There are three categories of courses - compulsory, elective and optional. Elective courses are devided into 5 groups, in which you choose only some of them according to your individual preference. There are certain rules applied to each category - concerning enrollment and repetition of courses. The following categories of study plan SHVAJ19 (for students who began their studies in year 2019 and later) are explained below.
The compulsory courses are given by the study plan and are always enrolled by the secretary before the beginning of each semester. There is a time limit to complete them by the end of the following academic year. I.e. if you do not complete the course the first time (using up three attempts), you will be enrolled in it a second time in the following academic year (again with another three attempts).
If you wish to attend a course in any different term than is recommended by the study plan, you must email the secretary of the programme during the course enrollment period to request a different enrollment (e.g. you wish to enroll in course earlier or later).
These courses usually require attendance. The exceptions are Comprehensive Exams and Proficiency in Academic English, which are based solely on home preparation and possible consultation with teachers.
These are the courses in which you can enroll by yourself according to your preferences. Altogether there are five groups of these subjects. Within each group, you choose courses according to your preferences, always in order to obtain the number of credits required within that group.
Unlike compulsory courses, you enroll in them on your own and you can even enroll in them more than once if you fail them.
You have to choose one of the parallel according to the field in which you are planning to write your thesis. The recommended year for enrollment in these courses is third year – the year in which you are planning to submit the thesis.
You have to pass at least two of these courses whenever during your study. However it´s recommended to pass all three of them during the first and second year.
If you are native English speaker, you need to pass Communication Skills in Czech. If you are non-native English speaker, you need to pass Competence in English. There is no specific time limit for that, you should pass it till the end of your study. Both courses are exams based on home preparation and consultation with teachers. However you can enroll in one of the courses (for examle Czech language for beginners etc.) which can help you with the preparation.
You choose these courses according to your preferences. The minimum number of credits you must earn for them during your studies is 40. They are more central to the study plan, have a more demanding attestation, and are usually graded with more credits than non-essentials.
Only a few are offered each semester, so it is highly recommended that you fulfill them continuously. The current list of them can be found here or in SIS: Subjects tab - View by plans - My plan - Visualisation in details (only courses marked as taught - marked with black!). If you pass a course in your study plan, you will see a question mark next to the title with the message "passed".
If you don´t pass the essential elective course in which you´ve been enrolled, it doesn´t matter, there are no consequences for that.
The minimum number of credits for the non-essential elective courses from the group 5 is 16. These courses are less demanding and are usually graded with fewer credits. You will find them, as well as the essential electives, in the study plan in SIS or on the web.
If you don´t pass the non-essential course you´ve enrolled in, it doesn´t matter, there are no consequences for that.
These are the courses usually offered by different programmes and faculties. Liberal Arts and Humanities study programme offers only one optional course – Extracurricular internship. Be aware that only 31 credits of optional courses can be counted towards the total of 180 credits required for graduation. If you don´t pass the optional course in which you´ve been enrolled, it doesn´t matter, there are no consequences for that.
Compulsory courses - if you fail the course in the academic year in which you were enrolled in for the first time, you are entitled to one re-enrolment in the immediately following academic year. This will also give you an additional three attempts.
Elective courses - repeating a completed course is not permitted unless otherwise specified in the SIS. However, if you do not complete the course, it won´t matter, it will only remain in the SIS without grade. It will neither appear on your diploma nor lower your average. Re-enrollment in the course you have failed is possible, but you need to contact the secretary.
Examination - this usually concludes compulsory courses, results in a grade of 1-3 and involves a total of three attempts. Failing the course is graded 4.
Graded credit - this concludes most elective courses, results in a grade of 1-3. Failing the course is graded 4.
Credit - this completes some electives, results in a pass/fail grade.
Charles University
Faculty of Humanities
Pátkova 2137/5
182 00 Praha 8 - Libeň
Czech Republic
Public transport (find a connection):
Current transport connections:
• tram No. 17 (stop Trojská)
• bus No. 112 (stop Trojská or Povltavská)
• bus No. 201 (stop Kuchyňka)
• bus No. 187 (stop Pelc - Tyrolka)
