Admission requirements

Admission to the Programme will be decided on the basis of the content of the application package submitted by the applicant and an oral interview. Information regarding administrative requirements, procedures, deadlines, fees, contact data, etc. can be found at:

https://www.btk.elte.hu/en/phd/application

Students accepted to the programme will have satisfied the following requirements at admission:

An MA degree or equivalent in Language Pedagogy (e.g., MA TEFL, MA App. Ling., the “old style” Hungarian university foreign language teaching degree) or a related field of classes 'good' or 'excellent' (i.e., grades 4 and 5 in the Hungarian system). Those with grade 3 can only apply three years after obtaining their MA.
A completed MA thesis ('szakdolgozat') in Language Pedagogy or Applied Linguistics of classes 'good' or 'excellent' (i.e., grades 4 and 5 in the Hungarian grading system), or, alternatively, an approximately 4500-word essay on some topic related to Language Pedagogy or Applied Linguistics. This is approx. 8 single spaced pages or 15-16 double spaced pages.
Evidence of sufficient proficiency in English to be able to read English academic literature, to write academic papers in English and to participate in English-language courses. The level should be Cambridge Proficiency in English, or equivalent qualifications at the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference Level C1 or C2.
A minimum of four years' intensive language teaching practice (in special cases an exemption of this requirement can be obtained).
A successful oral examination.

The professional part of the application package will contain all of the following:

A British or American-style Curriculum Vitae in English including a list of publications.
A copy of your Language Pedagogy or Applied Linguistics thesis or essay (as applicable, see above in the 'Requirements' section).
A research proposal of 800-1200 words (+references in APA) describing in English the topic/area you wish to pursue. This statement will have outlined what topic you would like to research and why, how you propose to do this, and what you have read in this area already. This topic may be changed later during the PhD programme but we are interested in how you can conceptualise and structure your research interest.
Optional: letter(s) of recommendation from outstanding scholars in the field. If tutors of the two departments providing the Programme (ELTE SEAS – DEAL and DELP) are to be asked as referees, it is enough to include their email address – with their permission! – in the applicant’s CV.

Oral examination

The entrance exam normally takes place in late May or in early June. Applicants from outside Hungary are given the oral exam online. The exam consists of four parts:

1. a discussion about the submitted thesis/essay

2. a discussion about the research proposal,

3. a discussion of the topics in the following book:

Dörnyei Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The applicants are expected to have a very thorough understanding of the issues covered by this book

4. questions concerning the applicant’s general familiarity with Language Pedagogy and Applied Linguistics.

Getting advice

Before planning to do research and starting to write up a research proposal, it is a good idea to consult a supervisor about the feasibility of your ideas. The list of supervisors is available here. In an initial consultation, the supervisors will give advice but they are not supposed to help compile or check the research proposal, which must be the applicant's independent work. The Head of the Programme and the Director of Studies can also be contacted for advice regarding application to the programme.