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Studies & Degrees in Hungarian Language and Literature (in Universities)

Hungarian language and literature, often called Hungarian studies, is the university study of the Hungarian language, its linguistics and its literature. Hungarian is not an Indo-European language like most of its neighbours: it belongs to the Ugric group, together with Khanty and Mansi, and has taken loan words from the Indo-European languages around it. It is one of the 24 official languages of the European Union, a status it has had since 2004, and it is also spoken by Hungarian communities in neighbouring countries.

Students learn the language to a high level and study its grammar, its varieties and its history, together with Hungarian literature in the context of world literature and literary theory. At the University of Maribor, the programme also looks at the position of Hungarian as a minority language in Slovenia and in the Carpathian Basin.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's level (first cycle): the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor offers a first-cycle programme in Hungarian Language and Literature. It is a combined, two-subject programme, so Hungarian is studied together with a second subject of the faculty. It has two tracks, Hungarian Language and Literature and Hungarian Studies (Hungaristika), and is credit-based.
  • Master's level (second cycle): the same faculty offers a second-cycle programme in Hungarian Language and Literature, with a two-subject teaching track and a two-subject non-teaching track in Hungarian studies.
  • Doctorate: Hungarian is not among the doctoral fields listed by the Faculty of Arts in Maribor; graduates who want a doctorate should ask the faculty or look at universities in Hungary.

The department's page does not state the length or the number of ECTS credits of each programme; check these with the faculty.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists one active school for this subject, the University of Maribor in Slovenia. Its Department of Hungarian Language and Literature is one of the 12 departments of the Faculty of Arts, and the faculty states that Hungarian studies can be studied in Slovenia only there. Hungarian is also an official language in parts of Slovenia.

The programme is open both to native speakers of Hungarian and to students whose mother tongue is not Hungarian and who want to learn the language or improve it. The department works with universities in Hungary and abroad: Erasmus+ exchange students come mainly from the faculties of arts of ELTE in Budapest, the University of Zagreb and the University of Pécs, and students of the department attend summer schools in Hungary. The University of Maribor states that about 15% of its students are international, from 30 countries.

The department's page does not give the language of instruction of each course. Foreign applicants should ask the faculty which level of Hungarian and of Slovenian is expected; the faculty runs Slovenian language exams for foreign students.

Careers

According to the faculty, graduates are qualified to proofread literary, professional and scientific texts, to write texts for clients and to work as consultants on language in bilingual agencies, companies and institutions, and in public relations. It also names professions in the media, such as reporter or newscaster, in publishing, such as editor, and in tourism and advertising. The teaching track of the master's programme is aimed at those who want to teach Hungarian. No official employment statistics are published for this field.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Hungarian before I start?

Not necessarily. The department in Maribor states that its programme is meant for native speakers and also for students whose mother tongue is not Hungarian. Ask the faculty which level it expects on entry.

Can Hungarian be combined with another subject?

Yes. At the University of Maribor it is a two-subject programme that is combined with another programme of the Faculty of Arts.

Is Hungarian related to the languages of neighbouring countries?

No. Hungarian belongs to the Ugric group, with Khanty and Mansi, while most languages around it are Indo-European.