Successful Completion of Studies, Graduation and Diplomas

The date of the dissertation defence is considered the date of graduation. From this date, the graduate has the right to use the title “PhD”. Diplomas are awarded at graduation ceremonies, which take place several months after graduation. At the graduate's request, the Department for PhD Study may issue a certificate of graduation in paper form, which serves as temporary proof of degree completion until the graduate is presented with a diploma. In case the graduate is satisfied with an electronic certificate of graduation, he/she can generate this himself/herself in SIS (see How to print your study/graduation confirmation in SIS) in PDF form, also in English.

Graduation ceremonies for graduates of doctoral programmes are influenced by the number of graduates and take place both separately for individual faculties and jointly for several faculties. Joint graduation ceremonies are organised by the Rector’s Office, Student Affair Department  (Doctoral Studies Office) on the basis of the number of graduates from individual faculties and are held twice a year – usually in May and November. Separate graduations are arranged by the respective faculty once or twice a year, depending on the number of graduates. The dates are determined exclusively by the Rector’s Office, the faculty cannot influence this in any way. Participation in a ceremony is not mandatory.

The graduate will receive information about the diploma ceremony in due time by email from the Department for PhD Study of the Second Faculty of Medicine CU. Graduation dates are assigned to graduates via SIS and cannot be changed individually for organisational reasons. After the date is assigned, the graduate will receive an automatic email from SIS with information about the assigned date. 

In the event that a graduate is unable to attend the graduation on the assigned date, he/she must request in writing to be moved to the next graduation date or to be excluded from graduation altogether. This should be reported to the Department for PhD Study in a timely manner.

The form, data, and other details of the university diploma and the diploma supplement are specified in Rector’s Directive No. 34/2019.

It is possible to receive the diploma without attending the graduation. The graduate will appear during office hours at the Rector's Office, Student Affair Department of RCU, (Prague 1, Ovocný trh 3, 2nd floor, door No. 207, contact person Eva Semerádová), where he/she will sign the register book. Here he/she will personally receive the diploma. The diploma cannot be collected at the faculty. 

The diploma can also be collected by an authorised person on the basis of a Power of attorney to take over the diploma form. 

The Diploma Supplement is issued in accordance with Section 57 of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions, and the Rector’s Directive No. 34/2019, centrally as a single output from the CU Information System. It has been compiled according to the model developed by the European Commission, the European Council and UNESCO / CEPES and on the basis of practical experience gained from the recommendations of universities, which have been developing the supplement for several years. It describes the nature, level, content, context and status of the type of study that was successfully completed and which resulted in the acquisition of a qualification. The appendix suitably complements the basic qualification document. It can be used for national and international purposes to facilitate academic and professional recognition and mobility. It is conceived as a factual document that does not assess the value of education and does not provide an opinion on its equivalence. The Diploma Supplement is issued as a bilingual document (Czech-English), automatically and free of charge to all graduates.

The Archives of Charles University arrange copies of diplomas. More information and the request form can be found here.

Last update: 15. 2. 2024 / ThDr. Jitka Sýkorová, Ph.D.