Habilitation procedures at MU
Habilitation procedures at MU are implemented in accordance with sections 71 and 72 of Act No. 111/1998 on Higher Education Institutions and on the Modification and Amendment of Other Acts (Higher Education Act), and in compliance with 
Rector’s Regulation No. 4/2010 Habilitation procedures and Professor appointment procedures employed by Masaryk University (hereinafter referred to as "Regulation").
Habilitation procedure fees
Masaryk University charges no fee for habilitation procedures. However, some faculties may require an administrative fee associated with habilitation procedure costs. For further information please contact the faculty in question.
Habilitation procedure initiation
The habilitation procedure begins with the submission of a proposal to a dean (in case the relevant field of study is implemented by a faculty) or to the Rector (in case the relevant field of study is implemented by MU). The proposal must be submitted to a faculty or MU office tasked with administering habilitation and professorship procedures.
Requirements for the proposal for habilitation procedure initiation
The proposal for habilitation procedure initiation(see Annex 14 of the Regulation) must contain the following materials documenting the applicant’s scientific or artistic qualifications:
- Structured CV (preferably structured in accordance with CVs found in the MU Information System),
- Certified copies of materials documenting higher education and academic degrees acquired by the applicant (a certified copy may constitute either a notarized copy or a copy certified by a registry office or a written statement by an authorized employee of a faculty or MU office tasked with the administration of habilitation and professorship procedures attesting to the fact that the copy corresponds to the original document; such a statement must be signed and stamped),
- Materials documenting pedagogical experience (see section 5 of article 4 of the Regulation, Annex 1),
- Materials documenting scientific or artistic work and results achieved (see section 6 of article 4 of the Regulation; to be submitted following a request made by a relevant scientific board or of the applicant’s own free will),
- List of scientific, scholarly or artistic works (see section 7 of article 4 of the Regulation, Annex 2),
- List of responses to works listed under scientific, scholarly or artistic works (see Annex 4),
- List of scientific, scholarly or artistic research internships (see section 8 of article 4 of the Regulation),
- Any other materials documenting scientific or artistic qualifications (see section 9 of article 4 of the Regulation, Annex 5),
- Overview of applicant’s scientific, scholarly or artistic works and overview of responses to such works (see table in section 10 of article 4 of the Regulation, Annex 3)
- Habilitation thesis submitted in accordance with section 11 of article 4 of the Regulation, namely in four copies and in electronic version in accordance with letters a) and b) or in four copies according to letter c); in the case of a habilitation thesis submitted in accordance with letter d), the applicant must provide information identifying the work or performance in question).
Course of the habilitation procedure
The course of the habilitation procedure, habilitation board membership and reader appointments must take place in accordance with the provisions of section 72 of the Higher Education Act.
The relevant dean or MU Rector shall submit the applicant’s proposal for habilitation procedure initiation along with a proposal to establish a habilitation board to the faculty or university scientific board, respectively, unless the habilitation procedure has been previously terminated due to formal deficiencies found in the submitted proposal (see section 3, article 5 of the Regulation). The habilitation board consists of five members (three of whom at least areexperts associated with an institution other than MU).
The habilitation board appoints three habilitation thesis readers (two of whom at least are associated with an institution other than MU) who are tasked with preparing written reports assessing the scholarly qualities of a submitted habilitation thesis. The applicant is entitled to access the reports at least two weeks prior to a public session of the scientific board at which he/she is to defend the thesis.
The habilitation procedure includes an applicant’spublic lecture for the benefit of the professional public. The habilitation board selects a lecture topic out of three options proposed by the applicant. Three or more accredited habilitation board members must attend and assess the lecture, subsequently including the resulting assessment in a written report.
The habilitation board evaluates the scholarly, scientific or artistic qualifications of the applicant in the relevant field, his/her previous pedagogical experience and the quality of the habilitation thesis, referring to materials submitted by the applicant, reports supplied by the readers and assessment reports on the applicant’s public lecture. The habilitation board subsequently votes by secret ballot on whether or not the applicant should be nominated for appointment to Associate Professor.
The approved nomination for appointment to Associate Professor is presented to the relevant scientific board by the habilitation board chairperson or board member authorized to do so by the chairperson. In case the nomination fails to receive a simple majority of the votes of all habilitation board members, the habilitation board chairperson or board member authorized by the chairperson presents the relevant scientific board with a proposal for the termination of the habilitation procedure. The scientific board decides by a simple majority of the votes of all members regarding the proposed termination of the procedure. In case the proposal to terminate is refused, the habilitation procedure may continue.
An applicant’s habilitation lecture and habilitation thesis defence (see section 72, subsection 9 of the Higher Education Act) shall take place at a public session of the scientific board. The applicant will be provided with an opportunity to defend his/her habilitation thesis, react to reports and comment on his/her previous scholarly, scientific or artistic and pedagogical achievements. The applicant shall select a habilitation lecture topic so as to ensure that it covers both the characteristics of the field in question and the applicant’s own results and achievements.
In accordance with article 4, section 1, letters a) to i) of the Regulation, the applicant may add information in order to update materials documenting his/her scientific or artistic qualifications, albeit no later than five working days prior to the date scheduled for the faculty or MU scientific board session.
The course of the session on the nomination for appointment to Associate Professor follows rules set by the relevant scientific board; habilitation board members and readers may attend all closed sessions. At the end of the session, the scientific board shall decide by a simple majority of the votes of all members on whether or not the applicant is to be nominated for appointment to Associate Professor. The subsequent procedure is governed by the provisions of section 72, subsections 10 to 14 of the Higher Education Act.
Supplementary information
- List of fields of study at MU accredited for the implementation of habilitation
- List of habilitation procedures at MU and information on them
