The doctoral program at our university is coordinated by the Doctoral School

Current Topics

A key component of the program is a series of five Design Thinking workshops. Through these workshops, doctoral students will master modern methods for creating innovative solutions and fostering teamwork. They will be able to apply the knowledge gained in their research, project development, and in exploring new approaches to teaching.

This academic year also sees the continuation of the successful series of online lectures titled “I Want to Know More,” which develops pedagogical and other competencies among doctoral students. One of the topics will be the use of artificial intelligence in higher education, research, academic writing, and the creation of study materials.

The Doctoral School also emphasizes the international dimension of education. Doctoral students can participate in the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programs (BIP). This program facilitates collaboration with foreign universities, the exchange of experiences, and the acquisition of new knowledge in an international environment. The university will provide opportunities for 15 doctoral students to participate in BIP mobility during the 2026/2027 academic year.

Doctoral students will be able to use certificates from the offered training programs as part of their professional portfolio and to demonstrate their completion of continuing education in both academic and professional settings.

Building Community

Building a doctoral community is an integral part of life at the Doctoral School. “In addition to academic activities, we have therefore organized social and team-building events. The academic year will kick off in September with an informal gathering of doctoral students at Skladová for a barbecue, which will provide an opportunity to get to know one another, make new connections, and strengthen collaboration among doctoral students from all UCM faculties,” says UCM Vice Rector Ľudmila Čábyová.

The Doctoral School’s program is open to all UCM doctoral students, regardless of their field of study. The activities are designed to complement individual studies and create opportunities for both personal and professional development.

According to UCM Vice Rector Ľudmila Čábyová, the goal of the Doctoral School is “to create an environment in which doctoral students can get to know one another, establish professional collaboration across fields of study, and develop interdisciplinary research teams. It is precisely the ability to connect knowledge from various scientific fields and jointly prepare interdisciplinary research projects that is among the fundamental prerequisites for success in science today, as well as for securing domestic and international grants.”

Improving Quality

The establishment of the UCM Doctoral School follows the new Higher Education Act, which introduces the doctoral school as an organizational unit of a university. The doctoral school is intended to provide the common core of doctoral studies for all doctoral students at the university. At the same time, the development of doctoral education is one of the areas targeted by the performance agreements between public universities and the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic. The doctoral school therefore represents not only a modern tool for improving the quality of doctoral studies but also an important step toward fulfilling UCM’s strategic goals in the areas of education, research, and the development of young scientific talent.