Rules for Rigorous Proceedings
at the Faculty of Science
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice

as amended on 20.12.2023

Article 1. General provisions

1. These Regulations are based on the valid wording of Act No. 111/1998 Coll. on Higher Education and on Amendments and Supplements to Other Acts (hereinafter referred to as "the Act") as amended and the Study and Examination Regulations of University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (hereinafter referred to as SER USB) and specify the conditions for rigorous examinations at FSci USB.
2. Successful graduates of the rigorous proceedings are to be awarded the academic degree of "Doctor of Natural Sciences" (abbreviated to "RNDr." before their name) or "Doctor of Philosophy" (abbreviated to "PhDr." before their name).
3. The fields of study in which it is possible to conduct rigorous proceedings at the Faculty of Science of USB and the academic degrees awarded are listed in Appendix 1 of these Regulations. At the same time, the rigorous proceedings may be held only in the same field of education in which the candidate has successfully completed his/her Master's degree.
4. The professional level of the State Rigorous Examination is guaranteed by the organising department of FSci USB.

Article 2. Submission of an Application for the Rigorous Examination

1. A candidate who meets the condition of 46, Paragraph 5 of the Act, i.e. he/she has obtained or will have obtained the academic degree of "Master" before the rigorous examination, is to submit an application for the state rigorous examination to the Department of Student Affairs. The application is to be made using the form attached as Annex 2 to these Regulations and available at the Department of Student Affairs and on the Faculty's website. Along with other requirements, the candidate is to indicate in the application form the field of study in which he/she will take the rigorous examination. 
2. Along with the application, the applicant is to submit a certified copy of the proof of successful completion of the Master's degree^[1] and relevant documents listed in Article 2 of Provision of the Vice-Dean for Studies P5. If the candidate is to take the State Rigorous Examination at the same time as the Master's State Examination, the Department of Student Affairs is to additionally add a copy of the Master's diploma to the application form.
3. After submitting the application form, the candidate is to enter the rigorous thesis into IS STAG where he/she is to pay the fee for the rigorous proceedings. The amount of the fee is set by Provision of the Dean D78 as amended.
4. If the rigorous thesis does not meet the prescribed formal requirements, the Department of Student Affairs is to require that the candidate remedies the insufficiency. The corrected thesis is to be submitted within 15 calendar days.
5. If the thesis submitted by a student completing the relevant Master's programme at FSci USB meets all the requirements for a rigorous thesis (thus significantly exceeding the requirements for a Master’s thesis), the student may submit it simultaneously as a rigorous thesis. The obligation to submit an application for the State Rigorous Examination under Article 2, Paragraph 2 of these Regulations is not to be affected.
6. If any of the submitted documents suffer from an insufficiency, the candidate is to be required to remedy it and the rigorous proceedings are not to be initiated.

Article 3. Rigorous Theses

1. Only an original scientific thesis addressing the problems of the field of study in which the candidate is applying to take the State Rigorous Examination, e.g. based on the results of a Master's thesis, is to be submitted to FSci USB as a Rigorous Thesis.
2. The thesis may take the form of:
      a) at least one article published or verifiably accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed professional journal or book, supplemented with the elements according to Provision of the Vice-Dean for Studies P5 as amended;
      b) a rigorous thesis of at least 20 pages in the form specified by Provision of the Vice-Dean for Studies P5 as amended. The candidate is to consult the relevant department in advance on the specifics of the thesis, such as citation style. Communication with the candidate’s department may be arranged by the Department of Student Affairs.
3. If the article used for the rigorous proceedings has been published in a journal that has achieved an impact factor of 0.3 or higher at least once in the last 4 years, an opponent's rebuttal of the thesis is to be waived. In the case of another scientific publication, the thesis is to be submitted to two opponents. Opponents are to be appointed by the Dean on the recommendation of the Head of Department.
4. In the case of multiple authors, the applicant does not necessarily have to be the first author of the paper; however, his/her contribution to the publication must be significant and is evidenced by a signed statement from at least one co-author with a dominant authorial contribution to the paper (usually the first or corresponding author). The applicant's contribution to a multi-authored publication is always to be indicated as a percentage, accompanied by a narrative statement. The personal contribution of the applicant to the submitted publication is to be further assessed by the examination committee.

