鶹ý

Doctoral School of History

Title

Doctoral School of History

Degree

Doctor (PhD) of History

Type

Degree program

Level

Doctoral

Accreditation number

FF/1289-3/2015

Faculty

Department

Language

English

Duration

4+4 semesters (2+2 years)

ECTS credits

240

Minimum number of students

1

Maximum number of students

20

Description

The aims of the programs are to prepare students for obtaining their PhD degree through acquisition of latest research methodologies, participation in conferences and teaching expertise in higher education.

The Doctoral School of History offers doctoral studies for internationals in the following fields:

  1. Ancient History Doctoral Programme
  2. Archaeology Doctoral Programme
  3. Assyriology and Hebrew-Judaic Studies Doctoral Programme
  4. Atelier- Interdisciplinary History Doctoral Programme
  5. Auxiliary Sciences of History Doctoral Programme
  6. Cultural History Doctoral Programme
  7. Early Modern Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
  8. East-, East Central Europe and Russian Studies Doctoral Programme
  9. Economic and Social History Doctoral Programme
  10. Egyptology Doctoral Programme
  11. European Ethnology Doctoral Programme
  12. Medieval and Early Modern World History Doctoral Programme
  13. Medieval Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
  14. Modern and Contemporary World History Doctoral Programme
  15. Modern Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
Strength of program

Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. András PATAY-HORVÁTH

The academic background of the doctoral programme is provided by the Department of Ancient History. The research profile of the programme and of the department is focused on epigraphical sources that facilitate research in various fields of social, military, economic, and religious history. The academic staff places a special emphasis on social history, where a number of topics can be best investigated through the increasing corpus of inscriptions. Organizations above the level of poleis (i.e. confederacies and federal states) form an individual course of research. Greek and Latin epigraphy and ancient historiography are further fields of academic interest in the research centre.

 The PhD training is recommended for students who have studied History, Latin or Ancient Greek; who are interested in ancient Greek or Roman history; who are capable of analysing sources in Latin and/or ancient Greek; and who are able to conduct individual research primarily in the field of Greek or Latin epigraphy, papyrology, social history, and historiography. We offer courses in English, German, or French.

 The PhD programme has cooperated with international partner institutions  (Vienna, Tübingen, Cluj Napoca, Zagreb), and is constantly seeking opportunities to develop further relationships.

Archeology Doctoral Programme

Leading professor of the program: Prof Dr. László BORHY

The Archaeology PhD Program of the ELTE Institute of Archaeological Sciences was established in 1993. The doctoral degree is offered in a wide range of fields: prehistoric archaeology, roman archaeology, classical archaeology, archaeology of the migration period and the early Middle Ages, medieval archaeology and archaeometry. During the 4 years of the PhD program the students have to attend lectures and seminars, and they regularly have to give presentations about their accomplishments. The Institute is also proud of its excellent archeological library the collection of which is mostly focused on the archeology of the Carpathian Basin.

Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Tamás DEZSŐ

The primary goal of the doctoral programs of Assyriology and Hebrew-Judaic Studies is to prepare the PhD candidates for academic career in research and teaching. The programs help the students to understand and familiarize themselves with the latest research methodology and make them able to shape and develop their chosen discipline. 

Under the supervision of internationally renowned scholars, the PhD candidates conduct a dissertation project within their individual discipline. The highlighted fields of the program of Assyriology are as follows: the history, cultural history, art, and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia; the age and ideology of empires; Sumerian and Akkadian linguistics, philology, and historical linguistics; interpretation of literary and historical texts.

The Hebrew and Jewish studies program covers a broad spectrum of topics related to the Hebrew Bible and Judaism, approached using various historical, philological, literary and linguistic methodologies.

Particularly, our faculty has expertise in the following fields: biblical studies, hellenistic Judaism, religions in late antiquity, Jewish-Christian relations; Talmudic and midrashic literature, rabbinic religion and thought, Jewish law (halakhah); responsa-literature; linguistic and cognitive approaches to Jewish studies; Hungarian Jewish history and cultural history after the 18th century, Yiddish cultural history, Jewish sociolinguistics.

Atelier Interdisciplinary History Doctoral Programme

Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Gábor CZOCH

The doctoral programme of the Atelier Department was established in 1997 as a sub-programme of the History PhD School at 鶹ý. The main goal of the eight-semester-long PhD course is to prepare the PhD students that they could write and defend their theses. The programme was founded and functions in the spirit of the French Annales School. Consequently, interdisciplinary approach, meticulous methodology and the application of scientific criticism in historical research characterize our teaching. The PhD course is made of doctoral seminars, which are mainly organized about the historical phenomena and problems represented within the topics of “Historiography”, “Culture” and “Social Space”. For English and French speaking students the teaching is based on tutorial seminars about the same topics. In addition, regular lectures by visiting scholars, conferences and doctoral journées d’études help the students to broaden their academic horizon and to deepen their own doctoral research. The professors of the programme participate in several academic networks in four continents. The Atelier Department is part of the network of the École des hautes Études en Sciences Sociales of Paris since 1988, what allowed more than fifty Hungarian students to study with a co-tutorship agreement between Budapest and Paris.

Doctoral Programme

Leading professor of the program: Dr. Balázs NAGY

The Doctoral Program of Medieval and Early Modern European History covers various periods and approaches from late Antiquity to 18th-century European and, in part, world history. The medieval section of the doctoral program accepts doctoral proposals discussing late Antiquity, early medieval and medieval topics on political and social history, history of political thought, and history of Christianity and hagiography. The early modern section includes topics from the Renaissance until the turn of the 18th and 19th century, including the social and political history of the given period, the study of European colonialism, and the position of Hungary in the Habsburg Empire.

