General information

Study programme:

P8204 Film, Television and Photographic Art and New Media

Branch of study:

Creative Photography (accreditation validity until 31 December 2019)

Address of the respective department:

Silesian University in Opava
Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava

Institute of Creative Photography (ITF)

Bezručovo nám. 1150/13

746 01  Opava

Tel: 553 684 385

Fax: 553 684 389

E-mail: ivana.mikolasova (at) fpf.slu.cz

Admission conditions:

- State master examination from creative photography (having achieved the MgA. degree),

- State master examination from the history of photography,

- Successful passing of the entrance examination,

- Knowledge of general and professional English.

Admission requirements:

- Written paper on history and theory of photography,

- Practical work in the field of creative photography,

- Good orientation in history and theory of photography, in history and theory of fine arts; general cultural-social knowledge,

- PhD study project containing the dissertation topic, basic list of literature and methodological bases.

The admission procedure before the admission committee, whose members are usually members of the Subject Area Board, will take the form of an interview on the submitted PhD study project and an oral exam in the history and theory of photography and general cultural knowledge. The Dean decides on admission based on the recommendation of the Admission Committee.

Organization of study:

The doctoral study of Creative Photography is conceived as strictly selective. The teaching takes the form of controlled individual study, scientific research and independent photography work. In the focal point of the study, there are the following: frequent consultations of the PhD student with the supervisor as well as other teachers and practitioners; seminars in a narrow circle of other students, the candidate´s independent photography, participation in selected lectures at the SU and other workplaces; internships abroad, occasional seminars for students, elaboration of partial seminar works and several public lectures, curator preparation of exhibitions. The whole study leads to the final practical and theoretical dissertation. Each admitted student is assigned a supervisor from the ranks of professors and associate professors of the ITF or other university department, institute or studio with specialized teaching of photography and history and theory of photography, exceptionally from the ranks of generally respected experts or other ITF tutors who have the prerequisites for such activity.

Individual study plan:

The supervisor elaborates an individual study plan in cooperation with the admitted doctoral student, submits it for approval to the Subject Area Board, guides the doctoral student methodologically in his/her dissertation and recommends other consultants. The supervisor also assigns the topic of public lectures to the doctoral student, annually evaluates the course of his/her doctoral studies in a report he/she submits to the chairperson of the Subject Area Board and the Study Department.

Duration of study:

The standard length of study is three years, the maximum possible period is seven years (i.e., the time from the candidate´s enrolment to the defence of the dissertation thesis is counted). During his/her study, it is possible to apply once for spreading of the academic year supposing that the supervisor has approved it. In justified cases, the Dean may permit interruption of studies for a maximum of 4 semesters upon the recommendation of the supervisor. The period of interruption does not count as part of the overall length of the study.

List of compulsory subjects:

a) Two field exams and two course works on the history and theory of photography of at least 15 pages. The doctoral student in agreement with the supervisor chooses their specific topic,

b) An exam and a paper from the history of art,

c) An exam and a paper from either philosophy or psychology or sociology,

d) An exam from English and other foreign language (German, French, Russian, Italian, Spanish),

e) A public exhibition of the PhD student´s own photographic work including curatorial work, preparation of invitations and printed materials, etc.,

f) A public lecture on a topic related to the dissertation.

Throughout his/her studies, the doctoral student is devoted to the preparation of the practical and theoretical part of the dissertation. Other duties (such as participation in teaching classes and/or a creative workshop, a photographic project or a professional symposium), which can enrich his/her doctoral study, can be determined by the supervisor and approved by the Subject Area Board.

Optional subjects:

In agreement with the supervisor and with the approval of the Subject Area Board, the doctoral student may also include other optional subjects in his/her individual plan.

Graduate profile:

The graduates of the doctoral programme should acquire deep knowledge in the history, current state, theory and criticism of photography as well as a broad cultural-historical perspective. They should be well prepared for professional research in the field of photography history and for scholarly processing of acquired materials; they should master modern pedagogical methodology so that they can effectively transfer their knowledge in teaching at different types of schools. They should be able to write and lecture on photography professionally, they should know the principles of curatorial and archival work, they should be able to communicate fluently and read professional literature in at least two world languages (the knowledge of English is compulsory). They should perfectly master both classical photographic techniques and the latest digital technologies as well as the possibilities of computer photo editing or printing methods. They should be qualified as expertly prepared professional photographers, teachers of universities and secondary schools of photography, curators of museum and gallery photo collections, editors of photographic and art magazines, professional journalists.

State doctoral examination and dissertation defence:

The condition for being able to take the state doctoral examination is fulfilment of all obligations from the individual study plan together with the submission of practical and theoretical dissertation. The practical part of the dissertation work usually consists of an exhibition set consisting of at least 10 photographs; however, the doctoral student can, in agreement with the supervisor and after approval by the Subject Area Committee, submit the practical dissertation also in another form (for example, a book dummy or an audio-visual programme accentuating photography). The theoretical dissertation should summarize the results of the doctoral research to date on the topic and document both his/her professional knowledge and formulation skills. It is not only a compilation of the existing literature, but it should include original findings that enrich the existing state of knowledge on the subject matter.

The defence itself is preceded by a public lecture introducing the content or part of the content of the dissertation and photographic work of the doctoral student, as well as an examination open to the public from the history and theory of photography, the successful passing of which is a prerequisite for continuing the defence of both parts of the dissertation. There, the candidate should respond to the supervisor and the two designated opponents´ assessments as well as the subsequent discussion. The members of the examination committee that comprises at least five people are appointed by the Dean, usually consisting of the chairperson of the Subject Area Board, the supervisor and at least one teacher from another university. The dissertation defence can be repeated only once.