Alapadatok
Philologist in Russian Language and Literature
Orosz
Program
ELTE’s MA in Russian Language and Literature is primarily intended for students who wish to gain a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of the theoretical issues of the Russian language and literature, including their diachronic and synchronic dimensions. The programme welcomes applicants who, building on a solid foundation of knowledge, wish to acquire academically rigorous expertise in Russian language and literature and to explore more deeply the cultural and intellectual connections between these fields and Hungarian and European identity. It is also designed for those who wish to develop a thorough understanding of the approaches, interpretative possibilities and methods used in the analysis and study of literary, linguistic and cultural texts and phenomena.
Interesting facts about the programme
Our MA students actively participate in academic life: they attend conferences, take part in research and creative workshops, and are successful applicants for academic scholarships. Members of the Russian Literary Students’ Research Society regularly achieve outstanding results at the National Conference of Scientific Students Associations (OTDK). The community of students and lecturers at our Department regularly contributes its own performances (choir, dance and solo instrumental performances) to the traditional Christmas celebration of the Institute of Slavic and Baltic Philology, as well as to faculty events such as Researchers’ Night and the Campus Opening Festival.
Programme details
Graduates of the programme acquire specialised academic knowledge in the study and practical application of the Russian language, while taking into account the diverse theoretical and practical challenges of our changing world. Our graduates are prepared to undertake independent research and applied tasks in the field of Russian philology, as well as to contribute to the systematic operation of research and development activities. They are able to present and discuss the results of Hungarian research in Russian language and literature, and in Slavonic studies more broadly, at national and international professional forums, including in Russian. The programme also prepares graduates to continue their studies at doctoral level. Graduates possess advanced proficiency in Russian, enabling them to engage with cultural, social and public affairs topics at a high level.
After completing the program, students have the possibility to start their doctoral program in Russian linguistics or Russian literature, offered by the department.
The program regularly invites foreign specialists as visiting professors from Russia and worldwide. The strength of the MA program is also indicated by the scientific achievements of the staff (four professors have a DSc degree; numerous books and international publications) and also the professional career of the students who have already completed the MA program.
Felépítés
Karrier
Many of our graduates have entered an academic career after obtaining their PhD degree.
Apart from the education sector, the career opportunities of students with an MA degree in Russian language and literature embrace the economic, cultural, political, and social spheres. The labour market for specialists with this MA degree includes job opportunities for experts who are expected to have the skills to speak Russian at a high level; to understand Russian culture and the cultural environment, trends and movements in contemporary Russia; to be experts in Russian philology.
Scholar in Russian philology
Organiser in various fields of Russian culture
Expert on Russian culture
Journalist
Specialist in diplomatic affairs
Felvételi
Entry requirements
Applicants must hold a university bachelor’s degree (or an equivalent college degree) in the fields listed below. Full credit acknowledgement is only given for a bachelor’s degree in Slavonic Studies, Specialized in Russian Studies.
In the case of any other degree, each diploma will be considered individually. The applicant must have 50 credits in the field of Russian studies (Russian language, linguistics, literature and culture). Transcripts from your bachelor's degree as well as course descriptions will be requested.
The educational and outcome requirements are defined by the Ministry of Human Capacities, Regulation No. 18/2016. (VIII. 5.). Details of the application and admission process are defined by the Organisational and Operational Regulations of ELTE.
Language requirements
Medium level language competence in Russian: B2 level CEFR
Applicants must hold a state-recognised B2 (upper-intermediate) comprehensive certificate in Russian, or an equivalent secondary school leaving certificate or higher education qualification, as a prerequisite for admission to the master’s programme.
