Requirements for applicants:
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 BA degree in Liberal Arts, Motion Pictures Studies and Visual Representation Studies with Motion Pictures Culture and Media Expert Specialization.
In the case of a BA degree from any other study fields, each degree will be considered individually, and transcripts from your diploma as well as course descriptions will be requested. The applicant must have 50 credits (at least 30 to enter the programme) from the fields of film history, film theory, motion-picture creating, film studies, philosophy, literature theory, history of social sciences, history and theory of art and theory culture.
The educational and outcome requirements are defined by the Ministry of Human Capacities, Regulation No. 18/2016. (VIII. 5.). Details of the application and admission process are defined by the Organisational and Operational Regulations of ELTE.
Documents to be submitted by applicants:
Motivation letter indicating why the applicant wishes to start the program, and what her special field of interest is.
Curriculum Vitae including applicant’s previous achievements (scholarships, publications, conference presentations, completed films/videos, festival organization etc.).
English-language transcript with the list of completed courses in previous degree programs.
For applicants to the Film Theory Specialization: submit a research proposal of your intended thesis project with a study and research plan (detailed outline of your field of interest), a preliminary bibliography (indicated what you have read so far).
In Film Theory Specialisation, you will develop a research project for 4 semesters and you will write your thesis about that selected topic. The Department will assign a tutor to you, who is able to assist you with the project. Upon graduation, your degree ‘Master of Arts in Film Studies’ will acknowledge that you can carry out a scientifically based research project in a topic related to film or media history, film or media theory, genre theory, cultural studies etc. In preparation for this academic endeavour, we ask you to write a research proposal (1,5-2 pages), which outlines (1) description of your future topic with a strong research questions and a justification why you think this subject is important, (2) a hypothesis, (3) the methodology applied in the project (textual analysis, historical overview, comparative analysis, audience research etc.), the corpus you want to work on (list of films, media texts, or data), and a preliminary bibliography related to the primary field of your planned project.
You should also be well informed and aware of what has already been written about your topic previously. This is important because your research must include something new compared with previous academic work. That is why we also ask you to prepare a short bibliography about your project, which may include not only articles about your topic but also notes about the theoretical background you will rely on. Obviously, your tutor will later help you to develop the exact question and methodology, but you must have a preliminary plan to apply.
As to the topic, you have a wide range of choices. You can choose the oeuvre of a director, a trend in cinema or audio-visual arts, a cinematic genre, a TV series. Alternatively, you can analyse questions of film- or media production or distribution, commercials, some animated works, but we also have students conducting research on video game films, or adaptations of comics. First, try to think of something that you know well (and preferably like), and conceptually clarify why it is interesting/challenging for you. At times students find a good research topic that originates in their own culture, because they know those topics better. Second, think of the proper methodology with which you can approach: this can be the analysis of the historical, the production or sociological context, formal or genre analysis, the analysis of certain motif, figure etc., but you can also use film theory trends as a tool, such as psychoanalytic, feminist or postcolonial theory. You can also think of an economic approach (e.g. production or marketing strategies, analysis of success, co-productions – several other questions are possible). These are just a few examples, but they will give you some idea. In your proposal, you can also describe possible chapters or subchapters of your thesis.
Throughout the oral interviews, we ask questions about the research proposal, and attempt to get an impression about the academic background of the candidates.
For applicants to the Filmmaking Specialization: submit your online portfolio which contains short film/video or other screen media product or a one-page synopsis of your script. Then in your application material send us the link with your online portfolio.
Thesis title of current and graduated students [DOCX] »
Foreign language requirements:
Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate sufficient English-language skills by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The minimum required score is 550 on the paper-based exam (PBT) or 80 on the Internet-based exam (iBT). We also accept IELTS exams with a score of 6.0 and above.
For general requirements and deadlines relevant for MA applicants please see: https://apply.elte.hu/