D48 - On the organization of the Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes at FSci USB

on 25th October 2011 as amended on 28th February 2021

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 FSci USB. 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 and institutes (hereinafter “workplaces”) are also valid to some extent for other organizational units of FSci USB. 

Article 1. Study on the Bachelor’s and subsequent Master’s study 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 Rules for Study and Examinations of USB.
2. The content, form, and conditions of examinations in English or other foreign languages are established by a provision of the Vice-Dean.
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 workplace of FSci.
4. The division of first year students into groups for introductory subjects prior to the beginning of the semester is determined by the Vice-Dean. The classification is published on the Faculty website. Groups within the framework of other studies are to be chosen by the students themselves during enrolment, or further enrolment, unless the subject guarantor or head of the relevant department determines otherwise.
5. All disputed cases concerning study and applications according to SEC USB and this provision are to be decided by the Vice-Dean for Study. The student has the right to appeal to the Dean.
6. Enrolment and further enrolment for individual subjects are to take place twice per year, and always for the corresponding semester. Enrolment and further enrolment are to take place within the dates established by the academic calendar for the given academic year. Before the beginning of the semester, the Dean is to establish the recommended minimum number of students for the opening of elective subjects in the given semester; compulsory and elective compulsory subjects may be opened even in the event of smaller numbers of enroled students; the final decision on the opening of elective subjects with lower numbers of enroled students is to be made by the head of the workplace. Students are then to be informed of the open subjects at least three days before the start of advanced enrolment through a list published in the news on the Faculty's website.
7. The student is to enrol for subjects within the established structure so that they gain a minimum of 20 credits for each semester by completing the selected subjects. The student is permitted to enrol for subjects with a lower sum of credit value only in the event of the student having enroled in or previously completing all of the subjects on their study plan available in the given semester which remain for them to fulfil the conditions for the regular completion of study. The student who is planning to interrupt their studies is not to enrol but is to inform the Department of Student Affairs in writing of their decision. In the event of a student not enroling by the established date and failing to justify this and to apply for a change in the enrolment date within 5 days, their studies will be terminated.
8. By the end of the third week of the teaching period of the semester, it is possible to cancel enrolment in subjects and enrol in new subjects, provided the capacity of the given group allows it. From the fourth week of the semester onwards, it is possible in exceptional circumstances to apply for a change in the enroled subjects to the Vice Dean, but only with the approval of the guarantor of the relevant subject. The fee for a change in enrolment is established by Provision of the Dean D 69 on the Fee Amount for Non-obligatory Administrative Tasks. Within changes in enrolment, it is not permitted to cancel enrolment in ongoing classes with block teaching.
9. Teaching staff are obliged to announce two regular and two retake examination dates. In the event of a small number of students taking the subject, there may be a total of only three examination dates (the middle date being both a regular and a retake date).
10. The student has the right, at a time established by the examining member of staff, to view their own written work after its correction and grading up to the end of the exam period of the given semester.
11. Second retake examinations usually take place before a panel nominated by the head of the FSci workplace guaranteeing the subject. At the student’s request, the Dean may require that any examination be held before a panel.
12. After the end of the examination period of the summer semester the student is required within the deadline specified in the academic calendar to deliver a hand-signed copy of enrolment form A printed from IS STAG to the study department with all grades and credits filled in. Delivery may take place in person, by post, or by e-mail by sending a scanned document from the student's school e-mail address. The dates of this checking are to be found in the academic calendar of the given academic year. Students of cross-border fields of study are to present their printout from the information system of the partner university by 15 November of the relevant year. Students in their first year of Bachelor’s and subsequent Master’s study are also required to present enrolment form A at the Department of Student Affairs after the end of the first semester of study within the term given by the academic calendar.
13. 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. Students on the Bachelor’s study programme are to obtain the declared number of credits from compulsory and compulsory elective subjects.
14. The student who
    1. 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
    2. even after a second enrolment does not fulfil the requirements of compulsory

and compulsory elective subjects, is to have their study terminated.

15. 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 enrol 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 enrol in an internship with a credit value of zero.
    
    

Article 2. Bachelor’s Theses

1. Students on the Bachelor’s study programme may elect the theme of their Bachelor’s thesis between their first semester and the end of their fourth year of study[1] at the latest. The student is to submit the completed form (Assignment Protocol for the Bachelor’s/Master’s Thesis, which is Attachment 1 of this provision) including all the necessary signatures[2] to the Department of Student Affairs, and a copy is to be submitted to the head of the relevant FSci workplace.
2. The Bachelor’s thesis may be in the form of research (i.e., an overview and critical analysis of works published on the assigned theme) or may be structured as a typical research paper (i.e., an introductory overview of basic relevant literature, experimental part describing materials, methods, techniques, and results, a discussion of the results, and a conclusion). The Bachelor’s thesis may be (especially when regarding a vocational Bachelor’s field) in the form of a practically focused project. The format of the Bachelor’s thesis is to be specified by the FSci workplace at which the thesis was assigned.
3. The student is to report on the course of the elaboration of the Bachelor's thesis at least twice during the study, namely:
   1. for students of the biology programme: at the seminar of the supervisor's
      workplace.
   2. for students of other programmes: at the seminar of the workplace of the

supervisor and the guarantor of the programme/field[3].

