University of Economics, Prague

History

Vysoká škola obchodní ("Business School") was established in 1919 as a department of the Czech Technical University in Prague, specialising in wholesale trade, banking and the organization of industrial companies. In 1949 the Vysoká škola politických a hospodářských věd (University of Political and Economic Sciences) was established, which was finally renamed the University of Economics in 1953. The University underwent a significant reform in 1989 after the Velvet Revolution.

Schools and campuses

The university is composed of six faculties, spread over three campuses. The main campus is in Žižkov, in Prague. A secondary campus is found in Jižní město on the outskirts of the city. The Faculty of Management is located separately from the others at its own campus in Jindřichův Hradec, 110 kilometres away from Prague.

The six faculties of the university are:

Graduates

Undergraduate students typically receive their Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree after 6 semesters of completed coursework and a successful defence of their bachelor thesis.

The majority of VŠE graduates follow a career in the private sector (88% graduates in 2009). 79% of graduates remain in Prague after graduation. Of graduates of the Faculty of International Relations, 10% of the students are offered international placements upon graduation. According to a 2011 study, VŠE graduates are the most sought after in the Central European region. Within the Czech Republic, several of the university's faculties ranked highly, including the Faculty of International Relations (#1 nationally), Faculty of Informatics and Statistics (#3), Faculty of Business Administration (#4) and Faculty of Economics (#5). Admission to the University and most of its programmes is highly competitive; for example, the Faculty of International Relations has a 12%-30% admissions rate.

Graduate students typically receive their MSc. degree (Ing.) after further 4 semesters of completed coursework and a successful defense of their master's thesis. PhD. candidates have to hold a master's degree upon enrollment into the program anywhere in the Czech Republic and the PhD program is typically 4 years in length.

Research and academic activities

Since 2000, the university has invested heavily into research and research facilities, with its new main research facility completed in 2005. Speakers at the University have included EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, several representatives from the Czech government as well as the president,, Helen Diaz of the World Bank, Winfried Vahland, and the OECD Secretary General; in addition, around 70 visiting faculty come to teach at VŠE each year.

The university is the main venue for the largest educational project in the country, the Prague Student Summit, comprising Model UN, Model EU and Model NATO.

International rankings

In 2010, The Financial Times ranked VŠE #73 among business schools, the second highest ranked business school of the Post-Communist countries in Europe.

At the Eduniversal awards in 2008, VŠE was named "1st Business School in Eastern Europe", and in the top 27 business schools in the world. The ranking was based on a survey of deans of business schools around the world.

In an informal ranking of best business school websites by the Cybermetrics Lab (2010), VŠE's website was ranked in sixth place.

The Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) has been accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), the first business school in the Czech Republic and fourth in Central and Eastern Europe.

International co-operation

Over 400 students spend a semester abroad every year, at institutions including Duke University (Fuqua School of Business), Copenhagen Business School, University of St. Gallen, and Vienna University.

14% of students are foreign nationals, typically from other European Union member states, the United States and East European countries. In 2010/2011, VŠE cooperated with 159 partner universities, including Sciences Po Paris, Universität zu Köln, Tilburg University, Stockholm School of Economics, University of St. Gallen, London School of Economics, Tel Aviv University, University of Queensland, McGill University, Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school issues a number of international degrees, including joint and double degrees. Each year, around 60 visiting professors come to teach at the university, and more than 90 courses are taught in English.

The university is a member of the Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS), Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), and Partnership in International Management (PIM) networks.

In addition, over 430 students from institutions overseas come to VŠE each semester. In 2005, a new International Learning Center was established as part of expansion of university premises. Courses for these students are run in Czech, English, German, French and Russian languages.

Notable alumni