Baltic Studies

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of any Bachelor’s degree programme.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Written examination and oral examination. Both exams test the applicant’s competence in at least one language relevant to the field of study (Finnish, Lithuanian), their orientation to the history and present day of the whole area (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland), and methodological philological experience. For the written exam, the applicant will have to translate a short text from Lithuanian or Finnish (according to their previous language specialization) and answer in writing five questions about the text in Lithuanian or Finnish. The text and questions of the committee will be provided to the applicant one hour before the start of the examination. During the oral examination, which is taken without prior preparation, the applicant will speak with the members of the committee in Lithuanian or Finnish about the translated text (its genre, content, cultural and historical contexts, and linguistic-grammatical aspects) and then have an improvized conversation on any topic suggested by the committee. If the student cannot take the entrance examination at the Faculty of Arts, the whole examination shall take place online: the text is sent to the applicant by e-mail an hour before the start of the examination and they translate it on a computer with the camera switched on.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of Baltic Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A) or very good (B) result. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".

Website Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 70 points (out of 100).

The Baltic Master’s degree study programme could be described as a kind of ‘upgrade’ of the Bachelor’s study programme: the structure is identical and concentrates on studies of Lithuanian, Finnish, Estonian, and Latvian and on philological approach to languages and texts, leading to what is called areal philology of the Baltics. The competencies of the students, however, are significantly broadened: not only must they possess a perfect knowledge of the studied language but they must also be capable of joining academic discourse on the particular language (Lithuanian, Finnish, Estonian, or Latvian) directly in that language (i.e. to publish there, take part at conferences there etc.). The Baltic Master’s degree study programme offers a deep knowledge of the contemporary philology and culture of the Baltics and aims to produce regional experts of the highest scientific rank, leading primarily to academic careers.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• speak Lithuanian or Finnish on a very good level and to use the language in any functional style
• to take actively part in the philological discourse concerning Lithuanian, Finnish (according to the specialization of the student)
• apply current theories of Linguistics or Literary Theory when analysing texts in the language of specialization
• read scholarly, journalistic texts and fiction in the second language of specialization (Estonian, Latvian, Finnish, Lithuanian)
• provide an informed description of philological and cultural situation in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland in mutual comparison

Graduates of the Baltic Studies Master’s degree study programme are able to speak at least two of the languages of the Baltic region (Lithuanian, Finnish, Estonian, or Latvian) and are well educated in the theory of general linguistics and in literary theory. The study programme provides very good knowledge of history and contemporary culture of the entire Baltic region starting with Lithuania and Poland and reaching as far as all Scandinavian countries. Thanks to that, graduates are able to find at least two alternative fields of occupation: in the academic field, Baltic study programme graduates work in the field of general linguistics, Indo-European linguistics, Uralistics, and literary theory; in non-academic fields, a graduate of the Baltic study programme can work as an expert, translator, or interpreter, in Czech and EU institutions (e.g. in the field of the diplomatic and cultural relations). In the free market, graduates of the Baltic study programme can establish themselves in the fields of international trade (export and import, pharmaceutics, technology transfer) or tourism.

A standard scope of a Master's thesis ranges from 140,000 to 160,000 characters including footnotes, cover sheet, content, index, list of literature, and annotations. A Bachelor's thesis does not have the character of an independent empirical research (potential exception shall be approved by the thesis supervisor). Students can work with already published texts and data accessible for secondary analysis. They should demonstrate the ability to work critically with specialized texts, process the concepts and theories discovered there, and find relevant answers to the given question. Instructions for Final State Examinations and elaboration of the Bachelor's/Diploma thesis are regulated by FF Directive No. 6/2017 - O státních závěrečných zkouškách na FF MU.

After completion of the Master's studies of Baltistics, it is possible to continue further studies in Doctor's degree programme of general linguistics and indoeuropean studies (after satisfying the admission requirements).