4. If the work is to include information classified according to a special regulation or on the basis of a contract with a partner of USB, the student, in cooperation with the supervisor, is to request the Dean's consent to use this information on the form in Annex 2 of this Provision. The student is to obtain consent no later than 6 months before the scheduled submission of the thesis. Unless consent is given, the work is not to contain classified information. This procedure is to be used even if the contract with an external partner is concluded by an organization cooperating with USB for the implementation of the study programme.
   
   
5. The Bachelor's thesis is submitted in electronic form, in the form set by the Provision of the Vice-Dean for Study P5 as amended.
6. A student studying two Bachelor's study fields is to prepare two Bachelor's theses, one in each field. This condition does not apply to a combination of two fields for education - in such a case the student will prepare one thesis in the field of his choice.
7. The defence of the thesis is to be arranged by the workplace at which the thesis was assigned, except for cross-border study programmes, for which the workplace of the programme guarantor is to arrange the defense. The​ Bachelor’s thesis is assessed by an opponent nominated by the head of the relevant workplace. If there is serious disagreement between the supervisor and the opponent on the assessment of the Bachelor’s thesis, the head of the workplace is to nominate a second opponent. The provisions of Article 2, para. 10 are not affected by this. During the defence, the assessment of both opponents is taken into consideration. The thesis defence is assessed by a panel nominated by the Dean at the proposal of the head of the workplace at which the thesis was assigned. In the case of cross-border study programmes, a member of the commission is also obliged to represent the workplace at which the work was elaborated if this is different from the workplace of the guarantor.
8. The members of the panel for the defence are to be nominated by the Dean at the recommendation of the head of the workplace, including the opponent/s and supervisor. Opponents are to be members of the panel and the supervisor specialist/consultant is to be a member of the panel with no voting rights. In the event of an opponent not attending the defence, the grade proposed in the evaluation is not to be included in the final grade.
9. The grade awarded for the defence is established as an arithmetic mean of the grades awarded by individual members of the panel in such a way that the thesis is awarded with the grade of excellent if the arithmetic mean is lower than 1.50; with the grade of very good if the arithmetic mean is exactly 1.50 or higher, and lower than 2.50; with the grade of good if the arithmetic mean is exactly 2.50 or higher, and lower than 3.50 and as long as a majority of the panel vote for accepting the thesis (i.e. they did not award a grade of unsatisfactory); with the grade unsatisfactory if the arithmetic mean is exactly 3.50 or higher, and at least half of the panel are against accepting the thesis.
10. The student must receive the evaluation of the opponents at least three days before the defence; if this condition is not met, the student has the right to withdraw from the defence. In this event the head of the workplace is to organise an alternative date for the defence within the given semester.
11. The defense of the Bachelor's thesis must take place even if the opinion of the thesis supervisor or the opponents does not recommend the thesis to be defended. In the case of negative assessments, the defense may be canceled at the student's request, since the thesis has been classified as unsatisfactory.
12. If the Bachelor's thesis is classified with the grade of unsatisfactory, the defence of the thesis may be repeated only once after supplementation/correction of the thesis.

Article 3. Master’s Thesis

1. In the course of the subsequent Master's study programme, the student is to select the topic of their Master's thesis, which may continue that of their Bachelor's thesis. Unless the study plan of the programme or the head of the department stipulates otherwise, the student is to choose the topic of the thesis in their first semester. The student is to submit the completed form (Master's Thesis Application Form, which is Attachment 1 of this Provision) including all necessary signatures to the Department of Student Affairs, and a copy to the head of the supervisor´s workplace at FSci. The student is to present their Master's thesis as work in progress at a seminar of the workplace of the supervisor and guarantor of the programme/field[4] at least twice per study regardless of which USB faculty the thesis is elaborated at.
2. The Master's thesis may take the form of an article for a scientific journal supplemented by an extended literary review; the original data may be attached to the thesis as an appendix. The Master's thesis is to be submitted in electronic form, in the format of copies established by the Provision of the Vice-Dean for Study P1 in its current wording. The student who studies two fields on the subsequent Master’s programme is to write two diploma theses, one in each field. This condition does not apply to the combination of two fields in Secondary School Teaching - in this case, the student will complete one thesis in the field of their choice.
3. If the work is to include information classified according to a special regulation or based on a contract with a partner of USB, the student, in cooperation with the supervisor, is to request the Dean's consent to use this information on the form in Annex 2 to this measure. The student must obtain this consent no later than 6 months before the planned submission of the work. Unless consent is given, the work must not contain classified information. This procedure is to be used even if the contract with an external partner is concluded by an organization cooperating with USB for the implementation of the study programme.
4. The defence of the Master’s thesis is to be arranged by the FSci workplace at which the thesis was assigned with the exception of cross-border study programmes, for which the workplace of the programme guarantor is to arrange the defense. The head of the appropriate workplace is to nominate two opponents and propose a panel to assess the thesis, which is then to be nominated by the Dean. In the case of cross-border study programmes, a representative of the workplace at which the work was elaborated is also to be an obligatory member of the commission, if this workplace is different from that of the guarantor. The members of the panel are viewed in the same manner as in the defence of the Bachelor's thesis – see Article 2, para. 8. Grades arising from the defence are awarded in the same manner as in the defence of the Bachelor's thesis – see Article 2, para. 9.
5. The student must receive the evaluation of the opponents at least three days before the defence; if this condition is not met, the student has the right to withdraw from the defence. In this event the head of the workplace is to organise an alternative date for the defence within the given semester.
6. The defense of the diploma thesis must take place even if the decision of the thesis supervisor or the opponents is to not recommend the thesis to be defended. In the case of a negative assessment, the defense may be canceled at the student's request, since the thesis has been being classified as unsatisfactory.
7. If the Master's thesis is classified with the grade of unsatisfactory, the defence of the thesis may be repeated only once after supplementation/correction of the thesis.

