Some faculties at Mendel University are changing the requirements for completing bachelor’s degree studies. Students in selected bachelor’s programmes will no longer submit traditional bachelor’s theses; instead, they will complete professional studies and project-based outputs focused on topics related to their field of study. At some faculties, bachelor’s theses are already no longer part of the final requirements in certain study programmes. These changes respond to the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the changing demands of the labour market.
Students in two bachelor’s programmes at the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies will no longer write a bachelor’s thesis. Instead, they will submit a professional study that will serve as the basis for the defence within the new courses Practicum in Regional Development (Regional Development study programme) and Global Policy Analysis (International Territorial Studies study programme). The defence will take place in the presence of other students presenting their work during the same session and will be complemented by an expert panel including representatives from professional practice and the faculty. The change applies to students who entered their first year in the 2025/2026 academic year, while the topics covered by the state bachelor’s examination remain unchanged.
The aim of these changes is to respond to the current labour market environment and the rise of artificial intelligence, both of which are fundamentally transforming higher education. “We see growing demand in today’s labour market for graduates who can clearly present the outcomes of their work, defend them, and engage in professional discussion. The faculty is therefore introducing a change that will strengthen the connection between teaching and these requirements while also bringing greater flexibility,” explains Ondřej Konečný, Dean of the Faculty.
A similar change is also awaiting students in some programmes at the Faculty of Business and Economics. Instead of a bachelor’s thesis, students will submit a project resulting in a professional report addressing a specific problem. The project emphasises students’ ability to apply the knowledge and competencies they have acquired to solve practical issues. Its defence will take place in a manner similar to the defence of a traditional bachelor’s thesis.
“The difference lies in what the evaluation focuses on. It is no longer only about theoretical foundations or literature reviews, but primarily about the quality of the proposed solution to a specific task, the chosen approach, and the practical applicability of the results. The defence will therefore resemble the presentation of a real-world assignment solution more closely and will better verify whether students are able to justify their decisions and explain their practical benefits,” said Svatopluk Kapounek, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at MENDELU.
At the Faculty of AgriSciences, bachelor’s theses are also not part of all study programmes. In the Professional Agriculture programme, students have, since the programme’s accreditation, completed and defended a practical project instead. Two additional programmes are currently undergoing changes – the English-taught programme Global Agriculture and the Czech-taught programme AGROmanagement. If approved, the first students who will not prepare bachelor’s theses in these programmes will enrol in September 2027.
At the Faculty of Horticulture, bachelor’s theses will also no longer be part of the state bachelor’s examination in all study programmes. Students enrolling in September 2026 in the programmes Horticulture and Viticulture and Enological Biotechnology will no longer write them. The state bachelor’s examination will therefore consist only of an expert discussion based on theoretical core subjects and specialised subjects.