MACommunity and Civil Development Studies
| Study location | Hungary, Budapest |
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| Type | Master, full degree studies |
| Nominal duration | 4 semesters |
| Study language | English |
| Awards | MA |
| Course code | Social Science |
| Entry qualification | Bachelor diploma (or higher) Applicants must have a BA/BBA degree in any of the following fields: Humanities, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Economics, Law, Public Governance, International Administration. If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfill these requirements upon acceptance. Documents to submit with application:
The entry qualification documents are accepted in English. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. You must take the original entry qualification documents along with you when you finally go to the university. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. In most cases you can request a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. You must take the original entry qualification documents along with you when you finally go to the university. |
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| Territory requirements | Applications are accepted from the following territories (based on citizenship): Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo - Kinshasa, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, St Lucia, Sudan, Syria, São Tomé & Príncipe, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen. |
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| Language requirements | English Certification of English knowledge (both written and oral): B2
If the applicant is unable to prove their knowledge of English with any of the above certifications, their English knowledge will be assessed during the admission interview. Any letter of acceptance issued by the Faculty of Social Sciences is based on the verified fact that the applicant’s command of English has been assessed; therefore, they are considered eligible to pursue their higher studies at the institution. If the applicant can prove that they completed their former education entirely in English by submitting a notarized attestation and a detailed academic transcript, no proof of language knowledge will be required throughout the admission process. |
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| Other requirements | A motivation letter must be added to your application. Applicants must upload a motivation letter in English that introduces themselves and outlines their reasons for applying, including their motivations, interests, and goals related to the programme. The letter should be between 1,500 and 4,000 characters. The procedure of the entrance examination: Applicants with a complete application package will be notified about the exact time and date of their online interviews after the nomination deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have technically suitable conditions for the interview from their side. Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended Readings) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative. A successful oral entrance exam is the perquisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected. |
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| More information |
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Overview
The aim of the studies is to train community and civil development professionals who are able to work effectively in the life of the communities, knowing the values of the communities and the national, European and global role of civil society and nonprofit organizations. They are committed to the development of civil society / non-profit organizations and local communities, to the improvement of the quality of life, and to help solving the problems in the community. As a result, the students will be able to apply their community and civil development knowledge and skills in decisions of the social and economic life, international relations and communication, as well as in their professional career. They are prepared to continue their studies in doctoral training.
This programme is recommended to applicants who
- want to learn community development knowledge, methods, modern civil management and strategic thinking,
- believe in community solution, collective wisdom and teamwork,
- like to learn from others, to share experiences, and open to working forms of social learning,
- plan to explore civil society or conduct research about communal dilemmas, want to understand its significance.
This programme enables students to
- be a coordinator, manager or leader of a nonprofit organization,
- plan and organize community development programmes,
- make social project, fundraising programmes.
Strength of programme
One of the main features of the programme is that we work together with Hungarian and international nonprofit organizations (Red Cross, Ashoka, Amnesty International, UNESCO, United Nations etc.), local municipalities, community centers and cultural institutions. With our group methods the participants learn teamwork, independent work and project works. We have a great variety of courses to acquire leadership skills, project and sustainable thinking. Our graduates will have a broad knowledge in many aspects of community and civil studies as well as in nonprofit management. Most of the teachers of the programme have international teaching experience and they regularly give classes also at foreign universities. Some of them are leaders of international nonprofit organizations or experts of community development.
Leader of the programme
Mária ARAPOVICS, Habil. Associate Professor
Entry requirements:
Applicants must have a BA/BBA degree in any of the following fields: Humanities, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Economics, Law, Public Governance, International Administration.
In case of other bachelor degrees: individual consideration.
If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfill these requirements upon acceptance.
Documents to submit with application:
- Bachelor-level degree
- Transcript of records
- Motivation letter
- Copy of the main pages of the passport (needs to be valid)
- Language certificate (if the applicant has one)
The procedure of the entrance examination
Applicants with a full application package will be asked to participate in an oral entrance exam after the nomination deadline. The institutional admission scores are based on a total evaluation of the academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam. The entrance exam seeks to assess the general and professional knowledge and interest of the applicant.
A successful oral entrance exam is the perquisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected.
Entrance exam description:
Applicants with a full application package will be notified about the exact time and date of application interviews conducted via Ms Teams. Applicants are responsible for having technically suitable conditions for the interview from their side.
Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended Readings) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative.
The application interview via Ms Teams will include a discussion on the following topics:
Recommended Readings:
- State of Civil Society Report 2018. Year in Review: Top Ten Trends. CIVICUS 2018.
www.civicus.org/documents/reports-and-publications/SOCS/2018/socs-2018-overview_top-ten-trends.pdf - Arapovics Mária – Vercseg Ilona (ed.): Community Development Methodological guide. Hungarian Open Air Museum Museum Education and Methodology Centre NMI Institute for Culture Nonprofit Ltd. National Széchényi Library 2019.
cselekvokozossegek.hu/wp-content/uploads/community_development_methodological_guide.pdf - Gyenes Zsuzsa (ed.): In the Service of Communities – in Small Local Communities. Collection of case studies. 2020
kofe.hu/wp-content/uploads/Dokumentumok/efop-2018-2020/eStudySeries_final.pdf
Contact person:
International Office, Eszter Borbála Bagi
E-mail: international@tatk.elte.hu
Programme structure
Click here to find out more about the structure of the programme.
Career opportunities
Our former students have been working as academic researchers or professors in different universities: as civil experts or community developers at municipalities, at cultural community centers, and at community houses or museums. Most of them became leaders of Hungarian or international non-governmental and voluntary organizations. Some of them have also found job possibilities in market research and multinational companies. Others work as social workers, social politicians, or members of the media.
Job examples
- Community organizers, community developers
- Charities workers
- Nonprofit managers
- Project managers, fundraisers
- SCR developers
- Volunteer coordinators
- International aid/development workers
- Social researchers
- Civil referents
- Academic researchers, market researchers