Follow-up Master’s studies
Basic information
Master’s full-time study of history consists of four semesters and concludes with Master’s state exam. It is designated for graduates of Bachelor’s studies of history at the Masaryk University’s Faculty of Arts as well as graduates of history and related subjects from other faculties and universities. Only successful graduates of Bachelor’s studies who meet the entrance requirements can enter this study.
The study is realised based on a study plan with a specialization, or in the form of study plan for a double-subject studies.
Master’s study of history cannot be studied as combined studies.
Single-subject studies with a specialization
In the single-subject studies, the student deepens knowledge related to the concrete focus of the degree programme and chooses one specialization. The specialization is stated in the university diploma.
The course is specialized, which means that students choose one of the specializations on offer: Medieval History; History of the Early Modern Age; Modern History and Religious History. Student of all specializations are obliged to pass the common courses basis (40 credits), courses related to the Master’s thesis (20 credits) and courses related to their specialization (60 credits). Within the courses related to their specialization students have to pass compulsory courses (40 credits) and selective courses related to the students’ academic interest (20 credits).
The study concludes with a Master’s state exam. The Master’s state exam consists of the defence of a Master’s diploma thesis and an oral examination. The purpose of the oral exam is to demonstrate the students' knowledge of general and Czech history within the chosen specialization, their ability to explain the causality in wider context and to orientate themselves in historiography in great detail and their acquirement of basic principles and methods of history. Students have to prove their ability to talk in a cultivated way about certain specialized subject matter.
The defence of Master’s thesis is part of the state exam. Its subject is based within the chosen specialization. The defence of the diploma thesis affirms the students’ ability to present the results of their research, to react to the given subject in a discussion and argue to the point.
Medieval History
Medieval History is defined as one of the main Master’s study programmes. Specialized lectures and seminars are usually based on original research and they emphasize the broadening of knowledge of methodology and factual accounts of events. Simultaneously, changes in thoughts and in values of the medieval society are introduced in a regional, national and wider Central European scope.
Current registration template in IS MUNI.
The study plan can be found here.
History of the Early Modern Age
The study program History of the Early Modern Age offers the opportunity to understand the fundamental political, social and cultural processes of the 16th - 18th centuries, with an emphasis on the European space. The individual courses are usually designed as a combination of lectures and work with sources and professional literature, which allows students not only to try practical research activities, but also to understand subsequent interpretations of historical phenomena. The aim is to prepare students for the elaboration of a methodologically excellent master's thesis.
Current registration template in IS MUNI.
The study plan can be found here.
Modern History
The study of modern and contemporary history offers a deeper perspective and wider qualification for the analysis of problems of the present world. The Master’s specialization is oriented towards research and offers a comprehensive overview of problems and topics of the “long” 19th and the “short” 20th century. The emphasis lays on specified fields defined by the research focus and experience of lecturers on two levels: factual and methodological.
Current registration template in IS MUNI.
The study plan can be found here.
Religious History
Religious History presents systematic history of Christianity in an ecumenic perspective not from the theological point of view but from the cultural-historical perspective. It is focused on medieval, early modern and modern events and processes which defined the form of relation between the church and the state and the forms of relation between religion and society. Courses present not only theoretical starting point of research in religious phenomena but also concrete examples of personalities, confessions, rituals, symbolical behaviour and institutional forms.
Current registration template in IS MUNI.
The study plan can be found here.
Double-subject study
The study concludes with a Master’s state exam which consists of an oral examination. The purpose of the oral exam is to demonstrate the students' knowledge of general and history of Czech lands, Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic from the Middle Ages to the present day, their ability to explain the causality in wider context and to orientate themselves in historiography in great detail and their acquirement of basic principles and methods of history. Students have to prove their ability to talk in a cultivated way about certain specialized subject matter.
The defence of Master’s diploma thesis is part of the state exam in the maior study plan.
Master’s diploma thesis
The thesis is assigned upon the registration of the first Thesis Workshop, which is usually at the beginning of the third semester. The student is entitled to suggest the subject of his/her Master’s thesis based on agreement with one of the authorized teachers.
The minimum length of the Master’s thesis is 140,000 characters. The title page is an obligatory part of the thesis. It contains the names of the university, faculty, department, title of the thesis, type of the thesis (Master’s diploma), names of the author and the supervisor, year of submitting, author’s declaration on the originality of the thesis, contents, list of primary sources and literature and footnotes. Finished diploma thesis has to be submitted till 16 December 2021 (in case of a defence in January), till 15 May 2022 (in case of a defence in June) and till 23 June 2022 (in case of a defence in prolonged exam period of the spring semester). Students are obliged to publish their diploma theses by submitting their electronic versions in the IS MUNI by forementioned dates.
Master’s State Exam
Students enrol for the state exam in writing at the department’s secretariat till 16 December 2021 for January term of exams, till 28 April 2022 for June term of exams and till 23 June 2022 for September term of exams.