English is the language of administration for all international courses at ELTE Faculty of Humanities. All communication in administrative matters will be conducted in English. It is therefore recommended that all applicants speak a minimum of A2 level of English, even if it is not the language of tuition of their chosen programme.
| Document | Comment |
|---|---|
| Online application form | - |
| Secondary school certificate (graduation certificate) | Notarized copy only on request. |
| Bachelor-level degree | An official copy of your completed Bachelor degree |
| Transcript of records | |
| CV | In English, in MS Word format with one low resolution photo |
| Motivation letter | A maximum of 500 words. |
| Copy of the main pages of the passport (needs to be valid) | Scanned, in colour all personal details and expiry date must be shown. Passport must be valid. |
| Copy of application fee payment receipt | |
| Copy of the Entrance exam fee payment receipt | |
| Language certificate | Official test result or certificate must be provided; see program specific proficiency requirements. |
| Other: An official English translation of the certificates and the records if the language of the original is not English |
Optional documents for admissions
- Research Proposal
Please consult with the coordinating department for more information - Letter of Reference
Also called "Letter of recommendation." From a former instructor and/or employer.
Application deadlines
The deadline for application means the deadline of submission of the full and complete application package in the online system.
Period 1 (with Early Bird discount): 01/10-30/11/2026 23:59 (CET)
Period 2 (with Early Bird discount): 01/02-31/03/2027 23:59 (CET)
Period 3: 01/04-31/05/2027 23:59 (CET)
The application procedure includes 3 periods in order to give the applicants the freedom to submit their application when it’s most suitable for them. The applicants of each period have the same chance to get admittance for the programme. However, please note, that the Faculty of Humanities ELTE reserves the right to cancel the entrance periods in case the number of the admitted applicants reaches the limit during the previous entrance periods.
Procedure of the application
The application starts in the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow the instructions during the application process.
Applications will only be processed if the application fee (non-refundable) has been paid on the University’s online payment platform.
Before making the payment please visit the Faculty’s website (go to section Application and Entrance Exam fees) for detailed guidance on how to use the payment platform.
Payment platform: https://epay.elte.hu/
Entrance examination and selection process
After the university receives the full application package and it is checked by the Department of International Affairs, applicants will be invited to an oral entrance exam. An entrance exam date option will be sent no later than the application deadline for the relevant period. Please, check your messages in the application system, and the e-mail address that is linked to the account regularly.
Procedure of the entrance examination
The entrance exam contains a discussion about the motivation of the applicant. Successful applicants must have a good command of Russian to pass the entrance exam. The format of the entrance exam is an online interview. Ranking is based on the overall evaluation of academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam.
Results and the official decision will be announced in the application system. Admission letters are sent out also in the online application system within a few days.
Oral examination
The entrance examination is based on the specified list of topics and the recommended literature.
Examination topics
I. Russian Linguistics
1. General characteristics of the Russian sound system. Voiced and voiceless, velarised and palatalised consonants and their representation in writing. Word stress and the reduction of unstressed vowels. The concept of the phoneme. Basic intonation patterns of interrogative sentences.
2. An overview of the system of Russian parts of speech. Types of adjectives, numerals and pronouns. The meaning of prepositions and their relationship with the case system. Types of participles and verbal adverb forms.
3. Grammatical categories of Russian nouns. The characteristics of each category. The gender of nouns ending in the soft sign and indeclinable nouns. Singularia tantum and pluralia tantum nouns.
4. Russian verb conjugation and aspect. Pairs of verbs of aspect. The use of imperfective and perfective verbs. The formation of the imperative mood and its relationship with verbal aspect. Verbs with government patterns.
5. Basic concepts of Russian syntax: phrases and sentences. Types of syntactic relationships. Sentence elements. Types of sentences: one-member and two-member sentences.
Recommended reading
• Pete, István: Морфология русского языка. Budapest: Tankönyvkiadó, 1988.
• Бабалова, Л. Л. – Кокорина, С. И.: Практикум по русской грамматике. Часть 2. Синтаксис простого и сложного предложения. Moscow: «Русский язык. Курсы», 2011.
• Белошапкова, В. А. (ред.): Современный русский язык. Moscow: «Высшая школа», 1989.
