Rules for the recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the General Medicine master’s programme of study and Dentistry master’s programme of study

To implement: Sections 89 and 90 of the Higher Education Act No. 111/1998 Sb., as amended

Date of effect: 1 June 2017

Article 1 Introductory Provisions

1. The procedure to recognize foreign higher education in the Czech Republic is governed by sections 89 and 90 of the Higher Education Act No. 111/1998 Sb., as amended (“the Higher Education Act”) and by the general administrative procedure regulations.

2. This directive provides binding rules for the acceptance and assessment of applications for the recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the General Medicine master’s programme of study and Dentistry master’s programme of study.

Article 2 System for the Allocation of Applications to Faculties

1. If an applicant applies for the recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the General Medicine master’s programme of study or Dentistry master’s programme of study, he must submit the application to the Rectorate of Charles University (“the Rectorate”).

2. The Documents, Registers, and Recognition of Foreign Degrees Office within the Student Affairs Department of the Rectorate (“the relevant office of the Rectorate”) is responsible for the administrative processing of the application immediately after delivery of the application to the Rectorate including entering of the data into the Information System for Recognition of Foreign Higher Education (“IS UZVV”) and for allocating the application on the basis of rotation to one of the faculties offering a programme of study similar to the programme completed by the applicant. The application must be handed over to the relevant faculty in hard-copy format as well as through IS UZVV.

3. If an application is submitted by an applicant to one of the faculties of medicine of Charles University, the faculty is obliged to hand over the application immediately to the relevant office of the Rectorate for registration and further processing in accordance with paragraph 2.

Article 3 Source Documents for a Decision

1. The source documents for the assessment of equivalence are in particular the diploma, diploma supplement, the transcript, curriculum, or other documents containing information on the content of the programme of study or branch completed by the applicant. If needed, the faculty requests the applicant to also submit a statement confirming that the foreign higher education institution is authorised to offer education comparable to the higher education in the Czech Republic. The applicant is obliged to submit originals of these documents or authenticated copies.

2. The faculty to which the application was allocated for assessment under Article 2 (2) may verify the authenticity of the documents submitted by the applicant at the relevant foreign higher education institution. The authenticity of the documents is verified by a question sent via e-mail to the address of the foreign higher education institution. If the faculty does not receive a response from the foreign higher education institution within 14 days of the date when the question was sent, the next step in the procedure is the assessment of equivalence of the foreign higher education in accordance with Article 4 and the faculty makes a note in the file that it was not possible to verify the authenticity of the documents with the foreign higher education institution. Failure to receive a response from the foreign higher education institution as such does not constitute grounds for discontinuance of the procedure nor for dismissal of the application for recognition of foreign higher education.

Article 4 Equivalence Assessment Criteria

1. When assessing the equivalence of education the faculties follow the legal regulations listed in Article 1 (1), the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region signed on 11 April 1997 in Lisbon, the text of the convention was published in Czech language in the Collection of International Treaties No. 60/2000 Sb. m. s. (“the Convention”), if the applicant attained his education in a state which is a signatory of the Convention, and:

   a.

   The document titled “Minimum numbers of completed hours in individual subjects/disciplines qualifying for recognition of foreign higher education in General Medicine master’s programme of study” (“the Minimum Numbers of Completed Hours for General Medicine”), which forms Appendix No. 1 to this directive, in the case of application for recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the General Medicine master’s programme of study; or

   b.

   The document titled “Minimum numbers of completed hours in individual subjects/disciplines qualifying for recognition of foreign higher education in Dentistry master’s programme of study” (“the Minimum Numbers of Completed Hours for Dentistry”), which forms Appendix No. 2 to this directive, in case of application for recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the Dentistry master’s programme of study.

2. A substantial difference resulting in the dismissal of the application under s. 90 (5) of the Higher Education Act or under Article VI (1) of the Convention, if the applicant attained his education in a state which is a signatory of the Convention, is defined as all cases when the applicant within his study at a foreign higher education institution failed to comply in terms of content or scope with the requirements stipulated in the Minimum Numbers of Completed Hours for General Medicine, if the application concerns the recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the General Medicine master’s programme of study, or in the Minimum Numbers of Completed Hours for Dentistry, if the application concerns recognition of foreign higher education as equivalent to higher education attained at Charles University in the Dentistry master’s programme of study.

Article 5 Special Provision

In particularly complicated cases and in cases when serious doubts concerning the authenticity of the submitted documents arise, the equivalence of the compared programmes of study or branches is assessed by a working group established for this purpose by the Rector. The members of the working group for the assessment of equivalence are appointed by the Rector from the representatives of faculties offering the relevant programmes of study or branches and from employees of the Rectorate.

Article 6 Date of Effect

1. Rector’s directive No. 27/2015 is hereby repealed.

2. This directive becomes effective on 1 July 2017.

In Prague on 22 May 2017

Prof. MUDr. Tomáš Zima, DrSc., MBA