic Studies offers education in economics and finance at a level comparable to the leading universities in Europe.
- Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism carries out scientific and research activities in the fields of media studies, journalism, marketing communication and public relations.
- Institute of International Studies focuses on multidisciplinary research and area studies of North America, Europe and Eurasia.
- Institute of Political Studies offers a fully-fledged university education in political science, international relations and security studies.
- Institute of Sociological Studies provides education and develops scientific research in the fields of sociology, social and public policy and social anthropology.
Other parts of the Faculty
- Centre for Media Studies
- Centre for Social and Economic Strategies
- Department of Foreign Languages
- Scientific Information Centre
- Centre for Information Technology
Notable academics and alumni
Academics
- Václav Moravec – one of the most popular and influential Czech journalists; his Sunday political talk show, Otázky Václava Moravce, draws nearly 750,000 viewers each week
- Miroslav Novák – one of the founders of political science in the Czech Republic and a key figure in the field
- Miloslav Petrusek – former Dean of the Faculty; a doyen of Czech sociology
- Lenka Rovná – a recipient of the title Jean Monnet Chair Ad Personam, established by the European Commission to award top professors in European Studies
- Zdeněk Tůma – former Governor of the Czech National Bank
Alumni
- Petr Just – political scientist
- Barbora Kroužková – moderator
- Tomáš Pojar – diplomat, former deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic, Czech ambassador in Israel
- Tomáš Sedláček – economist, Chief Macroeconomic Strategist at ČSOB, the largest Czech bank
- Pavel Žáček – former director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
- Robert Záruba – commentator at Czech Television and lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, in journalism