Study Information



Admission/Application/Deadlines

Online nominations and applications of the Exchange students must reach our UP/faculty by:

Winter semester (or the whole AY)

May 31 (application visa students)

June 15 (application non-visa students)

Summer semester

October 31 (nomination, application visa students)

November 15 (application non-visa students)

 

Application Procedure at UP/Faculty of Arts:

Application procedure at the Faculty of Arts:

Before you come to study at the Faculty of Arts of UP, students will have to be nominated by programmes/partner universities/national governments. After being nominated, students are invited to register online in the UP portal. Students will not be admitted without registration. For the application and registration, please see: https://stag.upol.cz/portal/studium/uchazec/ects-prijezdy.html?pc_lang=en

After filling in the online registration form, you will receive an automated confirmation of your registration. The confirmation email will also include login details for the UP portal; you must keep the email in case you need to go back to the application (registration form) to amend or modify it and in case of the registering of courses.

The conditions of the stay of non-Erasmus students are similar to those of Erasmus+ programmes; students need not pay tuition fees, and are eligible for pre-booked dormitory accommodation. If students come for a whole semester/academic year, they must draw up the online Learning Agreement (LA) in the information system of UP - STAG) before their arrival. LA is a part of the online registration form. As soon as the online application in the STAG is successfully submitted, the student will receive unique access to on-line registering in courses and will create their Learning Agreement and later Changes to LA.

The courses offered at the Faculty of Arts in a foreign language are listed here.


Academic Calendar

Academic year

The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is 13 weeks long. Winter semester starts in late September; in the last week before Christmas there are no classes because it is a “credit week”, which is one week of mostly written tests which are either a completion of the courses themselves or a prerequisite of registering for an oral exam in the exam period. The exam period goes on through January until mid-February. The summer semester runs from mid-February to mid-May. The last week is again a credit week, with the exam period lasting until the end of June.

The academic years start on September 1 and end on August 31. The winter semester classes end before Christmas. Exams are scheduled throughout January. The summer semester begins in the middle of February and classes end in the middle of May with exams continuing until the end of June.

Academic calendar 2023/24

WINTER SEMESTER  
Arrival at the dormitories  September 9 - 10, 2023
Orientation week  September 11 - 15, 2023
Beginning of classes September 18, 2023
End of classes December 15, 2023
Examination period beginning* January 2, 2023
Examination period end

 

February 2, 2024
SUMMER SEMESTER  
Arrival at the dormitories  to be announced
Orientation week 
(for Exchange students)
to be announced
Beginning of classes February 5, 2024
End of classes May 10, 2024
Examination period beginning  May 13, 2024
Examination period end June 30, 2024

 

The academic calendar for the following academic year is usually published in April.


Courses Information

Each Exchange student is required to fill in the Learning Agreement in the Information System of Palacký University Olomouc
– IS STAG before the mobility starts.

The key areas at the Faculty of Arts are foreign languages and literatures – philologies (English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Polish, etc), art studies (Art History, Musicology, Theory and History of the Dramatic Arts, and Theatre, Film and Media Studies) and social sciences (Journalism, Sociology, History, Andragogy, Cultural Anthropology, Political and European Studies, and Psychology).

Many courses use a variety of foreign languages, but in the combination of Czech, because the main language of instruction at FA UP is Czech. Nevertheless, there are also a number of courses designed primarily for exchange students coming for short-term (see below).

