Constitutional Law

Graduates of doctoral studies in the constitutional law study program master the scientific methods of basic and applied research in legal sciences, which serve as a basis for carrying out research and development and creating new scientific knowledge in the field of law, while the graduate is focused to the legal field constitutional law or a combination with related legal fields, primarily administrative law, international law, European law and legal theory. In the given areas, he presents knowledge at the highest level, which is primarily represented by his publishing activity.

The graduate can analyze, synthesize and compare the legal institutes of the legal branch of constitutional law, as well as related legal branches, with the aim of creating de lege ferenda proposals, in the interest of their more effective application in the legal order. He is able to use all basic scientific methods of research in his scientific work, while he is able to connect not only legal institutes of constitutional law with each other, but also to think critically and interdisciplinary. At the same time, it can identify the growth of legal institutes implemented from the legal systems of the European Union states into the legal system of the Slovak Republic. The graduate also masters conceptual, analytical and synthesizing knowledge in the field of constitutional law, with wide application in jurisprudence and practice. With his personal scientific contribution, he is able to shape the further development of constitutional law on a national and partly international scale. Applies acquired knowledge in practice with knowledge of choosing alternative conceptual or individual solutions.

The graduate applies his own findings of his theoretical analysis and his complex scientific research in solving problems in social relations at the national, EU and international level. Based on his outputs and findings, he can propose, verify and implement new scientific knowledge. Within the legal branch of constitutional law, he is able to identify its shortcomings, to propose their solution by means of interpretation or law-making methods, and to compare the current state of knowledge in the legal branch of constitutional law with the legal systems of other states. In a given context, the graduate presents the most advanced and specialized skills and techniques, including the ability to synthesize and evaluate, that are required to solve fundamental problems in the field of research and/or innovation and to extend and redefine existing knowledge or professional practices.

The graduate has independent critical and analytical thinking, which he applies in changing social conditions and is able to independently present the results of research and development in the field of law in the legal branch of constitutional law, as well as in related legal branches, before the scientific and professional community in the Slovak Republic and abroad .

The graduate acquires the ability to work scientifically and pedagogically at the required methodological level in the field of law, in the legal branch of constitutional law, as well as in related legal branches, on the basis of which he is prepared to work qualifiedly within the pedagogical process at universities in the given areas.

The graduate acquires the ability to demonstrate considerable authority, innovation, independence, scientific and professional integrity, and assumes a permanent commitment to developing new ideas or practices. The subject components are primarily reflected in the graduate's ability to determine the focus of research and coordinate a team in the scientific field of constitutional law, as well as in related legal branches, and in regular publication activity, the quality of which corresponds to the standards of the Internal system for ensuring the quality of higher education of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Internal regulation no. 23/2021), as well as the standard of Internal regulation no. 5/2021, which regulates the internal system of quality assurance of higher education under the conditions of the Comenius University in Bratislava, the Faculty of Law and the Standards for the Internal System of Quality Assurance of Higher Education of the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (hereinafter all three documents will be referred to as "Quality Standards") and which the graduate presented during his doctoral studies.

The goals of education are achieved in the constitutional law study program through the following measurable educational outputs in individual parts of the study program, which consists of a teaching part, a scientific part and a pedagogical part.

Teaching part - mainly teaching within profile subjects:

Methodology of science

Methodology of qualitative legal research

Within the above-mentioned subjects, it is ensured that the individual study programs of doctoral studies are strengthened in the study part in a common basis from the point of view of the methodology of science.

Within the Methodology of Science subject, student outputs are presented by the ability to formulate research hypotheses, by deepening skills in the application of methods of analysis and synthesis when writing scientific works, by complying with the requirements of the Quality Standards.

As part of the subject Methodology of qualitative legal research, the student will learn the method of qualitative research, which is in the context of determining the purpose and goals, the collection of data, the process of their analysis up to the writing of the final report, aimed at understanding and interpreting the meanings that the researching persons assigns to their experiences and perceptions . The goal is the search for causes and connections in the worlds of individuals and subsequent inductive prediction leading to answers to research questions.

Basics and application of legal education: methodology of the pedagogical process

By completing the subject, the student acquires core knowledge and relevant information, on the basis of which he is able to formulate the goals and content of their own pedagogical process. They control the organizational forms, didactic principles and teaching methods that are profiling for the pedagogical process, while they are capable of selecting them flexibly and correctly depending on the requirements of the pedagogical process, the taught subject and the target group. Based on their own knowledge, he identifies individual general and special requirements for the preparation of partial parts of the teaching process, emphasizing the specifics of teaching focused on legal education. 

