Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

About Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

AMU is an independent public university devoted to the performing and screen arts. It was established by presidential decree on 27 October 1945, with its first academic year beginning in 1946/1947. Its structure reflects distinct professional art forms: DAMU covers theatre and related disciplines, FAMU focuses on film, television, photography and audiovisual work, while HAMU covers music and dance. The three faculties retain their own departments, admissions procedures and artistic communities within the parent university. This is an urban, distributed institution. FAMU occupies Lažanský Palace on the Vltava waterfront, DAMU is based in the Karlova Street complex, and HAMU uses Liechtenstein and Hartig palaces in Malá Strana. These central locations place study near theatres, concert venues, cinemas, galleries and other cultural institutions, but students should not expect a self-contained residential campus. The university’s work combines artistic practice, theory and research. Its official account describes activity in art history and science alongside applied work involving acoustics, optics, restoration and audiovisual archiving. AMU also presents student and faculty work through performances, concerts, screenings, exhibitions and other public projects. International activity includes Erasmus+ study and traineeship mobility, faculty partnerships, workshops and participation in international artistic networks. The 2026/2027 academic year begins on 1 October 2026; faculty schedules govern some detailed teaching and doctoral dates.

AMU does not use one uniform selection process for every applicant. Each faculty and program publishes its own call, required prior qualification, portfolio or repertoire expectations, artistic assignments, examination stages, language rules and deadline. Entry is based on demonstrated aptitude for the chosen artistic discipline, and many programs use auditions, portfolios, creative tasks, interviews or multiple examination rounds. Applicants must therefore follow the current faculty notice rather than rely on a general university deadline. For bachelor’s study, applicants normally document completed secondary education. Follow-up master’s programs generally require an appropriate bachelor’s qualification, while doctoral requirements are set by the relevant faculty and program. Applicants educated outside the Czech Republic may need AMU to assess their foreign secondary or higher-education documents as part of admission. For the 2026/2027 cycle, that internal assessment carries a CZK 990 fee and is distinct from general Czech recognition for other purposes. Published 2026/2027 English-program examples illustrate the variation. DAMU’s English calls used program-specific January and March 2026 deadlines, while selection methods differed by subject. HAMU’s English Dance Pedagogy notice required its own application materials and entrance assessment. As of August 2026, some faculties have already posted 2027/2028 requirements, including FAMU’s English Photography bachelor’s application window of 2 October to 30 November 2026. Applicants should confirm the intake year, teaching language, examination location, required translations, application charge and visa timetable directly with the responsible faculty before applying.

Academic choice at AMU is organized primarily through its three faculties rather than through a broad general-education college. DAMU encompasses areas such as dramatic theatre, alternative and puppet theatre, scenography, arts management, drama in education, authorial creativity, and theatre theory and criticism. FAMU’s domain includes film, television, photography and related audiovisual disciplines. HAMU provides music and dance education. The official program catalogue confirms provision at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, although not every subject or language option opens for admission every year. Study is closely tied to artistic production. Depending on the discipline, applicants can expect practice in studios, rehearsal spaces, theatres, screening environments or performance venues alongside contextual, theoretical and research work. AMU’s research profile includes theatre, music, dance, film, photography, restoration and contemporary audiovisual forms, with both conventional scholarship and artistic research represented. English-language study is a limited, program-specific subset of the portfolio. Official 2026/2027 materials document options including DAMU programs in authorial acting, scenography, and directing for devised and object theatre, FAMU offerings such as Photography, and English study at HAMU. Availability, format and fees differ substantially, so applicants should use the faculty’s current call and study plan for the particular intake. AMU also supports international mobility through Erasmus+ and other faculty partnerships. The central 2026/2027 calendar provides 12 teaching weeks in the winter semester and 14 in the summer semester, while faculties determine detailed schedules and doctoral study follows faculty calendars and individual plans.

Key Highlights

• Public specialist arts university established in 1945
• Three constituent faculties: DAMU, FAMU and HAMU
• Central Prague facilities distributed across several historic buildings
• 2026/2027 academic year begins on 1 October 2026

Student Life & Environment

Student life is shaped by the separate creative communities of DAMU, FAMU and HAMU and by frequent production work. AMU students participate in theatre and dance performances, concerts, screenings, exhibitions and other artistic projects that also contribute to Prague’s public cultural program. Cross-faculty proximity can support collaboration, but daily routines and facilities depend heavily on the student’s faculty and discipline. AMU operates the Hradební residence hall in Prague 1. Its official accommodation page describes 71 furnished rooms or flats with 129 beds, private bathroom and toilet facilities, internet access, soundproofing, basement music rehearsal rooms and a computer or meeting room. Because capacity is limited relative to the institution, admission to AMU should not be assumed to guarantee housing; students are directed to their study department for allocation details and current prices. A university identification card provides access to AMU libraries and certain premises and can be used for printing, copying and scanning. Students may alternatively obtain a paid version carrying an ISIC licence. International offices at all three faculties support mobility activities, including Erasmus+ study and traineeships. The university’s dispersed city-centre setting means student experience is integrated into Prague rather than organized around a closed campus with comprehensive residential amenities.

Location & Surroundings

AMU is located in Prague, with its principal teaching sites concentrated in the historic centre. DAMU is on Karlova Street in Prague 1, close to the Old Town. FAMU occupies Lažanský Palace on Smetanovo nábřeží beside the Vltava and near the National Theatre. HAMU is based in Liechtenstein and Hartig palaces at Malostranské náměstí in Malá Strana. The rectorate is also in Malá Strana. This arrangement gives students direct access to a dense cultural environment of theatres, concert halls, cinemas, galleries and festivals. It also means travel between faculties takes place through the city rather than across a unified campus. Applicants whose work requires instruments, production equipment or irregular rehearsal hours should consider the location of their department and accommodation when planning daily travel. The Hradební residence hall is likewise in Prague 1, although its limited capacity makes private accommodation an important possibility. International students should budget separately for housing and local living expenses and verify commuting arrangements with their faculty. The location is particularly relevant for students who want their education embedded in an active European arts capital, while those seeking a conventional campus experience may find the dispersed model less suitable.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Costs vary markedly by faculty, program and language of instruction. English-taught degrees charge program-specific tuition, so there is no reliable single AMU tuition figure. For 2026/2027, DAMU lists annual fees from CZK 215,000 for Theatre Scenography to CZK 230,000 for Authorial Acting and Directing for Devised and Object Theatre; Production Design is CZK 228,000. FAMU’s English Photography bachelor’s lists CZK 220,000 for 2026/2027, while another FAMU English master’s program publishes a substantially higher amount. These examples should not be generalized to HAMU or Czech-taught study. Binding fees are stated in Czech crowns and may be revised for later academic years. Housing is not included in DAMU’s tuition. AMU’s residence page links to a 2026 price decree but directs students to the accommodation system or study department for the applicable rate, so applicants should not budget on an unverified flat room-and-board amount. Additional costs can include application or foreign-education assessment fees, equipment, instruments, production materials, travel and private housing. Career preparation is embedded mainly in specialist artistic training, productions and contact with working practitioners. Official DAMU program pages describe lecturers active in professional theatre and connections with Czech and international artists and institutions; collaborative work can also cross faculty boundaries. AMU publishes alumni career interviews spanning performance, film, photography, production and other paths, but it does not provide a current institution-wide salary or placement statistic suitable for comparison. Prospective students should assess the professional network, portfolio outcomes and graduate profile of the exact department rather than infer uniform employment results for all AMU graduates.