Department and Faculty Colloquia

The first colloquium is the department colloquium (at the end of the first year). For the purposes of this colloquium, the student has finished a full review of articles / books relevant to his / her research questions. These are formulated based on an overview of the existing knowledge in the field of the final doctoral thesis. It is important to define the added value the work should bring, especially in terms of practice, and partly in terms of theory in the specific field of expertise. General idea of empirical research – design of research set, methods of data acquisition, methods of data evaluation should be included. Recommendations for further elaboration of the dissertation will arise from the colloquium. See below for the Template for this colloquium.

Organizational Arrangements

The student:

• The student sends the thesis and possibly a presentation (for 15–20 minutes) as well as other materials determined by the department at least 7 days before the department colloquium to the department (to the contact person). See below for the Template for this colloquium.
  

The respective department (designated representative of the department) ensures the following:

• Determination of department colloquium dates at individual departments (day/room) min. 1 month in advance (the DBA Center is informed and publishes the dates on the faculty’s website).
  
• Detailed organization of department colloquiums (including addressing and inviting participants).
• Handing over presentations and other documents to the members of the department and to the invited faculty representatives who will participate in the colloquium.
• The Report from the Colloquium is to be filled in by the Supervisor (or, upon agreement, by the department representative) and he/she will hand it over to the DBA Center as soon as possible. Report from the department colloquium – see at the bottom of the page.

The second colloquium is the faculty colloquium (at the end of the second year): Student presents the first version of the DBA final doctoral thesis, the final research methodology (after the completed pilot run – testing the methodology on a small research sample and its evaluation and modification) and the data collection schedule and elaboration of the DBA dissertation. Recommendations for further elaboration of the dissertation will arise from the colloquium.

The faculty colloquium is usually attended by representatives of the individual departments (academic staff and DBA students), the relevant supervisor, opponents, and representatives of the faculty with advanced knowledge of research methodology.

The faculty colloquium usually has a three-member committee consisting of opponents (nominated by the Vice-Dean/DBA Director) and the Vice-Dean/DBA Director (or a designated person). At least one of the nominated opponents should be an expert in research methodology and at least one an expert in the given research area; the third member is the Vice-Dean/DBA Director (or a designated person). Opponents are nominated by the Vice-Dean/DBA Director in collaboration with the supervisor.

The aim of the faculty colloquium is to evaluate whether the DBA dissertation meets the requirements of such works, including checking the originality of the submitted work. The faculty colloquium also assesses the ability to present the results of the final work, meeting the given objectives, defending the scientific methods used and the student’s contribution must be convincingly debated. See below for the Template for this colloquium.

Organizational Arrangements

The student:

• The student sends the thesis electronically min. 4 weeks (unless otherwise specified) before the faculty colloquium to his/her supervisor and to the designated opponents.
• For the Colloquium, a presentation (15 – 20 minutes) is to be prepared by the student; afterwards, a discussion/feedback follows.

Further information:

• The date of the faculty colloquium is announced by the Vice-Dean for Research and Ph.D. Studies/DBA Academic Director with sufficient advance notice.
  
• The DBA Center takes care of the organization (room booking, informing students, other tasks).
• The Vice-Dean/DBA Academic Director nominates min. 2 opponents (the first one is the Chair of the Committee).
• The successful completion of the faculty colloquium is upon the evaluation and decision of the committee, with the chairman of the committee having the deciding vote. Other members of the FBA academic community, including the supervisor, may be present during decision-making, but they do not have the right to vote.
• The Chair of the Committee ensures the preparation of the Report (in cooperation with the other committee member(s) and the supervisor) and hands it over to the DBA Center. Report from the faculty colloquium – see at the bottom of the page.
• The Chair of the Committee directs the faculty colloquium. The public part should last 50 min. 1) presentation (15-20 min) 2) presentation of reviews (10 min) 3) reaction to reviews and discussions (20-25 min) 4) Private discussion of the commission and an announcement of the result (max. 10 min)
• The opponents shall send their assessments in an electronic form to the supervisor and the doctoral student.
  • We ask the opponents to kindly hand over the reviews in a sufficient advance so that the student can prepare a response.
  • There is no form or template. For possible guidance, it is possible to have a look at the template of the Report that is used for the colloquium and see what is being assessed. The report is available HERE. Typically, the review is about two pages long.