Academic Calendar & Organization of Study
The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is 13 weeks long. Winter semester starts in late September; in the last week before Christmas there are no classes because it is a “credit week”, which is one week of mostly written tests which are either a completion of the courses themselves or a prerequisite of registering for an oral exam in the exam period. The exam period goes on through January until mid-February. The summer semester runs from mid-February to mid-May. The last week is again a credit week, with the exam period lasting until the end of June.
Academic calendar 2022/2023
The academic year starts on 1 September 2022 and ends on 31 August 2023. The winter semester classes end before Christmas. Exams are scheduled throughout January. The summer semester begins in the middle of February and classes end in the middle of May with exams continuing until the end of June.
- With approval from respective departments, students can take examinations also before the official examination period.
- Winter semester at the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences starts on 2/12 September 2022 and ends on 3 February/6 January 2023.
- Summer Semester at the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences starts on 26 January/13 February 2023 and ends on 2 June 2023 (Fac. of Medicine and Dentistry) and 26 May 2023 (Fac. of Health Sciences).
| Arrival at the dormitories | 9 - 11 September 2022 |
Orientation week Winter semester (for Erasmus+&Exchange students) | 12 September - 16 September 2022 |
Winter semester (beginning of classes) | 19 September 2022* |
Winter semester (ending of classes) | 16 December 2022* |
Christmas break | 19 December 2022 - 2 January 2023 |
Examination period beginning* | 2 January 2023 |
Examination period ending | 10 February 2023 |
| Arrival at the dormitories | 3 – 5 February 2023 |
Orientation week Summer semester (for Erasmus+&Exchange students) | 6 – 10 February 2023 |
Summer semester (beginning of classes) | 13 February 2023* |
Summer semester (ending of classes) | 12 May 2023* |
Palacký University Olomouc Academic week | 13 - 19 February 2023 |
Sports Days | 28 September 2022 + 10 May 2023 |
Examination period beginning * | 15 May 2023 |
Examination period ending | 30 June 2023 |
Complete information to be found in Czech language at: https://files.upol.cz/normy/normy/R-B-20-02-N01.pdf
Classes
The schedule and instruction methods logically vary between faculties and disciplines. Classes can start in the early hours of the morning (7am) and run until 8pm at the latest. Individual classes are 45 mins or 90 mins long. Lectures tend to be longer, followed by shorter, more practical seminars or exercises. At lectures, students mostly passively listen to the presentation, while at seminars, active participation and homework in the form of readings, essays, exercises or seminar papers are required. UP students may combine disciplines freely and attend courses outside their home departments or even faculties. It may happen that a course primarily designed for one particular year is also attended by students of higher or lower years. Everything depends on the capacity of the course and the instructor’s decision.
As the method of instruction and course requirements are determined by the instructor, always check with them for details before registering in the course!
Medical students follow their own specific rules and a fixed schedule which they can complement with optional courses.
Course completion
Some courses may be completed through good attendance and the fulfilment of continuous tasks throughout the semester or by submitting a semestral project or paper, without the need for another exam. However, completion of the majority of courses requires first the acquisition of a “credit” and then passing an exam. The “credit” is usually a written test. It may consist of an essay, but mostly it is a classic test with open- or closed-ended questions. Credit tests are mostly held in the last week of the semester. By acquiring the “credit” you either complete the entire course or qualify for an exam. Exams are held in the exam period. They may be written, but are very often oral. Prior to the exam, students receive relevant topics or questions and need to revise the contents of the course in the semester. At the oral exam you discuss the selected topic with the instructor; the test can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour or more, again depending on the discipline, instructor, and logically on how you are performing in the exam. If you fail your “credit” or exam, you can do up to two retakes. Note that many courses are concluded only with a credit or “kolokvium” (oral assessment through discussion), i.e. only the pass/fail evaluation, without a grade (A, B, C, D, E, F). If your home university requires grades, remember to choose courses that are concluded with an exam. UP cannot give you grades for courses that are concluded with a “credit” or colloquium.
Only if teachers are willing to evaluate your performance in such courses in percent, then based on the conversion table your home institution can get a grade. Please note that the transferred grade can´t be explicitly written in the UP ToR, the conversion table available in the official document must be used to prove the grade.
For illustration see the final part of the ToR with a conversion table:
