Nemo nascitur sapiens, sed fit. One is not born wise but becomes wise. Seneca

Degree programme objectives

The Greek and Latin Studies programme opens the way for students to learn about the sources of European culture and scholarship. It enables students to discover in the original the ideas and works of the famous ancient figures who laid the foundations of European literature, established the Western philosophical, scientific and legal tradition, and entrusted to future generations the first democratic principles and values of civil society.

The programme focuses on the acquisition of the morphology and syntax of classical Greek (specifically its Attic dialect) or Latin, the study of ancient literature and the historical and cultural context in which ancient literary works were produced.

An important part of the study is the reading of original texts, in which students develop the ability to interpret the original text in a multifaceted way and learn to apply their grammatical, literary and cultural-historical knowledge. The study of Ancient Greek or Latin, which are morphologically and syntactically more complex than the commonly studied modern Indo-European languages, deepens general linguistic, analytical, interpretive and translation competences and facilitates the understanding of technical terminology from other disciplines. It teaches how to solve problems systematically and to take into account several aspects at once. The study of the ancient world then enables a better orientation in most areas of European culture.

Study plans

Admission Procedures
Admission to Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026
Submission deadline until midnight 28/2/2025

  • Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
    This programme is taught in Czech.

    The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the Learning Potential Test (TSP). Applicants may also be admitted based on other criteria, see Admission without the Entrance Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

    You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
    The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations. Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.

    Learning Potential Test (TSP)

    This test is only in Czech. For up-to-date information, click here

    Field of Study Examination

    For admission for studies of this degree programme, you do not need to take the Field of Study Examination.

    Admission without the entrance examination

    You may be exempt from the entrance examination based on at least one of the following criteria:
    1. placing in any of the first three places in a national round in the Latin Competition - Certamen Latinum;
    2. secondary school results with an average 1.5 or higher in the subjects Czech/ Slovak language, two foreign languages and a choice of one more subject determined by the faculty: English, history, French, music, information technology, Italian, Latin, maths, German, Russian, Spanish, basics of social sciences. An exemption based on school results is applicable to applicants who are students in the final year of a secondary school or who have passed the secondary school leaving examination no later than in 2022 or 2023.

    Secondary school results may be applied for an exemption from the entrance examination by those applicants whose average grade was 1.5 or higher in each of the four profile subjects. The total average result in all subjects is not taken into consideration. Secondary school seminars are also disregarded. The average grade of each profile subject is calculated based on the results of the last four years of study in the following way: the mid-year grade is calculated from the final year, whereas the final grades are calculated from the previous three years. It is also necessary that applicants have studied each of the profile subjects for at least two years during the last four years.
    Enter your grades in your e-application. Then print the grades out and let your secondary school certify them with a stamp and a signature. Upload the scan of the certified grades into your e-application. You can also upload officially certified school reports or any other documents certifying your school results.
    Please upload the officially certified documents directly to your e-application in the section Application for the Exemption from the Entrance Examination no later than 29 February.

  • Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
    Limit for TSP percentile for successfully passing the entrance examination: 40

Studies

  • Objectives

    The Greek and Latin Studies programme opens the way for students to learn about the sources of European culture and scholarship. It enables students to discover in the original the ideas and works of the famous ancient figures who laid the foundations of European literature, established the Western philosophical, scientific and legal tradition, and entrusted to future generations the first democratic principles and values of civil society.

    The programme focuses on the acquisition of the morphology and syntax of classical Greek (specifically its Attic dialect) or Latin, the study of ancient literature and the historical and cultural context in which ancient literary works were produced.

    An important part of the study is the reading of original texts, in which students develop the ability to interpret the original text in a multifaceted way and learn to apply their grammatical, literary and cultural-historical knowledge. The study of Ancient Greek or Latin, which are morphologically and syntactically more complex than the commonly studied modern Indo-European languages, deepens general linguistic, analytical, interpretive and translation competences and facilitates the understanding of technical terminology from other disciplines. It teaches how to solve problems systematically and to take into account several aspects at once. The study of the ancient world then enables a better orientation in most areas of European culture.

  • Learning Outcomes

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

    • reproduce by heart the basic morphology and syntactic rules of the Attic dialect of Ancient Greek and describe them using linguistic terminology;
    • analyse the structure of sentences and translate shorter sentences into classical Greek or Latin;
    • understand selected texts written in the Attic dialect of Ancient Greek or Latin, translate them into Czech and interpret them in a cultural and historical context;
    • characterise the various stages of the development of ancient literature and its most important figures;
    • specify the main features of basic literary genres in ancient literature;
    • describe methodological approaches from the field of linguistics and literary theory used in classical philology
    • work with both Czech and foreign language scholarly literature; use electronic databases and printed information sources (scholarly journals, dictionaries, encyclopaedias);
    • write a coherent text on scholarly topics using scientific methodology.

  • Occupational Profiles of Graduates

    As philologically educated professionals with an overview of ancient literature and a basic orientation in ancient culture, graduates can find employment in various cultural institutions, such as libraries, museums and cultural centres, and in various editorial and editorial positions in the media. They can offer employers across disciplines the ability to work with more complex texts, to follow a methodical approach, to independently research and process information, and to solve problems.

  • Practical Training

    Compulsory practices are not included in the Bachelor's degree programme in Greek and Latin Studies.

  • Goals of Theses

    The standard length of a bachelor's thesis is at least 70,000 characters but usually no more than 90,000 characters, including footnotes, table of contents, index, reference list and annotations. Students choose the topic of the thesis either from the topics published in the MU Information System or after individual agreement with the supervisor. In the bachelor's thesis, students demonstrate the ability to use the basic domestic and foreign literature on the chosen topic, to find additional sources and assess their relevance, to work with ancient Greek or Latin sources, to formulate and defend their own conclusions, and to write a structured coherent text in a scholarly style.

  • Access to Further Studies

    Graduates of the Bachelor's degree programme in Greek and Latin Studies can continue in the Master's programme with the same focus, specialize in Latin Medieval Studies or choose to study Latin Teaching. They may also continue further studies in any Master's degree programme, provided they meet the admission requirements.

Basic information

Abbreviation
B-RLS
Type
Bachelor's degree programme
Profile
academic
Degree
Bc.
Length of studies
3 years
Language of instruction
Czech Czech

30
number of active students

Faculty of Arts
Programme guaranteed by
Programme guarantor