Criminal Law

A graduate of the doctoral studies in the criminal law study program masters the scientific methods of basic and applied research in legal sciences, which serve as a basis for conducting research and development and creating new scientific knowledge in the field of law, while the graduate is focused on the legal branch of criminal law or a combination with related legal branches, primarily administrative law. 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 criminal 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 criminal 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 criminal law, with wide application in jurisprudence and practice. With his personal scientific contribution, he is able to shape the further development of criminal law on a national and partly international scale. He applies the acquired knowledge in practice with the knowledge of choosing alternative 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 criminal law, he is able to identify its shortcomings, to propose their solution by methods of interpretation or creation of law, and to compare the current state of knowledge in the legal branch of criminal 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 criminal 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 criminal 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 fields.

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 components in question are primarily reflected in the graduate's ability to determine the focus of research and to coordinate a team in the scientific field of criminal 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 educational goals in the criminal law study program are achieved 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. 

Substantive criminal law - scientific aspects

The student acquires the methodology of scientific research in the field of substantive criminal law, including in the context of an interdisciplinary approach, is able to interpret the basic principles of criminal law philosophically and legally as well as in applied practice, includes the concept of criminal responsibility and criminal legislation de lege lata and with the possibilities of de lege ferenda and he orients himself in the field of the most current scientific problems of substantive criminal law not only from the point of view of the Slovak legal order, but also of the legal order of the European Union and international law. At the same time, he will verify these abilities by comparing the selected institute, which is related to the topic of the dissertation, with other legal systems within the EU. The content of the student's work is also the study of foreign legal systems, foreign literature, and knowledge of EU law. After completing the subject, the student will also gain an orientation in foreign legislation and literature in the scope of the comparison made, he is able to evaluate the knowledge gained and submit possible proposals de lege ferenda.

Criminal procedural law - scientific aspects

The student acquires the methodology of scientific research in the field of criminal procedural law, including in the context of an interdisciplinary approach, is able to interpret the basic principles of criminal procedure philosophically and legally as well as in applied practice, includes the concept of the criminal process and its legislative expression de lege lata and with de lege options ferenda, including the issue of adversarial criminal proceedings, and will orientate himself in the field of the most current scientific problems of procedural criminal law not only from the point of view of the Slovak legal order, but also the legal order of the European Union and international law. At the same time, he will verify these abilities by comparing the selected institute, which is related to the topic of the dissertation, with other legal systems within the EU. The content of the student's work is also the study of foreign legal systems, foreign literature, and knowledge of EU law. After completing the subject, the student will also gain an orientation in foreign legislation and literature in the scope of the comparison made, he is able to evaluate the knowledge gained and submit possible proposals de lege ferenda.

Prosecutor's office and courts as legal protection authorities

The student will become comprehensively familiar with the activities of the prosecutor's office and the courts as bodies that, to the most significant degree, in practice participate in the protection of the interests of society and the individual, with a focus on the proper agenda of these bodies, by-laws and internal standards regarding the activities of these bodies. The student will thus gain deeper knowledge about the functioning of the mentioned institutions and their activities. The content of the subject is also the evaluation of the effectiveness of the activities of these bodies with a focus on comparing the legislative regulation and the practical activities of these bodies, where practice overlaps with theory and where, on the contrary, practice deviates from theory. Within this subject, the graduate should be able to evaluate jurisprudence and thus work with anonymized decisions of the prosecutor's office, courts, but also of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic, the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. The aim of the work on this subject is to formulate de lege ferenda considerations for more effective work of these bodies and possibly also the ability to express criticism on certain practical aspects of the work of these bodies, where there is room for improvement in the future.

Proving

Graduates will expand their knowledge of analytical thinking in the issue of evidence, not only in criminal law, but also in civil or administrative law. The subject is focused on the rigorous analysis of individual means of evidence, especially from the point of view of their practical application, and also takes the process of evidence from a complex point of view, where it also focuses on the process of searching for and obtaining evidence, the subsequent implementation of this evidence and its use in criminal proceedings. The content of the subject is also the process of evaluating evidence, evaluating the weight of individual evidence in criminal, administrative or administrative proceedings and subsequently drawing a decision and reflecting the evidence process into the justification of the final decision.

Preparation of a dissertation project on criminal law

By systematically preparing a dissertation project under the guidance of his supervisor, the student not only learns, but also acquires the ability to apply the basic methods of scientific work and their use in his own research and scientific activity. Under the influence of regular logical and well-thought-out mentoring by the supervisor, who appropriately influences the entire process of project preparation, after completing the subject, the student is able to formulate basic scientific questions and scientific hypotheses, which are also a 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. They are part of the project

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. 

The graduate is professionally and personally qualified to hold positions with national reach in the area of methodologies, guidance, supervision and control of the fight against criminal activity and the course of criminal proceedings in the structures of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, the Prosecutor's Office of the Slovak Republic, courts of the Slovak Republic, advocacy and security forces. The graduate is also eligible for employment in the scientific-pedagogical sphere, especially in the position of a assistant professor at the Faculty of Law or in a scientific position in scientific institutions in Slovakia, e.g. at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, etc.

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: