Final State Examination (SZZ)

Bachelor’s or Follow-up Master’s studies at FIM UHK are completed upon successful completion of the comprehensive Final State Examination, which includes the defence of the final thesis (Bachelor’s or Master’s). The comprehensive SZZ, including compulsory subjects and the thesis defence, must be taken in one session before a single examination committee. It is not possible to take parts of the SZZ separately. If a student wishes to take the SZZ in an elective subject, this must be done before the comprehensive SZZ. To be admitted to the SZZ in an elective subject, the student must have completed the entire group of prerequisite courses associated with that exam. These are listed in the syllabus of the SZZ subject in IS/STAG.

To be admitted to the comprehensive SZZ, the student must fulfil the following conditions:

1. Register for the SZZ subjects in IS/STAG and confirm the assigned date with the administrative assistant at the department
2. Submit the final thesis to the department
3. Close their study at the Study Department

1. Registration for the Final State Examination

Student registration takes place first in IS/STAG in Graphical Pre-registration – SS (always set the summer semester). The student selects the SZZ subjects and the thesis defence (marked with the § symbol) from their study plan. For each selected SZZ subject and the defence, the student must save a timetable event (RA) in the following way: the selected SZZ subjects and defence will be displayed below the timetable table as non-timetable events and for each SZZ subject students must tick the examination period in which they plan to take the SZZ and save the RA marked in this way. A correctly saved RA is marked with a purple-framed square and the selected examination period is displayed next to the subject. Only students who have registered in IS/STAG will be assigned a SZZ date by the department.

The assigned date must be confirmed at the department with administrative assistant at the department. Exact dates for SZZ subject registration in IS/STAG, RA submission, and confirmation deadlines are set in the Academic Year Schedule.

A student who does not have a properly registered Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis topic in IS/STAG cannot be assigned a Final State Examination (SZZ) date or an examination committee!

 

For the purpose of the SZZ, study programmes are assigned to the following departments:

• programmes Applied Informatics (ai3s, ai2), Data Science (dv2), Information and Network Security (isb3)

Department of Information Technologies, Department of Informatics and Quantitative Methods – Administrative Assistant: Ing. Kateřina Mišičková

• programme Economics and Management (eam3, eam2)

Department of Economics, Department of Management - Administrative Assistant: Ing. Miloslava Chroustovská

• programme Tourism Management (mcr)

Department of Recreology and Tourism - Administrative Assistant: Jana Šimková

• programme Information Management (im3, im2)

The SZZ will be conducted at the department where the final thesis is supervised.

 

FINAL STATE EXAMINATION DATES - The assigned SZZ date must be confirmed with the Administrative Assistant of the relevant department! By confirming the SZZ date at the department, the student is officially registered for the SZZ. If a student cannot attend the SZZ, they must send an excuse in advance via email to the Administrative Assistant of the relevant department.

 

2. Submission of Bachelor’s/Master’s Thesis to the Department - See section Final Theses

 

3. Study Completion

Once the student meets the conditions listed below, they must immediately submit a Request for Study Completion to the Study Department.

Conditions for completing full-time study:

• completion of all compulsory courses
• completion of the required number of elective courses (if specified in the study programme)
• earning at least 180 credits in a Bachelor’s programme or 120 credits in a Follow-up Master’s programme
• all credits, exams, and other results (e.g. internship, mobility, course, etc.) must be entered and finalized in IS/STA

Conditions for completing part-time (combined) study:

• Completion of all compulsory courses
• Completion of the required number of elective courses (if specified in the study programme)
• all credits, exams, and other results (e.g. internship, mobility, course, etc.) must be entered and finalized in IS/STAG

The student who completes their studies in the current academic year but does not pass the SZZ by the end of the same academic year does not register for the next academic year via self-registration. Instead, the Study Department will register the student. The Request for Study Completion is submitted only once (not again in case of a repeated SZZ attempt). After study completion, a two-year period begins for passing the SZZ (unless otherwise specified by the programme’s accreditation).

