A scholarship instead of a salary, a degree, and a mindset which will help you succeed in life? Yes!
Many of you may know doctoral students as teachers in your seminars, or supervisors of your bachelor’s thesis. For others they are colleagues, novice scientists, half students, half academics.
The alpha and omega are the choice of topic and the relationship between the doctoral student and the supervisor. In the words of Zlatica Konôpková, one of our doctoral students: “It’s imperative to pursue a topic that interests you and not to base your choice solely on the supervisor, since, in the end, it will be you who will be doing the research into the topic – not the supervisor. I recommend agreeing on a clear set of rules and on the form of collaboration right at the beginning and sticking to them throughout.” While a master’s thesis supervisor “only” consults the thesis with you, a dissertation supervisor can become a doctoral student’s guide and mentor – a colleague sharing their experience. That is why the choice of the person you will be cooperating with on your doctoral thesis should not be underestimated. “It is important to choose a topic that appeals to you and to be a good fit with the supervisor. When choosing the supervisor, make sure that they are a personality fit as well as a fit for your style of work,” adds Michal Jirásek, a doctoral-studies graduate who now teaches at our faculty.
Subjects which you have to pass as a doctoral student only appear in the first year. From the second year on, your main activity will be research – reading books and articles, discussing ideas with your supervisor and colleagues, writing papers for conferences, or managing your own project with its own, albeit small, budget. That was also one of Michal’s activities during his studies: “Working on your own project is a wonderful and valuable experience – you learn by doing. For each project, it is clearly defined what exactly the money can be spent on, so you need to think carefully about how to allocate it. You learn to plan your work ahead. You encounter administration and bureaucracy, which is something that is omnipresent in life. The project allowed me to delve deeper into the topic of my thesis; I could plan conference visits and collaboration with other team members. Moreover, when the deadline is hanging over you like the sword of Damocles, it forces you to concentrate on your work harder, which definitely helps with developing your dissertation.”
As part of the doctoral studies you travel, gain experience at conferences, and develop into an expert. But most importantly, you’re never alone in your endeavours. As a full-time doctoral student, you are a part of your department’s team – you are surrounded by other doctoral students and academics who you can talk to about anything. The vast resources of the library, electronic sources, and databases are also at your disposal. (And if something you need is missing, you can use your project budget to get it.)
As a full-time doctoral student, you are entitled to a gradually increasing scholarship for the whole four years of your studies. Travel expenses connected with conferences can be financed through mobility programme scholarships. If your article is published in a scholarly journal, you can receive a motivational scholarship. You are also entitled to additional financial reward, based on the terms of an employment contract, for teaching and fulfilling your duties in the department satisfactorily. You will definitely not suffer any hardship with us. Michal confirms that: “I call doctoral studies ‘a venture with a secure income.’ You have a reasonable basis, and if you’re smart, you can find opportunities for additional income – teaching, joining projects, and many others.”
It is true that you cannot avoid teaching in doctoral studies because that is something that you should become familiar with as a potential future academic. This is how Zlatica describes her experience: “I personally enjoyed teaching because when you prepare properly it might be even more beneficial for you than for the students. New patterns will emerge from the familiar and your presentation skills will improve.”
Michal is of the same opinion. Before his doctoral studies, he had no idea how much he could enjoy teaching. “Teaching is good experience also for scientists – you learn to present complex ideas in a simple and fun way. You never know if you’ll enjoy it before you try. In addition, there is no commitment to teach many lessons a week. You can arrange what suits you.”
Teaching is just one piece of the whole mosaic of skills – even if you don’t stay at a faculty, ours or a different one, after you obtain your degree, the ability to lecture, present, engage an audience, give assignments and feedback or to lead a group of people will be useful in any job. “The ability to explain to others what you want them to do and give meaningful tasks – those are skills that can be used in any communication, not only in the academic context,” Michal adds.
Completing the doctoral studies and receiving the PhD degree doesn’t automatically mean that you become a scientist and a university teacher. It is just one of the possibilities. If research and discovering new patterns or connections absorb you so much that you wish to pass them on to others, that decision is completely up to you. Alternatively, you might want to develop your research by starting a collaboration with a company, a government authority, a bank, or another institution, where you could decide to work after finishing your studies. Your future employer will appreciate your mindset, problem-solving skills, and way of presenting results whether you’ll be employed in the field of your study or not.
Like with any other studies, you need to choose a field of study and file an application. But beware, it is a bit more complicated than just clicking on “study programme.” As mentioned above, first you need to find a topic that interests you, and a supervisor who will help you develop that topic in your thesis. For that is the primary activity of doctoral studies: discovering, inventing, searching, experimenting, defending, and communicating the progress and findings of your research.
Look at the doctoral study programmes we offer, where you can also choose your future supervisor, and at how to apply. Applications can be filed until 31 May, 2021.
Ask your supervisor, your departmental study advisor, your assistant for studies from the study department, or contact the doctoral studies coordinator. Be active and don’t be afraid to take your future at this faculty into your own hands. Your hard work in doctoral studies will definitely pay off and we believe they will exceed your expectations.
“I recommend considering what you expect the doctoral studies to bring you. If your first answer is ‘a degree’, you probably shouldn’t apply. However, if you would like to discover new things and want to spread knowledge further, definitely go ahead. Doctoral studies are demanding – stamina, commitment, and often even self-denial will be necessary, but if you overcome all that, your reward will be many wonderful experiences, widened horizons and improved abilities. And, as a bonus, you will prolong your youth! 😊 ”
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