The main goal of the Master study program at PANE is to broaden the knowledge and further raise the qualification of the students. The content of the studies of Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East is organically linked to the previous Bachelor study program and complements it with courses focused on more complex and/or special topics of Near Eastern archaeology and cultural anthropology. Students are broadening their knowledge of the Arabic language, study other languages (depending on their geographic area of research) and intensively work on their diploma thesis (involves personal coaching by the thesis supervisor, communication with visiting lecturers and consultants throughout the academic year, participation on excavations and internships abroad for the purpose of hands-on work with the studied archaeological material). Students can choose within the optional courses those that help them best in their work on diploma theses or deepen their knowledge on the topic. They may choose not only the courses of PANE but also courses offered by Central European Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Museology, Ancient History or Religious Studies. The students may also choose courses at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, e.g. at the Geology Department.

The Master study program presents students with the opportunity to actively engage in the educational process, as their gradual specialization while working on diploma theses is taken into consideration. Their active attendance on lectures, seminars, and congresses related to their field of interest is expected.

Students learn to manage challenges of the Near-Eastern archaeologists related to fieldwork and stay in a culturally different environment already during the Bachelor study program. It is expected that students enrolling in the Master study program have enough practical experience to fully rise up to the field-archaeological challenges and thereby gain recognition in high profile field research and projects abroad (e.g. possibilities to study archaeological material in cooperation with Yale University, cooperation with Freie Universität Berlin and with Eberhard Karls University Tübingen). Students have also the possibility to choose from the offer of research abroad or to individually find their own placement in a foreign research project in order to find the best fit for their area of scientific interest. At this level, students should be able to understand and formulate their scientific goals and know the methods and steps to reach them. This should be proved also in assembling their personal study plans and progressive career-building.

At the Master study program, a higher emphasis is put onto the diploma thesis and its qualified defense. The student should be able to have a scientific dialogue on a topic from archaeology of the Near East and cultural anthropology, as well as show the capability to characterize current intellectual, social and political dynamics and identify global key players in the field of their study. He/she should be able to read, write, and speak in Arabic about everyday events and topics related to field research in the Near East.

A successful graduate is able to…

• organize and realize project related to his/her area of interest (e.g. workshop, lecture, exhibition)
• have a scientific dialogue on a topic from archaeology of the Near East and cultural anthropology, as well as to present an overview of current social and political discourse
• increasingly shift from the perspective of the excavation participant to the perspective of the organizer of an own field-based project
• read, write, and speak in Arabic about everyday events and topics related to field research in the Near East
• use computer skills, various programs, and digital tools for the needs of archaeology with the aim to raise the interdisciplinary discourse
• become skillful in a wide range of competencies, theoretical and practical, including techniques, methods, and processes of Near-Eastern archaeology
• individually realize small projects, intensify personal contacts with the chosen experts and - spurred by insights gained during thesis-making and supported by the teachers‘ counseling – be able to embark on novel scientific approaches of their own
• to help with the preparations of an archaeological excavation abroad and be able to implement own sub-projects therein
• prepare press releases and participate in the preparation of key scientific publications

Graduates of PANE’s Master study program are qualified to actively participate in international scientific and archaeological field research. They may be employed also at various culture-educational facilities, as for example museums, adult education publishers, the cultural heritage sector, diplomatic services, travel journalism, tourist industry or in humanitarian/charity organizations.

Admission Requirments

Eligibility Criteria

This fee-paying program is open to graduates of Bachelor study program in Humanities (Archaeology graduates will be preferred).

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 (500 words maximum) in English, explaining why the applicant wishes to study in this degree program accredited in English and why the applicant wishes to study in this Centre.
4. Demonstrate English-language skills at the B2 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):
   • IELTS Academic with a score of 6.5 or higher
   • Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English with a mark of A or B
   • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
   • TOEFL iBT score of 79 or higher
   • Applicants who have graduated from a Bachelor program in an English-speaking country (e. g. the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, Africa and Asia), having attended the said school for two or more years, need not submit test scores.
5. Submission of a transcript of Bachelor degree certificate, which must include:
   • Dates you attended the institution
   • Titles of courses and examinations you completed
   • Grades (marks) you received, including on school-leaving exams

Admission to study Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East will be offered to those applicants selected by the Centre's Entrance Exam Committee, based on a complex evaluation of the applicant's language skills, recommendations, and motivation.

Application

Create your application here.

Applications Filing Period

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

1 September - 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, 2019 or October 31st, 2019. Please bring originals on the day of your enrolment.

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.

Programmes 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 programme 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.