Detail programu/oboru

Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies (BECES) is a two-year English-language Master's degree programme, which focuses on modern history, politics and diplomacy, as well as to fundamental social, cultural and economic problems. It addresses the English-speaking audience with a deep and versatile exploration of “the East”, understood as a territory composed of Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Post- Soviet area, including the Caucasus and Central Asia. It also offers students the chance to learn or improve their knowledge of some of the Czech language. The programme is deliberately structured to take advantage of the multidisciplinary nature of the Faculty, and students will be encouraged to make connections between different fields of study, learning to combine a global perspective with attention to detail and local interests.

The core courses provide an overview of crucial segments of the area from an analytical and multidisciplinary perspective, while the elective classes allow students to create their own specialisation. The aim of the programme is to help students write a Master’s thesis of sufficient quality to merit publication. Through the university’s network of exchange programmes, talented students may also be offered the opportunity to make a brief research visit to another country in the area.

Description of verification and evaluation criteria:

In addition to the application form, every applicant needs to provide the following documents:

a) Copy of a diploma to show completed Bachelor (or higher) studies or confirmation that ongoing Bachelor studies will be completed in the current academic year;

b) Transcript of records and academic results from previous studies;

c) Structured CV including extra-curricular activities;

d) Motivation letter;

e) Document showing the level of English proficiency;

f) Two letters of recommendation (at least one academic)

Ad a) Confirmation of studies may be substituted with a transcript of records, provided that these are from the same academic year as the application.

Ad d) The recommended length of the motivation letter is approximately 2 000 characters, including spaces.

Ad e) Applicants should provide a certificate from one of the following standardized tests:

• IELTS Academic - the minimum required overall band score of 6.5, with band score 6.0 or above in all four components;
• TOEFL Internet-Based Test (iBT) & TOEFL iBT Home Edition - the minimum required overall score of 83, with a minimum scaled score in the four sections: reading 21, writing 22, listening 20, speaking 20;
• Cambridge ESOL FCE - minimum Cambridge English Scale Score of 180;
• Cambridge ESOL CAE and CPE receiving a certificate.

A standardized English test is not required from applicants who:

• are native English speakers;
• have studied in English at the secondary school level for at least two years;
• have studied in English at the university level for at least one year;
• have worked for at least one year at a company where the language of communication was English.

When a score from an English-language test is not presented, the applicants should provide a certificate of their use of English during their prior studies or employment to support their claim. The certificate should contain contact information (an email address and a telephone number) to a person (a programme director, or an employee supervisor) who can confirm the scope of the use of the English language in the program or employment.

All documents which are not originally in Czech, Slovak or English must be officially translated into English.

The admissions committee will assess applicants on the basis of the submitted documents. Firstly, the documents proving English proficiency are examined for the level required for study. Only those applications that fulfill the requirements for English proficiency are assessed further by the admissions committee and given a ranking from 0 - 100 points. The following criteria will be evaluated: (i) academic background - achieved level of education, academic results (0-40), (ii) motivation (0-40), (iii) extracurricular activities (0-20). The point limit for accepting applicants is set by the Dean with respect to the number of applicants and the capacity of the programme. The point limit is set the same for all specializations. There are no limits in terms of the capacity of particular specialization.

Podmínkou přijetí ke studiu v magisterském studijním programu je dosažení středního vzdělání s maturitní zkouškou. Podmínkou přijetí ke studiu v magisterském studijním programu, který navazuje na bakalářský studijní program, je rovněž řádné ukončení studia v kterémkoliv typu studijního programu.

After completion of the Balkan, Eurasian, and Central European Studies programme, the students will acquire an advanced level of graduate education including a good command of one or two languages of the area as well as a broad and, at the same time, deep knowledge of the region studied. They will be capable of open but critical understanding and of conceptual thinking, and of appreciating cultural diversity. This intellectual equipment will provide them with an opportunity to continue their self-education and find positions related to the problems of the studied area in both public and private spheres.