Why IEAS, UD?
If you wish to obtain a proper and reliable command of the English language and learn all about the fields of literatures or cultures in English, or you just simply want to enter the labour market as a participant with a competitive and state-of-the-art expertise, you definitely want to become an English major (BA student) at IEAS. Through the highest quality instruction offered by one of the best-qualified staffs in the country, the Institute of English and American Studies can present you with a diverse curriculum that will cater to the expectations of potential employers and the extra-mural world in general. Although our chief objective is, naturally, to supply our students with a profound understanding of the English language and English-language cultures, high priority also is given to providing them with a general erudition concerning the real world so that they can assist in creating a labour force equipped with the know-how and skills required for a proper orientation in this modern world. Consequently, a degree received from the IEAS of the University of Debrecen is duly recognized not only across Hungary but also outside its borders.
What can I get from this Institute?
If you want to see what others got from it, click here.
What can I study here?
Beyond our basic general undergraduate (BA) programme (which, in fact, comprises the curriculum covered by students who take English as a minor), there are four departments within IEAS, each specializing in an individual field of English and American studies (the Department of British Studies, the North American Department, the Department of English Linguistics and the Department of English Language Pedagogy. The departments offer further specialization possibilities and thematically arranged packages of courses for the students to choose from those that would correspond to their preferences. These range from American Studies through the literatures and histories of English-language cultures to linguistics, from the study of films to applied linguistics, from gender studies to EU-Studies, or from visual and popular culture to the cultures of Ireland, Canada, or Australia. So, apart from participating in a comprehensive training in language and linguistics, you can also learn about President Lincoln as well as about The Lord of the Rings, find out about fine arts and sociology, American politics and the movie Trainspotting, history of the Middle Ages and horror movies, Emily Brontë and commercial advertisements, or Shakespeare and whodunits, for that matter. In other words, if you graduate in English Studies, you will receive a diverse storehouse of knowledge—and all of that in English, to boot—which you would otherwise need to put together from the scattered course offerings of quite a few individual departments and institutes of this university.
If you wish to become a teacher of English, you can choose either the 5+1-year or 4+1-year teacher training programme.
Can I acquire any other skills and competences?
The bill of fare offered by our institute is supplemented by further specialization possibilities that may come in handy, both in the real world in general, and along the specific career paths followed by our students. They include, for example, courses in business English, in English-Hungarian translation.
Full-time only?
In a great variety of study programmes, our Institute caters for the interests of those who either cannot afford to study full-time, or no longer need to as they already have a proper degree. Completing our part-time BA, you can gain a degree equal with that of a full-time BA.
What about postgraduate studies?
In addition, if you wish to move one step forward, or up, from the level of our undergraduate (bachelor’s) program, you have a choice of several graduate (master’s) programs. These basically comprise the master’s in American Studies and the master’s in English Studies (the latter one, comprised of a flexible and individualised combination of British cultural studies, lingustics and applied linguistics, is currently the only accredited English Studies MA in Eastern-North-Eastern Hungary), but you can also take a part-time master’s degree in teaching.
The next step available in academic advancement is represented by the doctoral (PhD) programmes offered by the Institute both in the fields of modern British culture and American studies, as well as in linguistics.
Will my degree be market-oriented?
Based upon the complex nature of proficiencies and skills available to our students in English studies, we may safely say that this major offers one of the most flexible degrees. Once you complete the requirements in any of our programs, you will acquire not only the conventional forms of material knowledge, but also a wide variety of aptitudes among which an outstanding proficiency in English is but the most elementary. Consequently, our graduates are ranked not only among the best teachers and interpreters, but they can also stand their ground in financial and business circles as well as in the world of the press and the media, diplomacy, in the field of international relations, at the levels of local government and cultural life, and even in the tourist industry, as our alumni testify.
Is it all about studying? What about student life? Or scholarships?
As a student of English, you will have the opportunity to become part and parcel of an active and dynamic student life at this major Hungarian university, including students’ study circles and annual international English-language drama festivals hosted by our Institute. You will receive all the necessary help and co-operation from our “student-friendly” academic staff; yet, we will also expect you to contribute if you wish. Perhaps, this explains why quite a few of our graduates keep coming back for more, even years after their graduation. However, if you reckon that even this extended community and world of students is not enough for you, you can always apply for a scholarship (for an ERASMUS, e.g) abroad.