1. Kindly recommended courses primarily designed for international students:

  • CJV/AEEX - Academic English for Exchange Students (first semester only)
  • CJV/ECEX - English Communication for Exchange Students
  • CJV/GCEX - German Communication for Exchange Students
  • KAA/ERAS - Czech Culture and History
  • KPE/BCEU - Central Europe and the European Union (first semester only)
  • KBH/CJPC 1 and 2 - Czech for Foreigners courses are offered by the Department of Czech Studies: https://kb.upol.cz/en/czech-for-foreigners/. Intensive Czech for Foreigners courses are also available for beginners. Students who have studied Czech before (i.e. other than beginners) will sit for a placement test. The courses last for 1 semester and carry 4 ECTS credits. The post-course examination is optional, and thus you must register for it under a special code KBH/CJPZ 1 or 2 (the examination carries 1 ECTS credit)

2. A list of courses designed for exchange students

the list of courses offered for exchange students in 2024/2025 will be published in mid-April

3. All courses of the Faculty of Arts/Palacký University

Theoretically, you can register for any course of any UP department and faculty, but please always keep in mind your field of study at your home institution and your language skill levels. To find courses and information about their syllabi use UP Portal:

portal.upol.cz/ (without log in) → STAG → Browse IS/STAG → Courses

Go to the Courses feature and enter the course and department codes. If the information is not sufficient, contact details of the instructor should be provided.

Course requirements for all Exchange students:

  • Exchange students must register for their courses on-line in UP information system called STAG (Study Agenda, see the chapter below UP Portal and IS STAG). As soon as the application is successfully submitted, the student will receive unique access to on-line registering in courses and will create their Learning Agreement and later Changes to LA.
  • The standard number of credits in a learning agreement is 30 ECTS per semester. In case a student does not need the full number of credits, the minimum number of credits at our faculty is 20 ECTS per semester. In justified cases students can apply for an approval of a learning agreemment with a lower number of credits than 20.
  • Students must select at least half of the courses at the Faculty of Arts. At the same time, the student must enroll in at least half of his or her courses at the department where he or she was admitted. This condition should be observed provided that this department offers enough courses in English/foreign language.
  • Students may register for courses at other faculties (one to three courses max).
  • For some of the courses, you must submit a proof of B2 competence in the respective language (as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference). This applies, without limitation, to the courses offered by the Department of English and American Studies, which requires a certificate of language proficiency. The situation varies at other departments. If you have doubts, check with the course instructor. Courses taught in Czech may be usually attended without any restrictions.

For more practical details, see the page Useful information (Before and during your stay).

English Language Requirements

Students choosing any courses offered by the Department of English and American Studies (with abbreviation KAA in our information system IS STAG) must submit an official international certificate of language proficiency corresponding to the minimum level of CEFR B2 (e.g. TOEFL, Cambridge, Duolingo; any other official certificates to be approved by the KAA department coordinator). The required certificate must be uploaded by the application deadline!

UP Portal and IS STAG

UP Portal

The gateway to all important things at the university is at http://www.portal.upol.cz/. Since as a UP student you will be using it almost daily, we recommend browsing through the site to get an idea of what it is all about.

The UP Portal simply contains most of what you need:

  • a directory of people (emails and phone numbers of your classmates and instructors)
  • access to student admin (STAG, see below), an online system that manages and records your studies
  • ordering meals in canteens
  • links to web interfaces for reading your university email
  • manuals and instructions (e.g. how to connect your laptop to the UP network, how to set up mail forwarding, etc.)
  • maps and plans of the university buildings

IS STAG

UP information system - STudy AGenda, refers to the online study management and records at UP. It is a system that serves to manage study programmes, disciplines, curriculum and courses in order to compile schedules, register for courses and exams, grade records, as well as records of bachelor’s and master’s theses. Apart from this, it has many other features. 

Below are STAG functions that you are certain to use:

  • registration for courses, through which you will get your individual study plan (Learning Agreement)
  • viewing and searching other data (your own schedule, information about courses, study programmes, results, teachers, departments)

Exchange students must register for their courses on-line in STAG. They can do it as soon as the application is successfully submitted. Than the student will receive unique access to on-line registering in courses and will create there his/her Learning Agreement and later Changes to LA.

ATTENTION

Instruction about how to register in courses and do the Learning Agreement you will receive (after you successfully complete the on-line application) from the person responsible for student mobilities at the Faculty of Arts:  Mrs Simona Černá, simona.cerna@upol.cz.


