The aim of higher vocational education is to develop and deepen the student's knowledge and skills acquired in secondary education.
The aim of higher vocational education is to develop and deepen the student's knowledge and skills acquired in secondary education. It provides general and vocational education and practical training for the performance of demanding activities. Graduates receive a diploma and graduation certificate and the right to use a non-academic ‘title’ labelled ‘diploma specialist’ (DiS.) after their name, and are anchored at qualification level EQF6. Part of the discharge is the defence of graduate work, examination in professional subjects and foreign language.
Educational programs are three years including professional experience (for medical disciplines last 3.5 years). At public higher vocational schools (VŠ), tuition fees are paid up to the limit of CZK 5,000 depending on the field of education for the school year. There is no limit in the private and church colleges.
In addition to accredited educational programs, VOŠ can also offer short-cycle programs, which are referred to as authorized educational programs and are based on three-year accredited educational programs. Depending on their length, the method of termination also varies. For the one-year program, the graduate only defends his/her final thesis. In the case of a two-year programme, the defence of the final thesis will be accompanied by an examination in professional subjects. Graduates of this short cycle will receive the Certificate of Professional Specialist, which is at EQF5 level.
The advantage is that, if a graduate chooses to continue his or her studies, he or she has the option of continuing directly and obtaining a higher vocational education labelled ‘diploma specialist’.
Admission procedure
The condition for admission is the completion of secondary education with a school-leaving examination and the successful completion of the admission procedure. The details of the admission procedure will be determined by the headmaster of the school, who must determine in advance its criteria and define their mutual weighting. The headmaster may accept applicants for higher than the first year under predetermined conditions, or he/she may automatically accept them for a two-year accredited educational programme, which is a follow-up to the branch of secondary school education pursuant to Government Regulation No. 211/2010 Coll., on the system of fields of education in primary, secondary and higher vocational education, Annex E2.
The decision whether or not to admit a candidate to study will be published by the headmaster of the school via the list of admitted candidates within seven days of the determination of the results of the admission procedure (or of the entrance examination, if it is part of the procedure). Unaccepted applicants may then lodge an appeal within 15 days. Admitted applicants become students on the day of enrolment, which is determined by the school, but no later than 31 October.
If you are interested in studying at VOŠ, you can also use the Infoabsolvent website, which is only in the Czech language.
Assessment and Attendance
The standard ECTS qualification system shall be used at VOŠ. Courses are completed by credit, qualified credit or six-degree examination (A-F). The same method of evaluation applies to discharge. The student is obliged to participate in the teaching.
In comparison with universities, practical training is part of higher vocational education, which is also carried out at the workplaces of natural or legal persons who are authorized to perform activities related to the given field of education, to the extent specified by an accredited educational programme.
Transition to college
Completion of an educational programme of higher vocational education does not allow access to a follow-up master's degree, to which a completed bachelor's degree programme at a university is required. However, graduates of higher vocational education may be admitted to a higher year of a related bachelor's degree programme. However, this is entirely within the competence of universities.
VOŠ and Erasmus+
Students of higher education institutions who obtain an Erasmus University Charter may participate in international mobility activities under the Erasmus+ programme for higher education. All students of VOŠ then have the opportunity to participate in exchanges and projects within the framework of Erasmus+ for Vocational Education. Successful participants in these traineeships can then join the EuroApprentices Network.