The programme combines literary and linguistic instruction and provides a broader cultural overview of the countries in North America, combining both Anglophone and Francophone and Spanish-speaking regions, from Canada to the United States through Mexico and the Caribbean. The programme is designed so that the students gain an overview of each of the two cultural areas at the same time and are instructed on their mutual linguistic, literary, and cultural influences. For this reason, the programme is structured in a modular manner. The mandatory part of the curriculum consists of core courses that have a methodological section in which students learn the basic theoretical approaches toward the concept of identity of oneself, of the other, and of various social groups, and focus on the concept and its various manifestations in literature, linguistics, and culture. The core section is followed by a variety of in-depth courses in which students gain orientation in the specific cultural phenomena in the Anglophone, Francophone, and Hispanophone worlds. The two compulsory modules combine either the Anglophone-Francophone area or Anglophone-Spanish-speaking area, allowing for an informed comparison. The advantage of the North American study programme lies in the fact that it offers excellent material for the study of some highly topical issues of today’s world: otherness, migration, immigration, and cultural and linguistic phenomena associated with integration in areas where different ethnic groups, languages, and cultures interact. In this respect, North America represents a model laboratory allowing us to study the processes that increasingly confront European and Czech society.

A successful graduate is able to

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the linguistic, literary, and cultural phenomena at the intersection of two cultural regions of North America
• be equipped with practical language skills and theoretical tools enabling an analytical approach to the cultural areas in question

Graduates can work wherever good bilingual skills and critical thinking are needed and where attention is paid to issues of cultural relations, such as the issues of otherness, social and cultural exclusion, migration, and immigration.

Eligibility Criteria

This fee-paying degree programme is open to:

1. Those holding a Bachelor's degree in a field related to programs taught at faculties of arts, faculties of social studies, faculties of education and faculties of economics, and those with knowledge of English and French/Spanish. Knowledge of English must be at the C1 level.
2. Those holding Bachelor's degrees in other disciplines within the humanities, liberal arts or social sciences from colleges or universities located in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, Africa and Asia) may also be considered for admission on an individual basis. Those in this category should contact the Department of English and American Studies prior to applying: admission@phil.muni.cz.

You do not have to come to Brno personally to take the entrance exam. The result of the admission process depends on the quality of the documents that you provide. Those will be assessed by the admission committee and you will be notified about the results via e-mail.

Terms of Admission

1. Submission of an electronic application in the Masaryk University Information System.
2. Submission of two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a teacher.
3. Submission of a Statement of Purpose (750 words maximum) in English, explaining why the applicant wishes to study in this degree programme accredited in English and why the applicant wishes to study in this Department.
4. Submission of a copy of the applicant's Bachelor's thesis or its equivalent (Honour's Thesis, Senior Thesis, etc.) or 15 pages of applicant´s original academic paper.
5. Submission of a transcript of university/college studies, which must include: dates you attended the institution, titles of courses and examinations you completed and the marks received.
6. Demonstrate English-language skills at the C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language by submitting one of the following certificates (not more than one year old at the time of the submission of the application). Accepted certificates:
   • IELTS Academic (minimum acceptable score: 7.0),
   • Certificate of Cambridge Proficiency in English with a mark of A or B,
   • TOEFL iBT score of 95 or higher,
   • Graduates of colleges or universities located in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia) need not submit test scores.
7. Demonstrate French-language/Spanish-language skills at the B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language by submitting one of the following certificates (not more than one-year-old at the time of the submission of the application):
   • French: DALF at the B1 level
   • Spanish: DELE at the B1 level

Admission to study program will be offered to those applicants selected by the Department's Entrance Exam Committee, based on a complex evaluation of the applicant's language skills, academic record, recommendations, and motivation.

Entrance exam

The evaluation of the applications will be done in two steps:

1. Evaluation of the submitted documents.
2. An oral interview (via Skype on request if step 1 is passed).

In addition, all students with foreign degrees (except as set out below) must submit their Bachelor's degree for official recognition by the Czech Republic's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. As this process ("nostrification") can take several months, it is recommended that applicants submit this paperwork concurrently with their application. Applicants without this official recognition are not permitted to enroll at the University. Detailed instructions can be found here.

• Holders of degrees from universities located in countries with which the Czech Republic has a treaty on the bilateral recognition of academic degrees and titles (at the present time: Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia), please click here.
• Holders of degrees from universities located in Slovakia should follow the instructions set out here.

Students enrolled in the degree programme accredited in English wishing to transfer to the degree programme accredited in Czech (i.e. from the fee-paying to the no-fee programme) must successfully pass the entrance exam process set out for that degree programme. These students must also demonstrate a knowledge of Czech at the C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Application

Create your application here.

Application Deadlines

1 January - 30 April for the enrollment in the Fall semester

1 July - 31 October for the enrollment in the Spring semester

Documents set out above in the Terms of Admission are required to be provided in digital form and attached to the online application by April 30th or October 31st.

Contact

admission@phil.muni.cz

Tuition fees:
€ 1,900/academic year (degree program taught in English)

Students who require a visa and who are denied one will be refunded 90 % of the school-fee only if they send us confirmation that their visa was denied. The money will be returned by bank transfer only.

Programs taught in Czech are completely tuition-free, but a serious working knowledge of Czech is required.

If you are interested in studying in Czech or would like to improve your command of the language, you might consider registering in a preliminary language course one year prior to your enrolment at Masaryk University.

The one-year-long preparatory course is designed specifically for students seeking enrolment into a university degree program taught in Czech. This course will help you develop your Czech language skills and/or improve your existing knowledge of the language to enable you to pass the entrance exams and pursue the degree of your choice at Masaryk University. In addition to improving your level of Czech, this course will also provide you with a better understanding of Czech society and culture.