The student does not lose student status but may be subject to a tuition fee for extended study.
The latest possible date for taking the SZZ will be displayed in IS/STAG after study completion.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDY COMPLETION + REQUEST FOR STUDY COMPLETION

 

Non-Attendance at the Final State Examination (SZZ)

If the student is unable to attend the SZZ on the confirmed date (e.g. due to not completing study requirements, not submitting the final thesis, illness, or other personal reasons), they must notify the Administrative Assistant at the Department in advance (email notification is sufficient). The student who meets the conditions for admission to the SZZ but fails to attend the confirmed date without a justified excuse will forfeit the attempt. It will be considered as if the student failed the SZZ (they will receive a grade of F – Fail for all parts of the examination). The student may still submit an excuse after the exam date, but no later than five days after the scheduled date, in writing to the Dean, who will decide whether to accept the excuse or not.

To take the SZZ in the next examination period, the student must register again in IS/STAG, i.e. to submit and save a new timetable event (RA) and follow the deadlines set in the Academic Year Schedule.

It is recommended to consult the Study Department regarding the duration of study, tuition fees, the possibility of study interruption, etc.

 

Course of the Final State Examination

The Final State Examination at FIM is a comprehensive examination (thesis defence and examination in compulsory SZZ subjects) and is held on a single day before one examination committee.

Thesis Defence:

The student usually begins with a brief presentation of their thesis, lasting no more than 10 minutes, supported by a presentation (e.g. MS PowerPoint). The presentation should include the reason for choosing the topic, the approach to processing it, the results achieved, and any challenges encountered. Then, the key parts of the supervisor’s and opponent’s evaluations are presented, including their final assessments. The student responds to any comments raised in the evaluations.
This is followed by a discussion based on questions from the supervisor, opponent, and members of the examination committee. The purpose is to assess the student’s understanding of the subject matter and their ability to respond to related topics. Both the thesis and its defence are evaluated and included in the final grade. A crucial part of the defence is demonstrating that the student completed the thesis independently.

Examination in compulsory SZZ subjects:

Questions from the compulsory subjects for the given study programme are selected by the chair of the committee together with the examiner immediately after the thesis defence. Questions are selected, where possible, to relate thematically to the thesis topic. The examiner may ask any question from the prescribed examination topics, which are published on the faculty website. Students usually answer without preparation, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the subject and the ability to address it in a broad interdisciplinary context. Upon request, the chair of the committee may allow a short preparation time.

For the foreign language component of the SZZ and for the elective subject, students draw their questions in advance.

Once the student successfully completes the final part of the SZZ, they officially become a graduate.
The date of study completion is the date of the SZZ. The examination committee will issue a confirmation of graduation, signed by the chair of the committee and stamped by the department.
This document serves as proof of graduation and can be used for official purposes (e.g. for authorities, institutions, etc.).

 

Retaking the Final State Examination

If the student receives a grade of F – Fail in any part of the Final State Examination (SZZ), they must retake only that failed part. The student who fails the SZZ:

• may retake the SZZ or any of its parts only twice,
• may take the retake in the next available SZZ examination period listed in the Academic Year Schedule,
• is not required to register for the next immediate SZZ period (especially in cases where the thesis needs to be revised or more preparation is needed),
• must comply with the two-year time limit from the date of study completion to pass all parts of the SZZ (including any retakes), or within the validity of the programme’s accreditation,
• must register again in IS/STAG for the retaken SZZ subject or thesis defence, i.e. submit and save a new timetable event (RA) for the next SZZ period to be assigned a new date by the department; the new date must be confirmed with the Administrative Assistant at the Department,
• is advised to consult the Study Department regarding study duration, tuition fees, the possibility of study interruption, etc.

 

After the Final State Examination

Grades from the SZZ are entered into IS/STAG by the Study Department successively, as the exams are conducted across departments during the examination period. Due to the workload of the Study Department during this time, please allow for a delay between the exam and the entry of results into IS/STAG. The results of SZZ subjects will appear in the student’s study plan in IS/STAG under:
Course of Study – Course Completion, next to each subject.

Once the results are entered into IS/STAG, the system performs a final evaluation of the study, the study is officially closed, and the student loses access to IS/STAG functionalities. At this point, the UHK student ID card will no longer be valid on university premises. Access to the university email account and UHK network will also be terminated (students will receive an automated notification about the termination date of their access). The official date of study completion is the date of the SZZ, and this date is used on the confirmation of total study duration.

See also: GRADUATE