The study of Medieval Latin Language and Literature aims to further extend and deepen language competencies and focuses on obtaining active knowledge of theoretical and methodological techniques employed in philology. With regard to the connection of the Middle Ages to Antiquity, this master's degree program profits from the students’ knowledge of the classical Latin language and ancient Latin literature gained in the course of their bachelor studies. In contrast to the bachelor's degree, which specializes in the classical Latin language, the objective of this follow-up master's degree is to acquaint the students with all later phases of the Latin language and its development up to the late Middle Ages. Students will gain an overview of orthographic, phonological, morphological, and syntactic phenomena of the medieval Latin language, they will understand late ancient and medieval Latin differences from the normative Latin grammar and the so-called classical style. They will gain orientation in the changes of the Latin vocabulary until the late Middle Ages. Students will also obtain detailed knowledge of the Bohemian and European medieval literature written in Latin, the plurality of the given genre, formal and content-related peculiarities as well as good knowledge of the history of literature, medieval libraries and writings, and general knowledge of the political history of the Middle Ages.

In addition to an in-depth and comprehensive look at the developments of the Latin language during the Middle Ages, this study programme focuses on the various forms of medieval literature, its critical and digital accessibility, and the latest trends in textual criticism. Intensive readings of texts are accompanied by elective courses focusing on particular aspects of medieval written culture. You will have the opportunity to attend lectures and block courses given by international experts. During the annual study camps, you will not only improve your medieval Latin, but also have fun thanks to our active student association!

Successful graduate is able to:

• Describe and explain orthographic, morphological, and syntactic peculiarities of the medieval Latin language in comparison with the classical Latin language;
• clarify factors that influenced the development of late and medieval Latin vocabulary and present the concrete examples of this development;
• demonstrate the main features of the Bohemian and European medieval Latin literature and explain the specifics of the reception of ancient motives in medieval literature;
• explain the genre diversity and both formal and content related peculiarities of medieval prose and poetry;
• describe the philosophical, historical, and religious background of the development of the medieval society;
• present basic methods used by the auxiliary historical sciences (especially codicology and paleography) and textual criticism;
• read the selected medieval manuscripts and participate in preparing their modern critical editions;
• interpret selected Latin texts written in the Middle Ages;
• translate complex Latin texts into English and isolated sentences into Latin;
• independently work with foreign-language scholarly literature, electronic databases, and other types of informational sources;
• compose a structured text on an academic topic.

The graduates of this study program are well-suited for any profession in cultural institutions, e.g. museums, archives, or libraries, where medieval texts and other medieval material is preserved. They will be able to independently and critically work with primary sources, use informative textual sources, and deal with medieval literary material. These skills will provide an ideal basis for working at research institutes specialized in the humanities, such as the Academy of Sciences or universities. Our alumni/ae will be also ready to work as lecturers at universities or teachers of history and modern languages at high schools. Many of our graduates also work as advisors in publishing houses or various media, including the TV or radio channels.

Eligibility Criteria

This fee-paying degree programme is open to applicants who hold a Bachelor's degree in a field related to Latin Philology and who have a basic knowledge of Latin and solid knowledge of English.

Terms of Admission

• Meet the eligibility criteria set out in the paragraph above.
• Submit the electronic application and pay the application fee by the due deadline.
• Submit all the required documents as described below.
• Pass the entrance exam (entirely online).

Required documents

1. Statement of Purpose (max. 750 words) in English, explaining why the applicant wishes to study this degree programme at Masaryk University.
2. CV detailing the candidate's professional/academic experience.
3. Recommendation letter - written by a teacher or professor (official format on a letterhead, with his/her original signature and contact details (position, e-mail, telephone)
4. Bachelor´s diploma – if you are yet to graduate, submit a confirmation of studies with the expected graduation date.
5. 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. Passport (EU citizens may replace it with the national ID)

Entrance exam

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

1. Evaluation of the submitted documents.
2. An online interview where the applicant's knowledge of Latin and her/his motivation will be assessed.

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 submitted documents and your performance during the online interview.
Admission to study this 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 (both Latin and English), academic record, recommendations, and motivation. All applicants will be notified about the results via e-mail.

Application Deadlines

1 December - 30 April for the enrollment in the Autumn 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.

Students who will need a visa to travel to CZ should apply as early as possible to increase their chance to arrive on time.

To be enrolled in a degree study program you have to present an acknowledgment certificate of your former education abroad. This proves that your previous studies are equal to a comparable Czech education and your diploma is valid in the Czech Republic.

Recognition of foreign education is a must along with the entrance exam. It is an administrative part of the admission procedure. No one can be enrolled in the studies without recognition of their previous foreign education.