study programme

Geodesy and Cartography

Faculty: FCEAbbreviation: DKA-GKAcad. year: 2025/2026

Type of study programme: Doctoral

Study programme code: P0532D260002

Degree awarded: Ph.D.

Language of instruction: English

Accreditation: 8.10.2019 - 8.10.2029

Mode of study

Combined study

Standard study length

4 years

Programme supervisor

Doctoral Board

Fields of education

Area Topic Share [%]
Civil Engineering Geodesy 100

Study aims

The aim of the doctoral study program Geodesy and Cartography is to provide outstanding graduates of the master's degree with specialized university education and scientific preparation in selected current fields of study. The study is focused on complex scientific preparation, methodology
of independent scientific work and on the development of knowledge in the field of geodesy and cartography theory. data, physical, engineering and satellite geodesy, photogrammetry and laser scanning further information systems and digital cartography. The scientific preparation in this
study program is based on mastering the initial theoretical disciplines of the science-based basis and theoretical and scientific disciplines of the relevant focus.
Part of the study is also the involvement of students in the preparation and solution of national and international scientific research projects, presentation of results at national and international scientific and professional conferences and their publication in professional and scientific foreign and domestic journals. During his / her studies, the student gains new theoretical knowledge, his / her own experience from the preparation, implementation and evaluation of measurements and experiments and the necessary practical knowledge also thanks to close cooperation with practice and also through foreign internships at cooperating foreign universities or research institutes.
In the final phase of the study, the student synthesizes all theoretical knowledge gained as well as the results of his / her own creative work and elaborates his / her dissertation.
The aim of the study is for graduates to find:
- employment in research and development activities in the Czech Republic and abroad in the relevant field of specialization in solving difficult, unconventional and complex geodetic and cartographic problems,
- found employment as academic staff of universities.

Graduate profile

The graduate of the doctoral study program Geodesy and Cartography continues the master's degree program of geodesy and cartography.
The PhD student must complete the extended theoretical mathematical-physical basis within the study. These subjects are complemented by specialized subjects covering methods of measurement, processing and analysis of geodetic and cartographic data, physical geodesy, satellite and space geodesy, geographic and cartographic information systems, etc. Other subjects are selected according to the specialization of the dissertation. These are mainly geodetic bases, engineering geodesy, global navigation systems, photogrammetry and remote sensing, cadastre, digital cartography and others.
The graduate acquires the methodology of scientific work during the doctoral study and is equipped with deep theoretical and linguistic knowledge, enabling independent creative professional activity, including the ability to publish the acquired knowledge. The dissertation is expected to present original and unpublished knowledge.
Graduates of the doctoral study program Geodesy and Cartography find employment in the research and development base of the relevant field of study and also in the sphere of academic staff of universities.

Profession characteristics

Graduates of doctoral studies are prepared for application in research and development activities in the field of the relevant specialization of the field and for solving difficult, unconventional and complex geodetic and cartographic problems. Graduates also find employment as academic
staff of universities. An unforgettable opportunity to find graduates is also forensic experts in the field of geodesy and cartography and research and development activities within the Regional Research Center ADMAS.

Fulfilment criteria

Fulfillment of the subjects of the individual study plan, successful completion of the state doctoral examination, foreign experience, relevant creative activity and successful defense of the dissertation.

Study plan creation

The rules and conditions for the creation of study plans of study programs carried out at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the BUT define:
Rules of BUT study programs (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/vnitrni-predpisy-a-dokumenty), which according to Article 1, paragraph 1, point:
c) defines the processes of creation, approval and changes of study program proposals before their submission for accreditation to the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education,
d) lays down the formal requirements for study programs and courses,
e) defines the obligations of study program and subject guarantors,
f) defines the standards of study programs at BUT,
g) defines the principles of quality assurance of study programs.
Study and Examination Regulations of the Brno University of Technology (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/international-details-and-documents)
Details of the conditions for study at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the BUT are governed by the Dean's Directive )
The PhD student studies according to an individual study plan, which is elaborated by the supervisor in cooperation with the PhD student. The individual study plan is binding for the doctoral student. It specifies all duties set in accordance with the BUT Study and Examination Regulations that a doctoral student must fulfill in order to successfully complete his / her studies.
During the first three semesters, the doctoral student consists of compulsory, compulsorily elective or at the same time, it is intensively engaged in its own study and analysis of knowledge in the field determined by the topic of the dissertation and continuous publication of the knowledge and results obtained in this way. In the following semesters, the doctoral student focuses more on research and development related to the topic of the dissertation, on the publication of the results of his / her creative work and on his / her own dissertation. By the end of the fifth semester, the doctoral student has passed the state doctoral examination. The doctoral student is also involved in pedagogical activities, which is a part of his scientific preparation.
The individual study plan includes scientific outputs in individual years:
- regular publishing activity (Juniorstav and similar),
- participation in scientific conferences at home and abroad,
- for defense of DZP it is necessary to publish - min. 2x Scopus or 1x WOS with impact factor.

