Prague, Jan 21 (CTK) – Small Czech regional universities have been catching up with those in Prague and Brno, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes yesterday, adding that this is mainly thanks to European subsidies, sending their students abroad and attracting foreign students.
According to the paper, the IT study programme at the Bata University in Zlin is better than the IT studies at the renowned Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University (UK) in Prague. The university of Hradec Kralove is better in economics than several faculties of the University of Economics in Prague (VSE), HN writes.
However, the best in economics is the UK Institute of Economic Studies.
Czech regional universities send more of their students to study abroad and more foreigners come to study at them.
“In 2014, we managed to launch two master degree study programmes in English and started enrolling foreign students. Their number more than doubled in the past academic year,” said Milan Adamek, dean of Bata University IT Faculty.
Czech regional universities had an opportunity to receive markedly more EU subsidies than those in Prague because the Czech capital city is considered too rich to be subsidised.
Jiri Smrcka, secretary of the Czech accreditation commission that supervises the universities, said Prague universities had a big disadvantage. The regional universities could considerably improve their infrastructure and afford further activities thanks to the subsidies, Smrcka said.
Adamek confirmed this.
“In 2011, we launched the construction of a research centre that contributed to the building of specialised laboratories,” he said, adding that the faculty began to more cooperate with firms thanks to the new infrastructure.
Along with the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT), the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (MFF UK) was always the best in the country in IT, but it is in the sixth position in the latest standings. A very low number of foreigners studied at this faculty and it enrolled more than 70 percent of the applicants for study, which is a rather high number, HN writes.
MFF UK Vice Dean Petr Kolman said he believes many students decide to study at a different faculty because MFF UK is considered very hard. “Our faculty has a reputation of being very demanding for students,” he said.
The best in IT continues to be the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CVUT.
Faculties of Masaryk University in Brno are considered the best in law, sociology and psychology, the paper writes.
