USB introduced itself to prospective students

The University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB) held an Open Day (OD) on Friday 20 January 2023. It is one of the largest and most visited events, which involves all eight faculties of the University. The event, which is primarily attended by prospective students, was held from 8am to 3pm.

Visitors to the OD received detailed information about the degree programmes offered at individual faculties, the content of studies, admission requirements, graduate employability, opportunities for internships abroad, etc.

In addition to information about studies, the OD also offered an accompanying programme aimed at presenting the individual degree programmes in an entertaining way. Each faculty conceived it in its own way and the participants, in addition to obtaining information, visited the facilities of individual faculties, laboratories and professional workplaces. At a number of locations, prospective students were actively involved in the presentation and could try out a number of skills for themselves. Throughout the day, lecturers and students at each faculty were available to answer the curious questions of their future colleagues and to introduce the applicants to the innovations prepared by each faculty for the next academic year.

As every year, there is a whole range of innovations. For example, there is a new bachelor's degree programme of the Faculty of Economics – Business Informatics, which can be studied in full-time and combined form, and the Consecutive degree programme in Applied Informatics, which the faculty offers in two specialisations – Business Informatics and Software Engineering. The latter is offered in cooperation with the Faculty of Science. Another new addition is a new Master's degree programme in Regional Development Management.

The Faculty of Arts, which offers, among other things, bachelor's programmes with free combinations, has newly accredited, for example, the Consecutive master's programme in Translation in the specialisation English Translation – German Translation. The degree programme Translation can be studied in other specialisations (English – Italian, English – French, English – Spanish) at the Faculty of Arts. Applicants can also choose from a range of degree programmes in Teacher Training for Secondary Schools in various combinations, such as Czech Language and Literature, History or English Language and Literature.

A big attraction of the OD was also the Simulation Centre for Health-oriented Fields of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, where the faculty prepares future medical personnel for their professions by modern methods using sophisticated models and equipment. In addition to this simulation centre, a new virtual classroom for anatomy and physiology was created in the main building of the faculty. In addition to the OD, the faculty is preparing two more virtual meetings with prospective students in the form of an online faculty presentation. The first of these will take place on 10 February 2023, when prospective students will be able to address their questions to the designated representatives of each degree programme. The same meeting will be held once more in early April before the final date for applications for admission. Dates will be announced on the faculty website and social media.

The Faculty of Science has also come up with some innovations. This research-oriented faculty not only offers top-notch education in the natural sciences but also prepares secondary school teachers for their profession (mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography, biology and computer science). Teacher training is a two-field programme, so the candidate chooses a combination of two fields. The faculty also offers some combinations in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Theology. Another success is the accreditation of the professional Bachelor's degree programme in Applied Computer Science and the MAID (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programme) in cooperation with the Technische Hochschule Deggendorf. The faculty has also modified the admissions procedure in order to better evaluate the knowledge of the applicants in the context of the different demands of the different secondary schools from which the applicants come. The faculty also now recognises and takes into account the results of the National Comparative Examinations of those applicants who have achieved a percentile of 70 or higher in the admissions procedure.

This year, applicants can also apply for the Faculty of Theology's bachelor's, consecutive master's and doctoral degree programmes in Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies, Social Work and Leisure Time Pedagogy. Studies can be taken in full-time or part-time form. The faculty also offers a wide range of lifelong learning courses, which includes the University of the Third Age. New this year is the doctoral programme Spirituality and Ethics in Social Work.

In response to the demands of a changing world, the Faculty of Education has come up with a new concept of teacher training called ‘Teacher Pro Futuro’. There is a great interest not only in the specialisations of the degree programme Teacher Training for Primary Schools, of which the faculty offers a total of 16 but also, for example, in the degree programmes for the preparation of secondary school teachers (Physical Education, Music Education and Foundations of Social Sciences), Psychology or Special Education. The faculty has also newly accredited the latter for consecutive master's studies. Another addition is the accreditation of a new Bachelor's degree programme in Assistant Studies with a focus on Education and Informatics.

The Faculty of Fisheries and Water Protection, which is unique in the Czech Republic and central Europe in its focus and range of programmes, offers education in the Fisheries and Water Protection programmes. The faculty places great emphasis on practical instruction and offers a broad scholarship programme to its students, whom it already involves in its research as part of their bachelor's and master's theses.

The Faculty of Agriculture and Technology reacted by changing its name last year to current developments in agriculture and society as a whole, where agriculture is undergoing dynamic development due to intensive development in promising fields of human activity such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and electronics. At the same time, the faculty wants to maintain its emphasis on sustainable development and the ecological aspects of agriculture and food processing. On the occasion of the Open Day, it also introduced three new departments to applicants: Research Centre for Robotic Milking, Development Centre for Expert Systems in Crop Production and DeLaval International Training and Development Centre. Here, too, future students can look forward to an intensive combination of study and practice.

An information stand was available directly in the Rectorate building on Branišovská Street, where USB students offered basic information about the faculties and fields of study and guided high school students to the individual buildings and lecture rooms of all faculties. The current students also gave visitors a better insight into student life at the University and helped them navigate the faculties' websites as well as the central USB website.