Completion of Studies
Information about Requirements for Successful Completion of Master’s Degree Programs
- Information on the method and conditions for successfully completing a master's degree in the field of Art
- Information on the method and conditions for successfully completing a master's degree in the field of Art and Culture Sciences
Information on the method and conditions for successfully completing a master's degree in the field of Art
Completion of the master's degree study is realized in the form of a defence of the master's thesis and a debate which are part of a state examination for the master's level of study. The defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination of the master ´s level of study are public and take place simultaneously on the same date before an examination committee whose chairperson and members are appointed by the Rector.
At AFAD the final project of the master's degree study in the study field of Fine Arts is a master's thesis, which has a practical and a written part, which make one thematic unit. The master's thesis has one tutor (the head teacher of the studio), who supervises mainly the practical part of the diploma thesis, and one supervisor - consultant (art historian or theoretician, philosopher, aesthetician or other relevant expert), who consults with the student mainly the written part of the master's thesis, and cooperates with the tutor and the diploma student when consulting the practical part of the diploma thesis. The thesis is evaluated by one opponent, who must comment on both parts of the thesis, and during the public defence it is assessed by the examination committee. The practical part of the master's thesis consists ( regarding specific study programmes), of the realisation of an artwork or a set of artworks, an architectural project including design documentation, an architectural installation or documentation of architectural research, a design project including a realised prototype, model studies, a realised work or a set of works in the field of visual communication, and a restored work or a set of restored works with complete restoration documentation.
The written part of the master´s thesis contains three parts, which are bound into one whole. The first part is a properly elaborated theoretical thesis of 20 standard pages, which is related to the practical part of the thesis. The second part is the documentation of the practical part of the thesis, the third part is the report on the master´s thesis.
The written part of the master´s thesis shall be submitted by the student before the defence, when it is due to. The final version of the written part of the master´s thesis must be stored in electronic form on the Cloud storage of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. Simultaneously the final version of the written part is submitted to the opponent in electronic or printed form, based on his/her instructions. One hardcover copy of the thesis intended for library archiving is submitted to the secretary of the evaluation committee on the day of the defence of the master´s thesis.
Prior to the defence, practical master´s works are installed by a set deadline in the school premises or in an external environment approved by the tutor where the graduate student is to defend the work. The head teacher of the studio has the right to propose to the main supervising teacher of the study programme and to the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs not to admit the thesis for defence. If the main supervising teacher of the study programme and the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs agree with this proposal, the student may request in writing the Rector of the Academy of Academy of Fine Arts and Design to postpone the defence of the diploma thesis. The student may also ask the Rector in writing for a postponement in exceptional cases, which he/she must justify (with the consent of the head teacher of the studio, the main supervising teacher of the study programme and the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs), at least 14 days prior to the defence.
The master's state examination is part of the master´s thesis defence which having a form of discussion links the fundamentals of independent artistic research and self-directed experimental body of work, which bears aspects of reflection and interpretation through an artistic medium and reflection on an artistic medium, also linked to history and theory knowledge of the studied discipline, framed by the core course Interpretive Frameworks of Contemporary Art, which is specified according to the focus of the individual study programmes (Visual Arts, Design, Art Restoration, Architecture). Therefore, each student has three pre-determined master's state examination topics based on the assignment topic of an individual master's thesis. Individually determined topical areas of state examination serve a function of the basic framework used for the preparation and guidance for students as well as for the evaluation committee within the master´s state examination. Master´s state examination has a form of discussion between the members of the evaluation committee and students. The discussion directly follows the defence of the master´s thesis referring to the topic of the master´s thesis.
The condition for the completion of the master's degree study is the successful defence of the master's thesis and the passing of the state examination in the form of a professional debate, whereby the committee evaluates separately the defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination carried out in the form of a debate on the three state examination topical areas. The final result is represented by a single grade, which is determined by the consensus of all members of the examination committee.
