Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Semiotics MA program at ELTE trains students to become well-trained specialists in semiotics of culture with a global overview of the various fields of humanities. The program is designed to be flexible, motivating students to find the best Hungarian specialists in the given field and assist them in becoming involved in international research and dialogues with foreign scholars and lecturers.

Program Details

• Title: Semiotics MA
• Degree: Semiotician
• Type: Degree program
• Level: Master
• Accreditation number: FF/723-4/2012
• Faculty: Faculty of Humanities
• Institute: Institute of Slavonic and Baltic Philology
• Language: English
• Duration: 4 semesters (2 years)
• ECTS credits: 120
• Minimum number of students: 2
• Maximum number of students: 30

Description

Semiotics is an ancient discipline with a long history, which has gained a firm theoretical foundation during the 19th century and an ever-growing significance over the last 50 years. This discipline is now in a period of very intensive, concentrated research and self-identification on the map of contemporary science. The interdisciplinary Semiotics MA program at ELTE enables students to become versatile experts on culture, having substantial knowledge and competence in understanding, analyzing, and influencing both general and specific cultural phenomena and the various forms of interaction and pragmatic exchange, and innovative system construction in general.

Strength of Program

• An interdisciplinary orientation within the humanities
• The application of the valuable research and methodological results of classical semiotics linking them to the most recent scholarly results in the discipline
• Equilibrium in teaching semiotic theory and its implications in applied semiotics
• Flexibility in encouraging students to find their own subfield by enabling their specialization (free option possibilities built into the curriculum)
• International context for research and education
• Offering perspectives for students for doctoral studies in directions not restricted to semiotics

Career Opportunities

The labor market for specialists with an MA degree in semiotics includes job opportunities for experts who are expected to have the skills of:

• Understanding current cultural movements
• Grasping and describing the developmental logic in contemporary arts and the various forms of intercultural communication both within social interaction and national and international cultural texts
• Interpreting and describing different media and message transfer processes
• Analyzing conflict, argumentation systems, and philosophical discourse in any field which can be interpreted from the point of view of sign system constructions
• Building models, typologies, and creating system-descriptions

Job Examples

• Researchers at universities, in museums
• Copywriters, journalists, cultural critics
• Scriptwriters for videogames
• Enterprisers
• Translators
• IT specialists
• PR specialists

Tuition Fee

• EU/EEA students: 2,500 EUR per semester
• Non-EU/EEA students: 2,500 EUR per semester

Application Fee

• The application fee is discounted for Early Bird applicants: EUR 100 (non-refundable) between 01/10/2025 - 30/11/2025 and between 01/02/2026 - 31/03/2026
• The regular application fee is: EUR 150 (non-refundable) between 01/04/2026 - 31/05/2026

Other Costs

• Entrance exam fee: 100 EUR

Admission Requirements

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 the field of Arts and Humanities. In the case of diplomas from social sciences, informatics, law, natural sciences, contemporary and applied arts, each degree will be considered individually. The applicant must have 50 credits (but at least 20 credits to enter the programme) in the fields of aesthetics, philosophy, historical study, linguistics, literature, cultural and art studies.

Language Requirements

• English: The working language of the MA program (C1 level preferred)
• The language knowledge is assessed and evaluated during the interview

Documents to Submit with Application

• Online application form
• Secondary school certificate (graduation certificate)
• Bachelor-level degree
• Master-level degree (if applicable)
• Transcript of records
• CV
• Motivation letter
• Essay/Other writing
• Copy of the main pages of the passport
• Copy of application fee payment receipt
• Copy of the Entrance exam fee payment receipt
• Other: Sample(s) of previous (academic) work or writing

Optional Documents for Admissions

• Research Proposal
• Language certificate
• Letter of Reference

Application Procedure

Application Deadlines

• Period 1 (with Early Bird discount): 01/10-30/11
• Period 2 (with Early Bird discount): 01/02-31/03
• Period 3: 01/04-31/05

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.

Entrance Examination and Selection Process

When the university receives the full application package and it is checked by the Department of International Affairs, an entrance exam date option will be sent no later than the application deadline for the relevant period. The applications are examined by the Admission Board no later than after each application period, and applicants are notified of the outcome of the selection in the online application system after the decision is official.

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 English 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.

Program Leader

• Prof. Dr. Katalin KROÓ
• Department of Russian Language and Literature

Additional Information

• The program is offered for the next academic year
• Start program: 01, Sep, 2026
• Deadline for applications - September intake: 31, May, 2026
• Is there a February intake: No