Availability for the disabled

At the Faculty of Civil Engineering, BUT, barrier-free access to all teaching rooms is currently provided. However, students must be physically fit to be qualified as a civil engineer. In practically oriented laboratory teaching, they must be able to operate measuring instruments and similar
laboratory equipment independently without endangering themselves or their surroundings. BUT provides support to students with specific needs, for details see Guideline 11/2017 (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/international-documents-and-documents/-d141841/uplne-zneni-smernice-c-11- 2017-p147550).
In order to promote equal access to higher education, BUT incorporates the Alfons Advisory Center, part of the BUT Institute of Lifelong Learning, to provide guidance and support services to applicants and students with specific educational needs. Specific educational needs include learning
disabilities, physical and sensory disabilities, chronic somatic illness, autistic spectrum disorders, impaired communication skills and mental illness (alfons.vutbr.cz/o-nas).
Students are provided with information concerning the accessibility of study programs with respect to the specific needs of the applicant, information about the architectural accessibility of individual faculties and university parts, about accommodation at the BUT dormitory, about the possibilities of adapting the admission procedure and adapting the study itself. Other services of the Center for Students with Special Educational Needs also include interpreting and rewriting services, or assistance services - guiding, spatial orientation, in order to enable these students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in the same way as other students. This is done through the so-called adaptation of study, ie by appropriate adjustment of the study regime, which cannot be understood as a simplification of the content of study or relief of study obligations.

What degree programme types may have preceded

Doctoral study program Geodesy and Cartography is a follow-up master study program Geodesy and Cartography. and other sister follow-up Master's degree programs.

Issued topics of Doctoral Study Program

1. round (applications submitted from 18.10.2024 to 31.05.2025)

  1. Assessment of Accuracy of Various Quasigeoid Models in South Moravia

    Various quasigeoid models are available in the Czech Republic, Europe and worldwide. Various data and methods were used to create them. It will be appropriate to assess the resulting accuracy selected models, assess
    the methods of their creation and propose a procedure for their refinement using additional data.

    Tutor: Vatrt Viliam, prof. Ing., DrSc.

  2. Proposal for a New Geodetic Reference System for the Territory of the Czech Republic

    S-JTSK in its current form does not meet the needs of modern surveying due to distortions and complex relationships to global reference frames. However, its full replacement by some of them (e.g. ETRS89) is difficult to imagine. Problems arise in particular in relation to the local direction of gravity, which is the basis for all terrestrial surveying. The existence of a horizontal reference plane is also essential for projection works. The aim of this topic is: - analysis of the current state of reference systems in the Czech Republic, - analysis of the state of reference systems in developed countries, - defining requirements for a modern reference system and specifying priorities, - proposing a concrete design of a new planar or spatial reference system as a replacement of the existing S-JTSK, developing a methodology for the work in it. - proposal of transformation relations for the migration of point coordinates from S-JTSK to the new reference system.

    Tutor: Machotka Radovan, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

Course structure diagram with ECTS credits

1. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA053Doctoral seminar 1 (GAK)cs4CompulsoryCrS - 39yes
DYA004English Language Tutorial for PhD Studentscs1CompulsoryCrC1 - 26yes
DEB054Analysis of Measuring Datacs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396073yes
DEB055Geodesycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396073yes
DEB056Spatial data acquisition and processingcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396073yes
1. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA057Doctoral seminar 2 (GAK)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 39yes
DAB029Discrete Methods in Civil Engineering 1cs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 396070yes
DAB038Mathematicscs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 396070yes
DAB030Numerical methods 1cs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 396070yes
DAB039Probability and mathematical statisticscs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 396070yes
DEB058Physical Geodesycs7Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396071yes
DEB059Geodetic Networkscs7Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396071yes
DEB060Cartographycs7Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396071yes
DEB061Advanced geophysical technologiescs7Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396071yes
DUB027Relational Database Management Systemscs7Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396071yes
2. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA062Doctoral seminar 3 (GAK)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
DAB032Time series analysiscs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396076yes
DAB034Discrete Methods in Civil Engineering 2cs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396076yes
DAB040Mathematics 2cs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396076yes
DAB035Numerical methods 2cs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396076yes
DAB036Numerical methods for the variational problemscs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396076yes
DEB063Satellite Geodesycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396077yes
DEB064Photogrammetry and laser scaningcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396077yes
DEB065Information systems and digital cartographycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396077yes
DEB066Engineering Geodesycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 396077yes
2. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DYA005English for PhD studentscs8CompulsoryDrExyes
DEA067Doctoral seminar 4 (GAK)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
3. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA068Doctoral seminar 5 (GAK)cs14CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
DEA069Doctoral state examinationcs20CompulsoryDrExyes
3. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA070Doctoral seminar 6 (GAK)cs14CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
4. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA071Doctoral seminar 7 (GAK)cs20CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
4. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DEA072Doctoral thesiscs0CompulsoryDrExyes
All the groups of optional courses
Gr. Number of courses Courses
6070 1 DAB029, DAB038, DAB030, DAB039
6071 1 DEB058, DEB059, DEB060, DEB061, DUB027
6073 1 DEB054, DEB055, DEB056
6076 1 DAB032, DAB034, DAB040, DAB035, DAB036
6077 1 DEB063, DEB064, DEB065, DEB066