The Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies (MIAS) was established as a self-contained academic unit of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) in 1992, bearing the name of the founder and first President of independent Czechoslovakia, T. G. Masaryk (1850-1937). Alongside the eight Engineering Faculties of CTU (Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Power Engineering, Nuclear Science, Architecture, Transportation, Biomedical Engineering, Information Technology), and in close cooperation with them, MIAS has focused primarily on interdisciplinary and complementary disciplines, including economics, management studies, language studies, regional development, engineering pedagogy and history.
Since inception, the core activities of MIAS have included teaching in publicly accredited University programmes, granting its graduates corresponding undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. From 1994 through 2014, a total of 678 students, also graduated from a highly successful joint MBA program with Sheffield Hallam University. In the early nineties, MIAS acquired JASPEX, an experienced and prestigious provider of language education, which has contributed to MIAS becoming a leading and certified institution in the area of general and specialized language training for academics, professionals and the general public. MIAS and its faculty also participate in numerous research projects, both domestic and international, and provide advisory services and training programmes for companies, professional bodies, public agencies, as well as for other academic and non-academic units of the CTU.
Internationalization is a strategic priority of MIAS and various means serve to achieve this objective, including rigorous foreign language training traversing the whole undergraduate curriculum, compulsory enrollment in courses taught in English for students in the Czech graduate programme, strong encouragement of international mobility by both students and faculty, as well as the development of full-time programmes in English, targeting a broad international pool of students with ambition to succeed in a global economy.
There are currently over 1,300 enrolled students in undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programmes at MIAS, as well as over 50 in-house teaching and research faculty, supported by a number of visiting lecturers and supervisors. Given its background and institutional foundation, MIAS is uniquely positioned to provide prestigious degrees featuring a robust theoretical background, practical insights into particular industry sectors, as well as high communication and intercultural proficiency. Graduates are thus well prepared for various roles in industry, project management, international business, innovation or industrial and regional policy. On the other hand, the modest size of MIAS and its venue contributes to a trusting and inspiring environment, supportive of diverse dispositions, interests and talents.