FAQ

Who is who at the International Relationes Office?

Academic authorities for international relations

The international relations of the university are managed by the Vice-Rector for International Relations who is appointed by the Rector. Each faculty has its Vice-dean for international relations who manages international issues and their specifications of the relevant faculty.

Administrative staff

The administration of international relations is overseen by the faculty IROs and by the central IRO. The central office – the International Relations Office (IRO) – is at the Rector‘s Office and organizes the orientation week and incoming student coordinators are ready to assist you with general administration (confirmation of study period, etc.) during your stay at UP. In each faculty you can find a faculty IRO. Faculty international relations officers (coordinators) administer all other international programmes, such as CEEPUS, AKTION, DAAD, Freemover, mobility within international agreements of the Czech Ministry of Education, etc., with the support of the Erasmus Student Network.

The faculty IROs are also in charge of the electronic study agenda – STAG (see Chapter STAG) concerning ALL international programmes including Erasmus+, i.e. STAG registration of exchange students, student registration in selected courses, verification of the results at the end of the student placement, and the Transcript of Records, including its submission to the student‘s home university.

How does the grading scheme of UP look like?

When a student finishes a course at our faculty, the result is recorded in STAG. It is teacher′s responsibility. After all the results are recorded in STAG, Palacký University (IRO FoA) will issue the Transcript of Records. UP has an electronic system (IS STAG) that produces the transcripts. The transcripts clearly indicate the results and it states the following: 

 

If a student completes a course categorized as Exam, the grade is given as matter of course (A - F). The local grades are A - F. No other grades

What does the result with "R" mean?

Some students ask about the identification of results as R which means that the student has successfully completed the course. However, in our study programes, in such courses our students do not receive final marks, they receive only credits for successful completion (meaning marking in a sense passed or failed, NO GRADE).  However, in order to provide the best feedback about the level of success, with the results indicated as R we provide the number of points which equals the number of percent received.

Therefore, if the home institution needs grades, it can recalculate the results to its standards.

How it is with the course completion at FoA UP?

Some courses may be completed through good attendance and the fulfilment of continuous tasks throughout the semester or by submitting a semestral project or paper, without the need for another exam. However, completion of the majority of courses requires first the acquisition of a “credit” and then passing an exam.

The “credit” is usually a written test. It may consist of an essay, but mostly it is a classic test with open- or closed-ended questions. Credit tests are mostly held in the last week of the semester. By acquiring the “credit” you either complete the entire course or qualify for an exam.

Exams are held in the exam period. They may be written, but are very often oral. Prior to the exam, students receive relevant topics or questions and need to revise the contents of the course in the semester. At the oral exam you discuss the selected topic with the instructor; the test can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour or more, again depending on the discipline, instructor, and logically on how you are performing in the exam. If you fail your “credit” or exam, you can do up to two retakes. Note that many courses are concluded only with a credit or “kolokvium” (oral assessment through discussion), i.e. only the pass/fail evaluation, without a grade (A, B, C, D, E, F).

When do I get my Transcript of Records?

You will receive the Transcript of Records within 4 - 5 weeks days of your departure, after completion of all your courses and after recording of your results in the IS STAG by your teachers. The transcript will be uploaded in the IS STAG - ECTS arrivals, Incoming Study Visit section.

How do I get my password if I forgot it? Internet connection problems / Trouble logging in

If you have problems with the connection, try asking Czech colleagues for help or consult the faculty/dormitory network administrator. Accurate and updated contact details of the administrator are available at the UP Portal, section: Helpdesk.

If you forgot your password or if you have problem logging in UP Portal, use this  CVT (IT service of UP) help-line at stag-help@upol.cz.

How to start the Palacký University email box?

To start using the university email box, please check the instructions here: https://cvt.upol.cz/en/email/

Your email address is visible in the portal after you log in (click on your name in the right upper corner).

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