Article 4. Guaranteeing the State Rigorous Examination

1. After receiving the documents according to Article 2 of these Regulations, entering the thesis into IS STAG, and paying the fee, the Department of Student Affairs is to inform the Head of the Department.
2. The Head of Department or his/her authorised representative is to propose the composition of the Committee and the Chairperson of the Committee for the State Rigorous Examination to the Dean. The Defence Committee is normally to be identical to the Knowledge Examination Committee; if the thesis is subject to an opponent procedure, the Committee is to be extended by two opponents with voting rights. Only professors, associate professors, and experts approved for the Master's or Doctoral State Final Examination by the Faculty's Scientific Council may be members of the State Examination Committee. Co-authorship of publications that are part of the submitted rigorous thesis is incompatible with membership of the Committee. The Committee is to have 5-9 members, at least 1 of whom must not be a USB employee. The proposal is to be submitted by the candidate’s department well in advance of the expected date of the State Examination and the membership of the Committee is to be discussed with those proposed; the date and place of the examination is to be determined by the organising department at the same time as the proposal for the composition of the Committee is submitted. On the basis of the proposal of the department, the Dean is to appoint the members and the Chairperson of the Committee for the State Rigorous Examination. He/she is to inform the institute of his/her decision. At the discretion of the Head of Department or his/her authorised representative (or the Chairperson of the Examination Board), the Department for Student Affairs is to inform the members of the Committee of their appointment and the candidates of the composition of the Examination Committee and the date and place of the examination (at the latest two weeks before the examination).
3. The State Rigorous Examination is to be administered by the Department of Student Affairs (registration of the application, sending of appointment letters, and other administrative tasks as determined by the Head of the Department or a person authorised by him/her). Organisationally and technically (room and other requirements), the examination is to be organised by the department according to the field of the Rigorous Examination and the focus of the Rigorous Thesis, in cooperation with the State Examination Committee.
4. If the Rigorous Thesis is subject to an opposed proceedings, the opinions of opponents are to focus in particular on the assessment of the overall significance and contribution of the thesis and, in the case of a multi-authored publication, on the declared contribution of the candidate to the thesis. The form opinion of the opponents is determined by the department organising the examination. The opposing opinion(s) must be received by the candidate at least five working days before the defence.

Article 5. Course of the State Rigorous Examination

1. The State Rigorous Examination consists of a knowledge part and a defence of the Rigorous Thesis; both parts and the announcement of the result are public. The Chairperson of the Examination Committee shall preside over the examination. A written record of the examination is to be made in IS STAG in accordance with Provision of the Vice-Dean P8 as amended.
2. The State Rigorous Examination may be directly related to the State Master's Examination. After successful completion of the oral part of the State Master's Examination, i.e. the examination of the subject areas and the defence of the Master's thesis, the candidate is to be asked separate questions pertaining to the State Rigorous Examination, and the Committee is also to assesses whether the submitted work meets the requirements for a rigorous thesis. The candidate may take the Rigorous State Examination only if he or she has successfully passed the Master's State Examination.
3. The State Rigorous Examination may also take the form of an extended debate of the State Doctoral Examination or an extended debate within the framework of the dissertation defence.
4. In the knowledge part, the candidate is expected to have a deeper knowledge of the field of the State Examination and its broader scientific basis. In verifying and assessing the candidate's knowledge, the Committee is to take into account both the candidate's factual knowledge and his or her inventiveness and ability to work creatively. The result of the examination is to be decided by secret ballot. At least five members of the Committee must be present and a simple majority of votes is required. In the event of a tie, the vote of the Chairman of the Committee is to prevail. The examination is to be graded 'pass' or 'fail'.
5. At least five members of the committee, and in the case of an opposed proceedings the opponents, must be present at the defence. Their presence is necessary in the event of a negative evaluation of the Rigorous Thesis. The Chairperson of the Committee is to introduce the candidate, who is then to summarise the results of his/her work within a maximum of 20 minutes. The opponents (if appointed) are to comment on the thesis; the candidate may respond to the comments individually or in summary. If written comments have been received from other persons, they are to be read out by the Chairperson of the Committee. A discussion is then to take place. A closed meeting of the Committee is to follow, at which the opponents shall also participate with the right to vote. The success of the defence is to be decided by secret ballot and a simple majority is to prevail. In the event of a tie, the vote of the Chairman of the Committee is decisive. The defence of the thesis is to be graded 'pass' or 'fail'.
6. The documentation of the examination is governed by Provision of the Vice-Dean P8 as amended.
7. A failed examination may be repeated once in the same field. If one part of the State Rigorous Examination is not passed and the other part is passed, only the part in which the candidate failed is repeated. At least two members of the Committee must be changed for a re-examination and, in the case of a re-examination due to failure to defend an opposed rigorous thesis, the opponents as well. Otherwise, the procedure is the same as for the first examination.
8. A candidate has passed the State Rigorous Examination when he/she has obtained the classification "pass" in both parts of the examination.
9. The degree diploma is to be issued within one month of successful completion of the State Rigorous Examination.

Article 6. Final Provisions

1. Later updates of the annexes to these Regulations shall take effect on the date of publication on the Faculty's website.
2. In any case of conflict with a version of these Regulations in another language, the Czech version is to be binding.

prof. RNDr. František Vácha, Ph.D.
Dean                     

Appendixes:

Appendix 1 - list of fields in which rigorous proceedings may be held
Appendixes 2 - application form for rigorous proceedings

^[1] Applicants who have completed a Master's degree at USB do not have to prove their education.