Article 4. State Final Examinations

1. The state final examination (hereinafter, SFE) at the Bachelor's level of study comprises the defence of the Bachelor's thesis, and examinations from the subject areas. Questions from individual subject areas are available on the USB web pages in the section entitled Student. The SFE at the Master's level of study comprises the defence of the Master's thesis and examinations from subject areas, or one examination arranged into individual levels for the state Master's examination. The levels of the state Master’s examination are to be defined by the workplace guaranteeing the field.
2. The examinations of subject areas and the defence of the qualifying thesis may be completed in the same semester or separately.
3. The student is to apply for the state Bachelor‘s and Master’s examinations and for the defence of the Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in writing. The student is to submit the completed application form for the defence of the Bachelor’s, respectively Master’s, thesis for the subject area exam to the Department of Student Affairs within the dates listed in the academic calendar for the given academic year. The formal layout of the thesis or any other documents to be submitted when applying for the defense is established by the Provision of the Vice-Dean for Study P5 on the Submission of Bachelor’s and Master’s Theses at FSci USB. Before the submission, the students are obliged to upload the electronic version of their qualifying work onto IS STAG. On the application form for the examination in the subject fields of the SFE, the student is to state (if it is relevant in their study field) whether they will sit the examination in the subject fields of the SFE orally or in writing. The decision to permit a written form of examination in the subject fields of the SFE is the responsibility of the head of the workplace guaranteeing the subject field. The student may cancel their application for the examination in the subject fields of the SFE by requesting to be allowed to withdraw from the examination at least three weeks prior to the date on which it is to be held.  A later withdrawal is assessed as an unsuccessful attempt to complete the relevant parts of the SFE. In legitimate cases, the Vice-Dean may allow withdrawal from the SFE in the subject fields or the defence without the student forgoing the date and in a period shorter than three weeks prior to the date on which they are to be held. Withdrawal from the defence of a qualification thesis is possible only in justified cases based on a request to the Vice-Dean for studies. The manuscript of the qualification thesis after its registration by the Department of Student Affairs and the record of the date of submission cannot be withdrawn. This does not affect the student's right to submit a revised version of their thesis in the case of an unsuccessful defence.
4. The state Bachelor's examinations in the biology study fields, namely Biology, Biomedicine Laboratory Technology, Environmental Care, and Biology for Education are to be organised by the Vice-Dean for Study; state Bachelor’s examinations in other study fields are to be organised by the workplace which guarantees the given study field.
5. The state Master’s examination is organised by the workplace that guarantees the study programme selected by the student. In the case of students of Education, the examinations in the specialised subjects are organised by the FSci workplace according to the combination selected by the student in mutual coordination; examinations in pedagogical-psychological subjects, and didactics of Biology are organised by the relevant departments at the Faculty of Education.
6. 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:
   1. in the case of Bachelor’s state examinations: only the examination in the subject field that was classified with the grade unsatisfactory;
   2. 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;
   3. 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 5. Final provisions

1. The wording of this Provision valid from 14. 7. 2020 is annulled.
2. This amended wording was approved by the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Science of USB on 28. 2. 2021
3. This amended wording shall come into effect on 15 March 2021.

prof. Ing. Hana Šantrůčková, CSc.
Dean of the Faculty of Science USB

Attachments (in the student form section):

• 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

[1] Students on the Biological Chemistry programme are to choose the topic of their Bachelor's thesis during their third year of study.
[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. in a case of the workplace of the supervisor and the guarantor of the programme being different, the student is to make the same presentation twice.
[4] i.e. in a case of the workplace of the supervisor and the guarantor of the programme being different, the student is to make the same presentation twice.