University of Hradec Králové (Latin: Universitas Reginaegradecensis) is a public university in Hradec Králové. According to its website, it is one of the major educational and research institutions of eastern Bohemia.[1] It currently educates around 6,500 students across four faculties and offers more than 140 study programmes.[2]
History
According to the university, teacher training in Hradec Králové has a tradition dating back to 1775. In 1959 the Pedagogical Institute was established as the predecessor of today's university, and in 1964 the Faculty of Education in Hradec Králové was formed through the merger of the pedagogical institutes of Hradec Králové and Pardubice. After the higher education reform of 1976, it became possible to train teachers for all levels of schooling.[1]
An independent College of Education in Hradec Králové was established on 1 July 1992 from the Faculty of Education. On 15 February 1993 the Faculty of Management and Information Technology was added, which in 2000 was renamed the Faculty of Informatics and Management. On 1 September 2000 the institution was renamed the University of Hradec Králové.[1] The Faculty of Humanities, later renamed the Faculty of Arts, was established on 1 September 2005, and the Faculty of Science on 1 September 2010 following the transformation of the Faculty of Education.[1]
Faculties and focus
The Faculty of Education covers teaching, arts and linguistics disciplines, the Faculty of Informatics and Management covers economics, computer science and management disciplines, the Faculty of Arts covers social sciences and humanities, and the Faculty of Science covers natural sciences and technical disciplines.[2] The university involves students in research grants and competitions and, according to its website, cooperates with institutions in more than 60 countries.[2] Since 2024 the rector has been Associate Professor Jan Kříž.[2]
Buildings and campus
Three buildings are located in the Na Soutoku campus area. The Joint Teaching Building was awarded the Building of the Year title by Czech architects in 1998. The building of the Faculty of Informatics and Management was completed in 2008, with construction costing 360 million koruna. The Faculty of Science building was constructed in 2016; construction took 21 months and cost approximately 450 million koruna.[1] In 2022 and 2025, two buildings on náměstí Svobody were reconstructed, to which the arts departments of the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts relocated.[1]
Rankings
The university has appeared in the main QS World University Rankings since 2021; for 2026 it was placed in the shared 1001–1200 band, making it ninth among Czech universities. In the QS Europe ranking for 2026 it ranks 383rd. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2025 it placed in the 1001–1200 band, seventh among the 17 ranked Czech universities. In the THE Young University Rankings it was placed in the 351–400 band in 2024.[2]