Modern and Contemporary World History Doctoral Programme

Leading professor of the program: Dr. Ágnes SZILÁGYI

The programme started in 1993 with special focus on universal issues in history; even those classes that discuss the history of individual countries lay emphasis on the investigation of the international context. Topics range in time from the French Revolution to the present. We strive to go beyond the conventional Europe-centered approach, thus the history of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and recently of Central and South America is also included and accentuated in the curriculum.

 As students are selected from a large number of applicants, they have to meet certain requirements of eligibility: students are expected to possess a solid knowledge of history and to speak and understand at least two foreign languages, one at intermediate, the other at advanced level.

The staff and the students participate in the events hosted by the HAS Institute of History, the Europa Institute, the Institute of Political History and other thematically linked institutes.

Following Programs also offer international topics:

    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Erzsébet Eleonóra GÉRA
  • Auxiliary Sciences of History Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Tamás KÖRMENDI
  • Early Modern Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Ildikó HORN
  • East-, East Central Europe and Russian Studies Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Dániel BAGI
  • Economic and Social History Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. István SZIJÁRTÓ
  • Egyptology Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Tamás BÁCS
  • European Ethnology Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. János BALI
  • Medieval Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Gábor THOROCZKAY
  • Modern Hungarian History Doctoral Programme
    • Leading professor of the program: Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna VARGA

 

 

 

 

Find the structure of the programs on this link.

Career opportunities

According to the latest entrance exam statistics the Faculty of Humanities is home of the best and most gifted students nationwide. With nearly 8,000 students, the Faculty has been a stronghold of scientific knowledge all over Hungary. Employers inside and outside Hungary are aware that a graduate from ELTE BTK will be of an extremely high standard. Coming to our faculty will increase your career prospects by the time you earn your degree.

Job examples

Research Institutes, Universities, Museums, Diplomacy, Press and Media

EU/EEA students
non-EU/EEA students
Tuition fee/semester

HUF 200 000

2,600 EUR, to be paid in HUF at the exchange rate valid on the day of payment (the exact sum of the tuition fee will be fixed by the Faculty Council for every year)

Application fee

EUR 30 (non-refundable)

EUR 30 (non-refundable)

non-EU/EEA students
Tuition fee/semester

2,600 EUR, to be paid in HUF at the exchange rate valid on the day of payment (the exact sum of the tuition fee will be fixed by the Faculty Council for every year)

Application fee

EUR 30 (non-refundable)


Offered for the next academic year

Yes

Start program

01, Sep, 2025

Deadline for applications - September intake

09, May, 2025

Is there a February intake

No


Admission requirements

Entry requirements

Master's diploma with qualification (minimum with 'good' qualification)

Language requirements:

Minimum level of language proficiency (oral): (B2)
Minimum level of language proficiency (written): (B2)

Further comments:

  1. ONLY the following English language exams are accepted:
    TOEFL PBT (Paper-based test): 516-554 or
    TOEFL IBT (Internet-based test): 66-82 or
    TOEFL IBT Home Edition: 66-82 or
    IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 6.0 or
    CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference): B2 or
    Duolingo: 85
  2. a Bachelor or Master diploma is accepted as proof of language skills If the language of the studies was English
  3. If your mother tongue is English then you have to have a B2 level or higher language exam from another language.
Please visit for the list of language exams acceptable for the application.
Documents to submit with application

Document

Comment

Online application form

-

Master-level degree

with good qualification or above

Academic CV

 

Research work plan

3-5 pages

Copy of application fee transfer

 

Letter of recommendation

2

Language certificate

B2 level or above.

Please visit for the list of language exams acceptable for the application.

Letter of acceptance from the future supervisor

 

List of publications

if available
Application procedure

The application starts in the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow during the application process.

Applications can be accepted for the topics offered by the supervisors of the doctoral schools. Fee of the application procedure: 30 EUR - except for students also applying for Stipendium Hungaricum

Bank information for paying the application fee:

Beneficiary: Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem
Account number: 10032000-01426201-00000000
IBAN: HU03 1003 2000 0142 6201 0000 0000
SWIFT: MANEHUHB
BIC: HUSTHUHB
Transfer information: FELVI-BTKPHD C104 C10401/16 

Procedure of the entrance examination:

The applicants will be interviewed by an admission committee (May 2025-June 2025). and applicants are notified of the outcome of the selection in the online application system until [31-07-2025]. Admission letters are sent out in the online application system until [31-07-2025]

Type of entrance examination: Oral

Place of entrance examination: Faculty of Humanities, 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/A or online

Further details of the entrance exam:

Review of the candidates is based on the submitted application documents and on MS TEAMS or personal interview. The applicants will be interviewed by an admission committee (entrance examination). In this interview, they will be asked about previous university achievements, the individual research plan and the scientific competence in the field of interest.

The Faculty’s doctoral council decides of acceptance or rejection on the grounds of the admission committees reports made following the interview.

Further details of selection and evaluation: 

The ranking is based on a total evaluation of the academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam. During this entrance exam, the candidate will be asked about previous university achievements, the individual research plan and the scientific competence in the field of interest.

Program leader

Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna VARGA
Head of the Doctoral School of History

Program coordinator

Ms. Kinga FÜRTÖN
International PhD coordinator
E-mail: furton.kinga@btk.elte.hu
Postal address: H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum körút 4/A

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Humanities

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