English Language and Literature
The Master's State Exam consists of two parts:
- Defense of the Master's Diploma Thesis (there is no defense for the Master's Non-diploma Thesis)
- Oral examination of five books in the student's chosen track (which must correspond with both the submitted thesis and coursework) selected from the following lists:
In this part of the exam, students are expected to demonstrate both their knowledge of the selected texts as well as being able to place them with a broader theoretical context, and if relevant, relate them to the specific research topic(s) addressed in their thesis.
Teaching English Language and Literature for Secondary Schools
The Master’s State Exam in English Language Teaching for Secondary Schools has 4 parts:
Oral component (60 mins):
- Diploma thesis defence (if the thesis was written within the EFL teacher education programme)
- Examination in English Language Didactics and Linguistics for Teachers
- Examination in ELT Methodology and teaching capacity
Written component (30 mins): - Examination in psychology and general pedagogy.
Ad 1) Students present their diploma thesis (research aims and questions; main theoretical underpinnings; research methodology; main findings; limitations and implications) and react to the questions and comments posed by supervisors and reviewers in the reviews. Students can use a Power Point (or similar) presentation. (8 minutes presentation + 12 minutes discussion.)
Ad 2) Students choose 3 books focusing on areas of ELT Methodology, English Language Didactics and Linguistics for Teachers. The list of books can be found here. This part of the state exam aims to determine whether students are capable of academic discussion about the books chosen, i.e., if they understand the topics discussed and are able to critically evaluate the books, set them in the context of English Language Didactics and Linguistics for Teachers and seek links between theory and practice (25 minutes).
3) This part of the state examination is based on the state exam portfolio. Students present their state exam portfolios based on materials collected during their studies and prepared in accordance with guidelines available in the respective ELF course.
Students first briefly introduce their teaching philosophy and how they developed professionally during their studies. Next, they introduce one selected item from the portfolio specifying how it illustrates their teaching philosophy and/or their professional development. Finally, students answer questions from examiners regarding their teaching philosophy and professional development. During the examination students are expected to be able to theorize the phenomena and relate their practical experience to relevant theories in the context of English Language Didactics and Linguistics for Teachers. Students should also be able to discuss possibilities and next steps in their professional development (15 minutes).
Ad 4) Written test prepared by departments of General Pedagogy and Psychology. It comprises mostly of multiple choice and some short open questions. The test is in Czech and is based on the following courses: Psychologie pro učitele I, II, Školní pedagogika, Školní didaktika, Kompendium pro učitele a Speciální pedagogika a pedagogická diagnostika (30 minutes).
English-language Translation
The Master's State Exam consists of two parts:
- Defense of the Master's Diploma Thesis (there is no defense for the Master's Non-diploma Thesis)
- Oral examination:
The result of a sit-in translation, written several days prior to the state exam, will count as one the first of the questions asked in the examination. Apart from this, students will be examined from five books selected from the following list:
- List of books for Students in English Language and Translation (Matriculation 2015 and later)
In this part of the exam, students are expected to demonstrate both their knowledge of the selected texts as well as being able to place them within a broader theoretical context and their translation practice, and if relevant, relate them to the specific research topic(s) addressed in their thesis.
North-American Culture Studies
The Master's State Exam consists of two parts:
- Defense of the Master's Diploma Theses
- Oral examination of six books selected from this list.
In this part of the exam, students are expected to demonstrate both their knowledge of the selected texts as well as being able to place them with a broader theoretical context, and if relevant, relate them to the specific research topic(s) addressed in their thesis.
If you are unsure about any aspect of the state exam or the defence, please contact your supervisor, the study advisor, the guarantor or the head of the department, who will be happy to clarify any questions you may have.
There is no specific list of questions that you should study for the state exam; the committee is going to ask about the books' contents, methods, findings, seeking to establish relations between the individual authors.