This is an opportunity to further develop the fundamentals acquired during your Bachelor’s studies and to find your own thing and your personal path – potentially including an inspiring stay abroad in the context of our exchange programmes. The master’s degree is a two-year study program and can be studied in Czech or English. If you wish to specialize you have the opportunity to choose one of the five specialized modules (Design Computing, Spatial Planning, Heritage Conservation, City Development and Landscape Architecture) in the Czech program.
Try out for yourself the main activities an architect or urban planner is devoted to in practice – that is, from sketching to implementing a project. A large choice of elective subjects provides the opportunity to start preparing for professional specialization while you are still in school.
The opportunity of studying abroad is a bonus you shouldn’t let pass you by! Study stays for students of the Faculty of Architecture at the best European and even Non-European schools are made possible by mutually concluded agreements. In the Erasmus+ program, you can spend up to 12 months abroad – the prerequisite being, of course, sufficient mastery of the required language. Studying in English is not possible everywhere, which is why knowledge of another major world language, such as Spanish or French is a great advantage.
In keeping with Vitruvius’s statement that the construction of any kind of structure must have three fundamental properties – firmitas, utilitas, venustas; that is, structural stability, utility and beauty, so too will your studies at the faculty, though most likely challenging and hard, aim to achieve a similar result without wasting time. This means you will not only master technical skills – but you will also have plenty of space for creativity and your muse, along with many opportunities to allow your talent to take flight.
You will deepen your ability to think like an architect, which is essential for your future work. It is something that is hard to measure and verify, since architecture is more of a world view than a classical science, and a good architect must have not only specific knowledge but also a set of diverse skills. In the course of your master's studies, you will be working on much more challenging projects, on which you will apply of the knowledge you have acquired.
Most works remain on paper, but not all! You don't have to wait for your diploma – some of your ideas may already materialize during your studies. You will find some examples in the immediate vicinity of the faculty building: for example, a wooden passage to the National Technical Library, a design of footbridges for the Krkonoše National Park or the so-called AIR House in front of the CTU building, which operates as an information centre.
The studio is a subject in which you apply your arsenal of theoretical knowledge. Gradually, you will try out designs of various buildings, urban spaces, landscapes, objects, etc. We have over forty studios, headed by recognized top professionals in the field. The attribute “vertical” means that in the context of the studio, students can collaborate on a single project regardless of whether they are in their second, third, fourth or final year.
With the Ing. arch. degree, graduates of the Faculty of Architecture at CTU are authorized to practice in EU countries without any other kind of licenses or documents. Studying at our school is decidedly no waste of time, and graduates have no trouble finding employment – on the contrary, and those inclined to do so can already make professional contacts while still studying.
Emphasis on studio teaching allows a very close collaboration between the students and teachers. They meet twice a week in the chosen studio and the adept can spend a good amount of time on each assignment with his or her “guru”, discussing the elected approach and the most appropriate solution.
Students of the Faculty of Architecture do not spend hours upon hours in lecture halls. To get a good feel for reality, in line with the “learning by doing” concept, we use workshops, excursions and various forms of DIY and creating. That is, we do things that cannot be simply memorized through repetition.
The teachers at the Faculty of Architecture are not solely academics, but, above all, they are also engaged in professional practice – recognized experts in their respective fields. And they are wonderfully distinctive personalities, so don’t expect any boring old stuffed shirts. Instead, you can look forward to them taking you on an excursion to an environment not many ever get to see, or maybe even out for a beer.
After completing all the requisites, i.e. passing the state exams and defending the master's thesis, it is of course possible to begin practice - whether in one of the architectural studios, as a freelancer or in the state administration. Another option, however, is to continue your education by entering the doctoral studies programme, which, among other things, is a prerequisite for a future academic career.
Roman Koucký
Creator of iconic architectural works, initiator of polemics with conservative conservationists and the main Prague urban planner
He graduated from FA in 1985, since 1997 he has been running a studio and in 2017 he was appointed professor. He founded his own architectural office in 1991. The most significant realizations of his work are the reconstruction of public spaces, reconstruction of historical houses, eg Faro's house in Slavonice (2000), and construction of new bridges in Usti nad Labem, Ceske Budejovice (both 1998) or Troy (2013). He twice won the Grand Prix of the Community of Architects, he co-founded the group Golden Eagles and the magazine Zlatý řez. At present, as the director of the IPR City Planning Department, he is working on the new Prague metropolitan plan.
Pavla Melková
Architect, theoretician of architecture, pedagogue
She finished her studies at the FA in 1987, continued her doctoral studies and habilitated in 2017. Since 2011 she has been teaching at the faculty, among others she has established a new subject called Concept and Interpretation. Since 1996 she has been working in the architectural studio MCA, which she founded together with her husband Miroslav Cikán. Among the prized realizations of the MCA are modifications of the bastion U božích muk in Prague 2 (Grand Prix of the Community of Architects 2012) or reconstruction of the functionalist ensemble of the Hus Corps in Vinohrady. The theme, which is intertwined with the theoretical and practical work of Pavla Melková, is the influence of architecture on man and society. She has published a number of books on this subject and regularly lectures for experts and the public. In 2012, she founded the Public Space Office at the Prague Institute of Planning and Development.
The condition for the state examination, which precedes the defence of the thesis and consists of two subject blocks - architecture and urban planning and construction management, is the successful completion of compulsory subjects. Students of specialized modules must pass one extra state exam, which is usually given together with the defence of the thesis.
Candidates that have completed their bachelor’s studies in the same or a related field may apply to the master’s degree programme. In contrast to the entrance exams for the Bachelor’s programme, however, there are no talent tests, but rather the candidate’s portfolio of school work or other projects the candidate has worked on are evaluated. Graduates in bachelor’s studies in a related programme at the FA at CTU with excellent results are accepted to the master’s programme without entrance exams.
This is usually an architectural, urban design or urban planning project, but could also be a theoretical work. The final projects are submitted within a fixed deadline, set for each academic year.
For the content of this site is responsible: Ing. arch. Kateřina Rottová, Ph.D.
