Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

The Ph.D. study program "Indo-european linguistics" is fit for those serious to study the development of languages, especially Indo-European. Preferable it is for such students who want to professionally follow their carrier with diachronic linguistics.

The program s goal is to recognize and understand the diachronic development of languages, primarily Indo-European; to understand structures and trajectories, on which these structures are changing, and to acquaint the basic language facts and methodology.

The goals of the study are:

1.  to acquaint the basic typological and structural properties of the language systems of the old Indo-European languages;
2. to acquaint the needed methodology of the diachronic description of languages;
3. to apply these methods to analyze a concrete problem (the subject of the Ph.D. thesis)

The program is a possible superstructure either for the M.A. program "General linguistics" (of the same department) or any other concrete philology of a given IE language.

The students follow an individual study plan, framed up by their supervisor and oriented toward a concrete methodological development and linguistic analysis. The study is single-subject only.

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

• both synchronically and diachronically analyze the systems and structures of the Indo-European languages
• apply the chosen method independently
• bring own innovative approach both material and methodological
• to write a paper and publish it, to actively take part in the scientific conferences
• know the history of the methods of the Indo-European linguistics

Doctoral studies are exclusively one-subject study programs. The length of study of all study programs is four years. Graduates of Doctoral degree study programs are awarded an internationally recognized scientific degree of philosophiæ doctor (Ph.D.). The doctoral study represents the highest degree of university education.

You can choose between:

1. Full-time study means that your study duties are spread over the working days (Mon-Fri) according to your timetable. Full-time students participate in lectures, conferences, and educational and research activities of the workplace.
2. Part-time (combined) study is more often chosen by those applicants who have other responsibilities (e.g. employment or family) that do not allow them to attend classes daily so they can "combine" work/family with studies.

The study is primarily for those interested in the professional carrier in academics.

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.

Eligibility Criteria

Only university graduates of Master's degree programmes of Philology/Linguistics/concrete language philology can be admitted to the doctoral study programme (full-time or combined mode) after passing an entrance examination. Graduates of other programmes can be admitted only in special cases. It is always good to contact the supervisor, prof. Václav Blažek (blazek@phil.muni.cz) before applying.

Terms of Admission

1. Submission of an electronic application in the Masaryk University Information System.
2. Submission of applicant's Master's Thesis:
   • a) Applicants from outside of Masaryk University: Submission of a copy of the applicant's Master's Thesis. If this is not available, an English-language summary of the Thesis must be provided together with a minimum twenty-page sample of the applicant's academic or scholarly writing in English.
   • b) Graduates of Masaryk University need not submit a copy of their Master's Thesis, as theses are available to the Doctoral Studies Committee via the Masaryk University Information System.
3. Submission of a transcript(s) of university/college studies.
4. Submission of a research proposal for the doctoral dissertation in English.
5. Submission of a letter of motivation in English.
6. Applicant's CV in English.

Application Deadlines

1 January - 30 April for the enrollment in the Fall semester
1 June - 30 September 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 September 30th.

Contact

admission@phil.muni.cz

Have you selected your research topic? Or do you need help to formulate your research topic?

Please get in touch with dr. Šefčík. He will connect you with your future supervisor who can help you to formulate your research proposal.

Tuition fees: € 2,000/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.

All students of this program are entitled to study two semesters of Czech for foreigners free of charge. It is not obligatory but it might be handy.

Have you selected your research topic? Or do you need help to formulate your research topic?

Please get in touch with dr. Šefčík. He will connect you with your future supervisor who can help you to formulate your research proposal.

If you have any questions regarding the application and admission procedures or the tuition fees, please contact us at admission@phil.muni.cz.

However, if you would like to know more about what is it like to study at Masaryk University, how is the life of a student at the Faculty of Arts or if you have some questions that require personal experience, we have a solution for you as well! You can contact our student ambassadors at ambassador@phil.muni.cz