Italian Language and Literature

Deadline for submitting applications: August 1 - November 30

Who the programme is intended for: The applicant must have a Bachelor's degree in Italian Literature and Linguistics (or must be about to complete the programme in Italian studies soon at the moment of the interview). Exceptions are made for students who have a Bachelor's degree in Portuguese/Spanish/Catalan/French/Latin Literature and Linguistics, or General Linguistics, or similar programmes (to be assessed case by case) including a deep education in literary and/or linguistic subjects. Knowledge of Italian language (B2 at least) is a necessary but not sufficient requirement.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: oral examination. The applicant will have a discussion in Italian about the Bachelor’s or minor thesis. Applicants are also required to submit a motivation letter, a PDF version of their Bachelor's thesis (or a near-final version of the thesis in the case of a defence in January) and a complete list of the examinations they have taken during their Bachelor's studies, together with the marks obtained in these examinations. Exception to the delivery of these documents are graduates of the Bachelor's programme in Italian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, who will only take an interview. Documents for the admission procedure must be uploaded into the e-application (rubric “Documents”) by 15 December. Applicants are required to include their full name and application number on all attached documents.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree field/programme Italian Language and Literature (single-subject or major study plan/double-subject programme) at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University within the last three years with the mark A-C. Applicants (students of the Bachelor’s programme Italian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, single-subject or major study plan/double-subject programme) who have not yet defended their Bachelor’s thesis and have an average of grades from individual completed courses between A and B may also apply for a waiver. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Italian Language and Literature at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”. 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 Romance Languages and Literatures.

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: 50 points (out of 100).

The objective of the study is to develop and enlarge the knowledge and skills learned acquired in the Bachelor’s degree study programme of Italian languages and cultures or similar programmes. The Master's Degree focuses on enlarging the scope of Cultural knowledge, as well as critical thinking. It also acquaints and introduces the students to the main currents of research in Italian Philology and Italian Studies. In the area of Linguistics, students focus on the historical development of Italian Language and its varieties in a social-historical an social-cultural conceptual framework. In Literary criticism, students learn to use modern methodologies and critical theories in textual studies and literary analysis, applied to texts written in Italian language and its dialects.

Input language competence is at the C1 level according to the CEFR; output language competence is at the C2 level.

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

• communicate with full proficiency in Italian language (reading, listening, speaking and writing).
• read and understand literary texts written in Italian from the middle ages to date
• find the proper bibliography on any specific topic of Italian studies
• discuss and solve problems with a critical approach
• have a general vision of Italian studies and deal with particular cases without forgetting the main framework

The graduate is prepared to work in those areas requiring a deep and proficient command of Italian language and a wide range of knowledge of Italian and Italian speaking culture; areas such as: specialised research action, editorial, publication, translation, advertising, marketing, etc. Typically, a graduate in Italian studies would find career opportunities in other professional positions that require skills such as independent critical thinking and full competence in Italian language at a high level.

Practical training is not required.

A standard scope of a Master's thesis is about 140,000 characters including footnotes, bibliography, etc.; supplements do not count in the scope of characters. Master's thesis has the character of an independent empirical research on a specific topic, eventually adding something new. Students should demonstrate the ability to work critically with specialised texts and apply their acquired knowledge in their own research. The student can decide between subjects dealing with linguistics and literature. The student selects the subject of her/his thesis, pending on consultations and approbation of her/his thesis tutor or director, who recommends a methodology and primary readings. The student must consult with her/his thesis tutor on a regular basis and interact in a constructive cooperation.

After completing the Master’s degree study program and after satisfying the admission requirements it is possible to continue further studies in a doctoral degree study program in Romance languages, Romance literatures, or other appropriate doctoral studies.