Doctoral study (PhD.)

Study programme: Archaeology

Field of study: Historical Sciences

Degree of study: doctoral

Form of study: full time / external form

Standard length of study: 4 years (full time form) / 5 years (external form)

Granted academic title: philosophiae doctor (PhD.)

Possibilities of employment at the labour market for the graduates provides Archeological Institute of SAS (Slovak Academy of Sciences), the monuments boards (The Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, Regional monuments boards), museums (Slovak National Museum, regional and city's museums, national history museums), universities, Urban Conservation Institute Bratislava, The Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Rebuplic, local governments and private archaeological sector. The graduates are quallified for applying for archaeological positions abroad (e.g. Austria, Czech republic etc.).

The doctoral study in the archaeology consists of two units: the unit of the required courses, which create a core of the study and unit of the required optional courses. The course "The Current Issues in Theoretical Archaeology" provides lectures aimed on the characteristics of the basic theoretical trends in current archaeology (processualism and postprocessualism) and their approach to a solving the actual issues in archeological research.

The part of this block are also doctoral seminars 1 and 2, intended to present the partial results of a doctoral thesis by PhD. students. They are controlled by their tutors and a doctoral study guarantor.

In the last semester the so called internal thesis defense is performed, in front of a final thesis comission, where the PhD. student is advised to remedy any shortcomings.

Second block, formed by required optional courses, consists of the following courses: "The Current Issues in Central European Archaeology" is a course focused on the current and key issues, discussed in pan-European archaeological research from prehistory to Middle Ages. The crux of the matter lies on the results of the archaeological excavations and their interdisciplinary evaluation. An emphasis is given to using the newest processing methods (statistics, geographical information systems etc.).

The course "Spiritual Culture in the Middle Ages" provides lectures thematically focused on the sphere of spiritual life and burial rite in term of the current European trends of archaeological research.

On this part of the block there are also lectures dedicated to "Methodology of Science" and "Logic Semantic and Argumentations". These lectures greatly contribute to improving the quality of training.

Whithin overall framework of doctoral study programme, the 24 credits from 240 are intended for compulsory courses and potentially 18 credits for compulsory elective courses.

Common characteristic of graduate professional profile

A graduate is able to use scientific methods of basic research and theoretical work on high level. He/she is familiar with various archaeological subjects, from the oldest manifestations of human race to the Postmedieval period and is an expert in his/her field of study. A graduate can handle the scientific methods with the help of exact analysis and synthesis. He/she is competent to coordinate home as well as foreign grant tasks and to manage the research teams. The results of scientific activity should be presented by him/her both at home and abroad.

Theoretical knowledge

A third degree archaeology graduate (Phd.) is able to do a scientific research and brings his/her own original conclusions and perspectives on selected research areas in archaeology.

Practical abilities and skills

A third degree archaeology graduate (Phd.) has the qualification to: 

• apply the acquired knowledges in practice - across the: universities, museums, institutions of science SAV, monuments boards, state and public administration;
• methodically manage and guide a team of workers at archaeological excavation and when processing (by classification, documentation, lab works) find collection;
• present the results of archaeological research through publications (studies, monografies, catalogues), as well as to be an active participant on both home and abroad conferences;
• be a principal investigator and a leader of a grant task.
  
  

Additional eruditions, knowledge and skills

A third degree graduate (PhD.) of the study programme archaeology masters:

• the principles of a scientific work with the ties to a monument protection policy;
• the legal and ethical aspects of human civilization and history interpretation;
• the newest forms of applying science in practice and its presentation.