The significance of the faculty
The Faculty of Arts, Charles University, is one of the largest and most important research and educational institutions in arts and humanities in Central Europe. The faculty was founded in 1348 by the Czech king and later Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV who established it as one of the four faculties of the Prague university, later named after him Charles University – the oldest university in Central Europe. Ever since, it has been the intellectual centre of the Czech lands whose alumni have been shaping Czech society and culture by their deeds and ideas even at the most crucial moments of the Czech history.
Study at the CU FA
Students and researchers come to the Faculty of Arts to work in more than seventy study programmes. A flexible system of double curriculum studies offers more than 700 possible combinations – BA and MA degrees allow the students to focus on two subjects to the same extent and find their own path with a unique dual specialization.
The wide range of disciplines at the Faculty of Arts includes philosophy and religious studies, history and archaeology, psychology, sociology and political science, theatre, film and music studies, and many philological programmes that combine a rigorous study of the respective language (linguistics) and its literary, historical, and cultural background.
The faculty offers courses in more than hundred languages from all over the world:
- All major European languages
- Many languages of European minorities (Irish, Basque, Catalan, Romani, and others)
- Czech (also special degrees for foreigners and the deaf)
- Major Asian languages
- Major Middle Eastern languages
- Dead languages (Ancient Egyptian, Latin, Gothic, Old Norse and others)
The number of applications for BA, MA, and PhD programmes amounts to 10,000 every year. The acceptance level is only approx. 27% allowing the teachers to have a more individual approach, which is necessary for a serious and deep study of humanities.
Research and Conferences
The research output of the faculty, measured in the number of monographs and articles, is larger than any other humanistic institution in the Czech Republic – which reflects both the quality of research and education. Every year, the faculty hosts several international conferences and events of general cultural significance – exhibitions, concerts, lectures, public debates. In the last few years, the Faculty of Arts Press has earned prestigious awards and is now competing with the largest academic publishers in the country.