The course of the defence and the debate are public, but the decision of the examination committee on the results of the defence is taken in a closed meeting of the examination committee. The announcement of the results may be public only with the expressed consent of the student. The examination committee shall discuss the assessment in a closed session. The final grade is determined by the consensus of all members of the examination committee. In the event of a tie, the vote of the chairperson shall prevail. A student who fails to pass the defence of the master's thesis or the debate of the state examination topics is entitled to one make-up date. If the student fails the defence of the master's thesis, he/she repeats only this part. If a student fails to pass the state examination in the form of a debate on three topics, he/she repeats only this part. If the student fails both the defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination, he/she repeats both parts at the same time.
A student who fails to pass the master´s thesis defence may reapply for the state examination within the period of two years. If the student fails to defend the thesis at the next date or does not register for the state examination, he/she is expelled from studies for academic failure.
Information on the method and conditions for successfully completing a master's degree in the field of Art and Culture Sciences
Completion of the master's degree study is realized in the form of a defence of the master's thesis and a debate which are part of a state examination for the master's level of study. The defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination of the master ´s level of study are public and take place simultaneously on the same date before an examination committee whose chairperson and members are appointed by the Rector.
At AFAD the final project of the master's degree study in the study field of Arts and Cultural Sciences (study program History and Practice of Contemporary Art) is a written theoretical master´s thesis. The master's thesis has one tutor (art historian or theoretician, philosopher, aesthetician or other relevant expert), who consults with the student the written part of the master's thesis. The master´s thesis is evaluated by one opponent and during the public defence it is assessed by the examination committee.
The theoretical master´s thesis shall be submitted by the student prior to the defence, when it is due to. The final version of the written part of the master´s thesis must be stored in electronic form on the Cloud storage of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. Simultaneously the final version of the written part is submitted to the opponent in electronic or printed form. One hardcover copy of the thesis intended for library archiving is submitted to the secretary of the examination committee on the day of the defence of the master´s thesis.
The state exam consists of questions based on the state exam questions divided into 2 blocks. The student draws one question from the first block covering the study field of Criticism, Theory and Practice of Curatorial Studies. Then the student draws one question from the second block covering the study field of Interpretive Frameworks of Art in the Second Half of the 20th Century and the Early 21st Century. The student is allowed to have a fifteen-minute preparation after which he/she shall answer the questions. An important aspect of the examination is that the student should demonstrate, not only his/her knowledge of the issue/topic, but also his/her the ability to reflect on and discuss the issue in a competent debate conducted by the examination committee. The state examination has a form of discussion between the members of the examination committee and student. The discussion directly follows the defence of the master´s thesis referring to the topic of the master´s thesis.
The condition for the completion of the master's degree study is the successful defence of the master's thesis and the passing of the state examination in the form of a professional debate, whereby the committee evaluates separately the defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination. The defence of the theoretical master´s thesis and the state examination are assessed separately, however, assessment from both blocks is represented by one common grade. The final result is represented by a single grade, which is determined by the consensus of all members of the examination committee.
The course of the defence and the debate are public, but the decision of the examination committee on the results of the defence is taken in a closed meeting of the examination committee. The announcement of the results may be public only with the expressed consent of the student. The examination committee shall discuss the assessment in a closed session. The final grade is determined by the consensus of all members of the examination committee. In the event of a tie, the vote of the chairperson shall prevail. A student who fails to pass the defence of the master's thesis or the debate of the state examination topics is entitled to one make-up date. If the student fails the defence of the master's thesis, he/she repeats only this part. If a student fails to pass the state examination in the form of a debate on state examination topics, he/she repeats only this part. If the student fails both the defence of the master´s thesis and the state examination, he/she repeats both parts at the same time. A student who fails to pass the master´s thesis defence may reapply for the state examination within the period of two years. If the student fails to defend the thesis at the next date or does not register for the state examination, he/she is expelled from studies for academic failure.