In the Literary Studies PhD program, students acquire a broad knowledge of literary criticism and theory as well as a mastery of close reading techniques. Students develop finely honed skills as critical readers, writers, and analytical thinkers while studying works of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama from a wide range of cultures and literary and historical periods. Available doctoral programmes:
- Gender in English and American Literature and Culture
- Library Studies
- Modern English and American Literature and Culture
- French Literature
- Italian Literary and Cultural Studies
- American Studies
- Medieval and Early Modern English Literature and Culture
- Dutch Studies
- Russian Literature and Culture between East and West
- Russian Literature and Literary Studies: a Comparative Approach
- Comparative Literature
- The Hungarian Baroque
- Slavic Literatures
- Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
- The Folklore and Literature of the Uralic People
The Entry Requirement is completed MA-level studies in the field related to the desired Ph.D. program and a B2 level or higher language exam and a Letter of Acceptance from your future ELTE supervisor.
Review of the candidates is based on the submitted application documents and on a Skype or personal interview. The applicants will be interviewed by an admission committee (entrance examination). In this interview, they will be asked about previous university achievements, the individual research plan and the scientific competence in the field of interest.
The Faculty’s doctoral council decides of acceptance or rejection on the grounds of the admission committees reports made following the interview.
Before sending the application, please contact the head of the doctoral training programme you wish to study at!
Strength of program
Main aims of the doctoral school are to prepare students for obtaining the doctoral (PhD) degree through helping them to gain mastery in scholarly research and writing, encouraging their conference participation, and creating the opportunity for them to take part in the various activities of the home-department.
Programme structure
4-year training in 2 parts for 240 credits. Training and Research Period (1-4 semester, 120 credits): 8 obligatory courses, 4 consultations. Each course and consultation worth 10 credit. At the end of the Training and Research Period, the student has to complete the Comprehensive Exam. Students who fail to take the Comprehensive Exam by the end of the 4th semester (until the deadline of the re-examination period), or should fail the Comprehensive Exam (even the reexamination) will lose their student status. Research and dissertation Period (5-8th semester,120 credits): 4 consultations (4X10 credits), scientific work (80 credits). After collecting all 240 credits the student receives the absolutorium and can start the Doctoral Process. Ph. D degree can be obtains during the Doctoral Procedure, which includes the Public Disputation of the Doctoral Thesis. The Thesis must be submitted 3 years after the Comprehensive Exam. The curriculum can be downloaded at: www.elte.hu/file/KPR_V_A_DOKT.pdf
Career opportunities
Having a doctoral degree from the various fields of literary studies, like Literary Theory and Cultural Studies, Comparative Literature, Hungarian and European Renaissance, Hungarian Baroque, The Hungarian and European Enlightenment, Romanticism, Late Romantic and Early Modern Hungarian Literature, Hungarian Modernism, Hungarian Literature after 1945, Folklore and Literature of the Uralic Peoples, Library Studies, Hungarian and Comparative Folklore, Medieval and Early Modern English Literature and Culture, Modern English and American Literature and Culture, Gender in English and American Literature and Culture, American Studies, French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment, French Literature from the Age of Enlightenment to the Present, Portuguese Literatures: History of Prose Fiction, Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, Textual Analysis of the Works and Precedents of Contemporary Latin-American Prose, Fiction, Russian Literature and Literary Studies: a Comparative Approach, Russian Literature and Culture between East and West, Slavic Literatures, Studies in German Literatures and Cultures, Dutch Studies, Scandinavian Studies, prepares the students for high quality academic work, with special skills in languages and literary history, such as trains them to teach at university, and gives experiences in scholarly project work.
Job examples
Scholar, Academic researcher, Teacher in high education, Lecturer, Lector, Editor, Translator etc.
How to Apply
https://www.btk.elte.hu/en/phd/application
For more information: https://www.elte.hu/en/doctoral-school-of-literary-studies
https://itdi.elte.hu/doctoralschool
https://itdi.elte.hu/en/content/empty-page.t.7338?m=398
For further reference, thesis topic proposals of DSH for Spring 2021 can be found at Hungarian Doctoral Council (doktori.hu) – New topics for 2022 will be available in November of 2021.