What will you learn?

The aim of the new doctoral study program Media and Journalism Studies is to mediate key professional knowledge and skills in the field of media and journalism studies. Graduates will get a deep theoretical insight into the subject matter of their dissertation. They will also acquire expertise and deepen their skills in media-science research methods. During the course of study, they will partake in compulsory foreign academic internships and optional internships (i.e. in media organizations, analytical agencies, etc.). The graduate will be prepared not only for further academic careers in the field (for example, as a university lecturer, researcher, member of international research teams), but also for media-science research careers in practice (for example, as an analyst focused on the research of online media users, and on the monitoring of mediated topics, such as being the head of research teams and analytical departments of media houses, or as analyst-managers) and in the management of media organizations.

The program also takes into account the results of internal research conducted in 2016 by the Department of Media Studies and Journalism among Master’s degree graduates. This research has shown that graduates, due to their experience in media practices, recommend an increased program emphasis on internationalization, greater theoretical depth and breadth of knowledge and related research/analytical skills, and stronger skillsets regarding their ability to engage in public debates on the Czech media landscape, as well as pursue domestic and foreign grant projects.

Career opportunitites 

The primary sphere of graduate employment is the academic sphere, both domestic (where the graduates of doctoral programs are a major source of personal reproduction of the domestic field community) and foreign. In the domestic context, there is a lack of high-quality graduate students in doctoral studies, the result of which is an scholarly community somewhat (and atypically) saturated by graduates within adjacent academic disciplines (sociology, political science, psychology).

 In relation to non-academic career paths and to the employability of graduate students in the field of Media and Journalism studies in the private sphere and public and state institutions, the following options are offered for PhD students: 

The media and communications services markets in the Czech Republic and public and political figures need doctoral graduates of media and journalism programs focused on the research of media, media audiences and online and mobile technology users; graduates with such expertise and analytical/methodological capabilities can enable agents involved in the production of media content and services to respond strategically to social and technological changes that rapidly and dramatically transform this realm. 

The emergence of new (digital, network and mobile) media is a major challenge for the media industry and the public and political sphere associated with the growing need for media analysts in the field of media studies. The entry of new media into the audio-visual sector and reporting on one hand, and into the sphere of public, political and commercial communication on the other, is linked to a distinct and ever-increasing transformation of media audiences' behavior and the fragmentation and individualization of the production and economic strategies of broadcasters and content producers. Therefore, a systematic understanding of this transformation, and, hence, the ability to adequately respond to it, cannot be done without the analysis of both media audiences and their actions and the content they consume. The need for experienced analysts is growing at the same time not only for the media industry, but also for data and communication service providers who, while having vital data packages mapping their users' behavior, are actually unable to interpret this data in a more sophisticated and plausible manner without collaboration with media experts.

Admission requirements

Dates for submitting an e-application: 1 January 2022 – 30 April 2022
Dates for inserting supporting documents to the e-application: 1 January 2022 – 31 May 2022
Date of Entrance examination: 23 June 2022
Minimum score for being accepted: 60 points (out of 100)
Supporting documents:
 

Outline of the proposed dissertation project
Curriculum Vitae / Resume
Consent of the future supervisor
Copy of master's degree certificate or proof of current studies
List of publications and papers (if available)
Proof of English - minimum B2 level (optional; compulsory only for those who cannot participate personally in the entrance exam)
 

Those who cannot participate in the entrance exam in person have to provide additionally 2 Letters of Recommendation. They must be sent by the referees themselves to our e-mail or mail contacts.

For being accepted, it is necessary to obtain the formal recognition of prior education in the Czech Republic. See the PhD admission website for further information.
Important information: https://1url.cz/@doctoral

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