Study Information

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

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

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)
• KZU/SGRME – The Sexuality/Gender Revolution, and the Media (second 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

List of courses 2023/2024

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.
• At least half of the courses should be at the Faculty of Arts.
• 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).

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.

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?

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 - 6 weeks days of your departure, after completion of all your courses and after recording of your results in the IS STAG by your teachers.

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.