Preparation of a dissertation project on constitutional law

By systematically preparing the dissertation project, the student not only learns, but also acquires the ability to apply the basic methods of scientific work and their use in their own research and scientific activity. Under the influence of regular logical and well-thought-out mentoring, which appropriately influences the entire process of project preparation, after completing the subject, the doctoral student is able to formulate basic scientific questions and scientific hypotheses, which are also the presumed result. The emphasis placed on the active component of research is determined by the student's own creative activity. The aforementioned process is finalized by the development of a dissertation project, in which, based on the previous scientific investigation of the issue and knowledge, he formulates and specifies the basic hypotheses, and at the same time creates a scientific platform for further research in the researched area. The project also includes elaborated sub-goals that condition the achievement of the main goal. The project does not lack discussion, as well as its results. The author's own attitudes and solutions arrived at are logically organized and sufficiently evaluated. At the same time, the student is able to comment on all facts and knowledge in confrontation with the results of research works of other authors or decisions of relevant authorities applying the law, mainly case law. After graduation, the doctoral student is able to present, argue partial results of scientific research and lead a scientific and professional discussion regarding the issue in question.

Selected issues of Slovak constitutional law

In preparation for the dissertation exam, the student will repeat, consolidate and deepen the knowledge acquired in subjects with a focus on constitutional law. It analyzes the latest changes to the Constitution of the Slovak Republic and related legal regulations.

The constitutional system of the Slovak Republic - current issues of functioning

The student will deepen his knowledge of the key principles of the functioning of the constitutional system of the Slovak Republic, the place and mutual relations of individual constitutional bodies in the constitutional system, as well as their relationship to the EU institutions, trends in the development of constitutional regulation of constitutional institutions. He is able to consult on theoretical and practical issues of the functioning of the constitutional system.

Law enforcement authorities and their role in the rule of law

By completing the course, the student will deepen his knowledge in the field of creation and organization of the activities of law enforcement bodies. The educational output for the student is knowledge about the method of protection of rights and interests protected by law, which law protection authorities provide under the conditions of the legal order of the Slovak Republic. The student will gain a deeper overview of the relationship between law enforcement authorities and public-political authorities; on the organizational structure, way of functioning, creation and personnel composition of individual law enforcement bodies. The student acquires not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills (drafting a complaint, initiative,...), which he is able to apply in cases where his right or interest protected by law is violated.

Constitutional systems of selected member states of the European Union

The student will deepen his knowledge in the field of functioning of the constitutional bodies of selected EU member states (Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, France, UK, Italy, Poland). At the same time, he is able to compare the common and different features of their constitutional status.

Scientific part

The minimum scope of compulsory optional scientific activity results from the Directive of the Dean of Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, which regulates the evaluation of selected scientific activities of university teachers, researchers and doctoral students at Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law (Internal Regulation No. 1/2018). Pursuant to Article 6(1) of Internal Regulation no. 1/2018 the faculty of law annually prepares an overall assessment of the scientific and professional activity of the persons listed in Art. 1, including doctoral students. During the evaluated period (1 calendar year), the doctoral student of the faculty of law is obliged to achieve an evaluation of at least 30 points for the publication activity in the case of a full-time doctoral student, and at least 20 points in the case of a part-time doctoral student. A full-time doctoral student must achieve at least 35 points in the overall evaluation for the evaluated period (1 calendar year). A doctoral student in an external form of study is obliged to achieve at least 25 points in the overall evaluation for the evaluated period (1 calendar year). The specific number of points for individual categories follows from Art. 2-5 of Internal Regulation no. 1/2018: https://www.flaw.uniba.sk/fileadmin/praf/O_fakulte/Dokumenty/VP_2018/VP_2018_01.pdf

The quality of the publication activity of doctoral students, especially in the context of the Quality Standards, is evaluated annually by the Council for the Quality of Science and Doctoral Studies of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law.

Pedagogical part

The doctoral student, at the beginning also under the supervision of their supervisor, applies and improves the skills in teaching that he previously acquired through their own observation in the mentioned subjects and within the profile subject Basics and application of legal education: methodology of the pedagogical process. 

• assistant professors and scientific workers at universities and other scientific institutions
• judges of the supreme courts,
• senior staff of analytical departments at the highest courts, senior staff in central state administration bodies and in European structures
• advocacy (head of the work team)

• public authorities
• law enforcement bodies (e.g. public defender of rights)
• nongovernmental organizations

Required skills and requirements for admission to study:

Conditions for admission to study at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, according to § 57 of Act no. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions and on Amendments to Certain Acts as amended and information pursuant to Art. 3 par. 5 of the rules of the admission procedure at the Comenius University in Bratislava (internal regulation No. 4/2021):

https://www.flaw.uniba.sk/fileadmin/praf/Studium/uchadzac/2022_2023/PhD_pravo_2022_23_V1.pdf 

Procedures for admission to study:

Rules of the admission procedure at Comenius University (internal regulation 4/2021)

https://uniba.sk/fileadmin/ruk/legislativa/2021/Vp_2021_04.pdf

FULL-TIME STUDY

Recommended study plan:

2024/2025

2023/2024

2022/2023

2021/2022

Information sheets:

2024/2025

2023/2024

2022/2023

2021/2022

PART-TIME STUDY

Recommended study plan:

2024/2025

2023/2024

2022/2023

2021/2022

Information sheets:

2024/2025

2023/2024

2022/2023

2021/2022

Members of the Study Programme Council:

Meetings of the Study Program Council:

Decisions: 

Framework agreement on cooperation with an external educational institution: Agreement

Descriptions of study programs and internal evaluation reports: