Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies

Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies

Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies (BECES) is a two-year English-language Master's degree programme, which focuses on modern history, politics and diplomacy, as well as to fundamental social, cultural and economic problems. It addresses the English-speaking audience with a deep and versatile exploration of “the East”, understood as a territory composed of Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Post- Soviet area, including the Caucasus and Central Asia. It also offers students the chance to learn or improve their knowledge of some of the Czech language. The programme is deliberately structured to take advantage of the multidisciplinary nature of the Faculty, and students will be encouraged to make connections between different fields of study, learning to combine a global perspective with attention to detail and local interests.

The core courses provide an overview of crucial segments of the area from an analytical and multidisciplinary perspective, while the elective classes allow students to create their own specialisation. The aim of the programme is to help students write a Master’s thesis of sufficient quality to merit publication. Through the university’s network of exchange programmes, talented students may also be offered the opportunity to make a brief research visit to another country in the area.