Faculty of LawComenius University Bratislava

Rigorous Procedure

Rigorous procedure

Graduates of study programmes in the field of law who have obtained the degree of "Master" or graduates of equivalent study programmes abroad may take the rigorosum examination, which includes the defence of the rigorosum thesis in the field of law.

By the rigorous examination and the defence of the rigorous thesis, the candidate is to demonstrate, on the basis of independent study, that he or she has a deeper knowledge of the broader basis of the study field of law and is capable of acquiring new knowledge of science and practice independently and is able to apply the acquired knowledge in a creative way in practice.

CU shall issue a diploma indicating the field of study to candidates who have passed the rigorous examination and have submitted a confirmation of payment of the relevant fee, and shall confer on them the academic degree of 'Doctor of Law' (abbreviated as 'JUDr.').

The principles of the rigorous examination procedure at the Faculty of Law of Comenius Bratislava are regulated by the Directive of the Dean of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University Bratislava No. 1/2023.

Fees for the rigorous procedure

Fees for the rigorous procedure
Fee for the rigorous procedure: 450,00 €
Fee for repeating the rigorous examination: 90,00 €

Waiver or reduction of fees
The Rector may reduce or waive the fee for the rigorous examination or postpone the due date of the fee upon the request of the candidate who has applied for the rigorous examination and after the opinion of the Dean:
(a) to an employee of CU or a part thereof (the Dean shall recommend a waiver),
(b) a full-time doctoral student of the UK studying at the standard length of study (the Dean shall recommend a waiver); or
c) when applying for the rigorosum examination within one year of completing the master's degree, if such a circumstance is provided for by an internal regulation of the faculty issued in accordance with a special internal regulation of the Comenius University (the dean shall recommend a reduction of 10 %, i.e. to € 405)

Method of payment
Fees associated with the rigorous procedure are payable to PraF UK according to the payment data generated in AIS2 (payment data is part of the acknowledgement of receipt of the application form)

Regulations
IR No. 18/2023 Directive of the Rector of Comenius University Full text of IP No. 17/2021 Directive of the Rector of Comenius University determining the amount of tuition fees and fees associated with study at Comenius University, as amended by Appendices No. 1 to 5.
Annex No 4 Tuition fees and fees associated with studying at CU in the academic year 2023/2024.
IR No 4/2023 Directive of the Dean of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, regulating certain details related to tuition fees and fees associated with studies at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law

Submission of application

The application for the rigorous examination is submitted by filling in the electronic application form on the e-application portal e-prihlaska, which the candidate then prints and delivers to the Faculty of Law of Comenius University. The application will guide you through the application process.

The application form selects the study programme "Law", degree "N-undetermined". The individual topics are classified into areas of law, which subsequently determine the subjects of the oral part of the rigorosum examination. 

The topic of the rigorous thesis is chosen by the candidate. The candidate chooses the topic of the thesis

(a) choose from among the recommended thesis topics; or

(b) individually propose it in consultation with the teacher concerned, who shall be the thesis adviser after approval of the thesis topic by the chair of the examination board and confirmation of the acceptance of the application for the rigorous examination. Once the individually agreed thesis has been registered, it will appear on the e-application portal and can be applied for. For better clarity, the different areas are marked with codes that represent the abbreviation of the name of the area.   

 

The annexes to the application for the rigorous examination are

a) a copy of the university diploma,

(b) a copy of the state examination certificate or a copy of the state final examination certificate,

(c) a copy of the supplement to the diploma, if one has been issued,

(d) a certified copy of a public document certifying the applicant's first and last name, the applicant's maiden name, the applicant's date and place of birth, the applicant's nationality and the applicant's permanent residence; the applicant may also certify these data by submitting an ID card, passport or other documents to the Study Department of the Faculty of Law, of which a record shall be made,

(e) curriculum vitae,

(f) a list of published works with full bibliographical data or public viewings of artistic performances, as well as responses to them, if the applicant has such.

 

Candidate who has completed a master's degree

a) at the Faculty of Law of Comenius University, shall submit copies of the evidence of completion of studies referred to in paragraph 3(a) to (c); if the applicant submits an application in the academic year immediately following the academic year in which he/she completed the master's degree, he/she is not obliged to submit copies of the evidence of completion of studies referred to in paragraph 3(a) to (c),

(b) at a faculty of Comenius University Bratislava other than the faculty at which the rigorous procedure is being conducted, he/she shall submit copies of the evidence of completion of the studies referred to in points (a) to (c) together with the originals thereof for inspection and verification to the relevant member of the study department;

(c) at a faculty of a higher education institution established in the territory of the Slovak Republic, he/she shall submit certified copies of the documents certifying completion of the studies referred to in (a) to (c),

d) at the faculty of a higher education institution established outside the territory of the Slovak Republic, submit certified copies of the decisions on recognition of documents on education and copies of documents on completion of studies.

 

The annexes referred to in points (e) and (f) shall be entered only electronically into the academic information system.

Rigorous theses and their submission

By elaborating and defending the rigorous thesis, the candidate must demonstrate that he/she has the ability to integrate knowledge, manage its complexity and formulate decisions with incomplete or limited information, while nevertheless embracing the social and ethical responsibility associated with the application of his/her knowledge and decisions, and can clearly and unambiguously communicate conclusions, their findings and justifications to both professional and lay audiences. The candidate's rigorous thesis treats the chosen topic at the level of a scientific study or with a representative selection of literature, with appropriately chosen scientific procedures, hypotheses that can be verified, and at the same time the rigorous thesis is intended to be a contribution to the specific field.

 

The candidate must submit the thesis by the end of the academic year in which the 24 months following the start of the rigorisation procedure expire (except for transitional provisions). 

 

The candidate submits the rigorous thesis in paper form via the PraF UK Registry and electronically via the Academic Information System (in the current period of emergency, the rigorous thesis is submitted exclusively via AIS2).