• Валгина, Н. С.: Синтаксис современного русского языка. Moscow: «Высшая школа», 2003.
• Глазунова, О. И.: Грамматика русского языка в упражнениях и комментариях. Часть 2. Синтаксис. Saint Petersburg: «Златоуст», 2011.
• Фомина, Т. Г.: Современный русский язык. Фонетика. Kazan: КГУ, 2007, pp. 4-60.
old.kpfu.ru/f10/publications/2007/F2.pdf
II. Russian Literature
1. An overview of the periods of Russian literature and their characteristic genres, illustrated with examples from literary works.
2. The poetics of nineteenth-century Russian classical writers and poets (Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Goncharov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov; selected chapters from nineteenth-century poetry).
3. Nineteenth-century Russian literary fiction in the light of academic scholarship.
4. Russian “Modernism”. Literature and culture at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (1890-1917). Prose, poetry, drama, literary movements and the theories of literary groups, examined through representative works.
5. Russian literature from Post-Symbolism to Postmodernism. Literature and culture in the twentieth century (from 1917 to the present day). Prose, poetry, drama, literary trends and experiments, and major transitional periods, examined through representative works.
Recommended reading
• Bakhtin, Mikhail: “The Hero and the Author’s Relationship to the Hero in Dostoevsky’s Art”. In: Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, Chapter II. Budapest: Gond-Cura / Osiris, 2001, pp. 62-98.
• Eikhenbaum, Boris: “The Hero of Our Time”. In: Az irodalmi elemzés. Budapest: Gondolat Kiadó, 1974, pp. 320-394.
• Flaker, Aleksandar: “On the Questions of the Russian Avant-Garde”. In: Az újnak tenni hitet. Budapest, 1977.
• Gasparov, Boris: “The Motif Structure of The Master and Margarita”. Medvetánc, 1988/1.
• Maksimov, D. E.: “The Mythopoetic Element in A. Blok’s Lyric Poetry”. Helikon, 1982/2-3, pp. 300-316.
• Jakobson, Roman: “Notes on the Prose of the Poet Pasternak”. In: A költészet grammatikája. Budapest: Gondolat, 1982.
• Szilárd, Léna: “The Prose of the Russian Symbolists”. Helikon, 1980/3-4, pp. 249-265.
• Toporov, V. N.: “Petersburg and the Petersburg Text in Russian Literature. Introduction”. In: Történelem és mítosz. Szentpétervár 300 éve (ed. István Nagy). Budapest: Argumentum, 2003, pp. 317-336.
• Zhirmunsky, Viktor: “The Transcenders of Symbolism”. In: Irodalom, poétika. Válogatott tanulmányok. Budapest: Gondolat, 1981, pp. 182-220.
• Лотман, Ю. М.: “Сюжетное пространство русского романа XIX столетия”. In: Избранные статьи в 3 тт., vol. 3. Tallinn, 1992-1993, pp. 91-106.
• Шмид, В.: “Проза и поэзия в «Повестях Белкина»”. In: Проза как поэзия. Статьи о повествовании в русской литературе. Saint Petersburg, 1994, pp. 11-34.
For more information about the application procedures, please visit the Faculty’s website
Elérhetőségek
Admission
Department of International Affairs
E-mail: admission@btk.elte.hu
Address: 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4.
More information
Website
Dr. habil. Mária GYÖNYGYÖSI
Head Department of Russian Language and Literature
Find the structure of the program on the webpage of the Faculty.
Main areas of specialisation
• Foundational humanities and social science knowledge underpinning the programme; specialist knowledge in Russian literary studies, linguistics and cultural studies, as well as language training (50-90 credits).
• Theoretical and practical knowledge required for pursuing a field of specialisation best suited to students’ individual abilities and interests. This includes elective specialised programmes and courses related to the degree, covering language studies, linguistics, literary studies, cultural studies and translation studies (20-40 credits)