English Studies - Literature and Culture, full-time, second cycle

The programme was designed to fit the requirements of the developing work and academic environment and to provide graduates with solid competences that will make them competitive in the job market. The programme English Studies – Literature and Culture comprises many disciplines. Literature studies and culture studies are related to each other and also to other disciplines, such as history, psychology, sociology, as well as to recently emerging fields of study such as ecocriticism, animal studies or media studies.

At the start, students select their MA seminar from the available offer. In addition to the MA thesis related classes, students have the opportunity to take courses and monographic lectures in other disciplines, i.e. linguistics and social studies.

This programme makes it possible for students to broaden their knowledge of the literature, culture and history of the Anglosphere and to get familiar with methodological tools necessary to research literature and culture, both in the traditional understanding as well as in more modern forms of visual and new media culture. The diploma they receive upon graduation explicitly states that they are specialists in literature.

Students also have a chance to get introduced to substantial fundamentals of translation practice, including the translation of literature, and are equipped with soft skills in order to facilitate their successful performance in the job market.

As an additional option, students may take part in our teacher training programme to obtain qualifications needed to teach English at all levels.

All classes are conducted in English.

This programme is full-time, with teaching days from Monday to Friday, and free from tuition fees. The seat of the Institute is the modern building of the Faculty of Modern Languages at 55 Dobra Street, Warsaw.

Admission rules for candidates with Polish diplomas

The studies are intended for candidates holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree or their equivalent in any field of study.

Qualification to studies is based on an entrance exam for all candidates, checking their preparation for second-cycle studies in English philology.

The test exam is in English and consists of 3 parts: British literature and culture, American literature and culture, and theoretical and applied linguistics.

The maximum score in each part is 100. The candidate chooses one part. The qualification threshold is 60 points (60%).

The scope of the exam:

British literature and culture

Literary periods and their historical background:

1. Heroic and religious tradition in the early Middle Ages
2. Knightly romance and medieval allegory
3. Elizabethan drama
4. English poetry of the 17th century, metaphysical poets and epic
5. Romantic poetry
6. Victorian novel
7. Modernism
8. Contemporary novel

British culture:

1. Geographical and economic regions as well as historical and cultural regions
2. Basics of British statehood: basic political instruments
3. History of Great Britain: basic information
4. Social institutions and phenomena, e.g. school system, ethnic relations, religion
5. Cultural institutions and phenomena: e.g. press, television, pop culture
6. Current events

American literature and culture

Literary periods and their historical background:

1. Literature of the colonial period
2. Transcendentalism
3. Romanticism in fiction and poetry
4. Fiction of realism and naturalism
5. Modernist poetry and fiction
6. Postmodernism and literature
7. Drama in the 20th century
8. Contemporary literature

American culture

1. Geographical and economic regions as well as historical and cultural regions
2. Political institutions
3. History of the United States: basic information
4. Social institutions and phenomena, e.g. school system, ethnic relations, religion
5. Cultural phenomena and media e.g. press, television, pop culture
6. Current events

Linguistics:

1. Important feature of natural language (e.g. conventionality, two-level structure, creativity, cultural learning)
2. Phonetics and phonology (classification of sounds, phonemes, allophones, syllable, etc.)
3. Morphology (types of morphemes, derivation and inflection, word-formation processes, etc.) and syntax (syntactic processes and categories, syntactic analysis, etc.)
4. Semantics (linguistic meaning, thematic roles, lexical relations, etc.) and pragmatics (context, anaphora, reference/ connotation, etc.), deictic expressions, presupposition, conversational implicatures, speech acts, language politeness)
5. Discourse analysis
6. Geographical and social diversity of language
7. Language acquisition and second/foreign language learning

Admission procedure for candidates with foreign diplomas

The admissions criteria are the same as for candidates with Polish diplomas.

Checking the candidates' competence to undertake studies conducted in the English language

In addition to the test exam in English consisting of 3 parts (British literature and culture, American literature and culture and theoretical and applied linguistics), candidates take the C1 level English exam.

The exam is administered by the Institute of English Studies, University of Warsaw. The result of the exam is valid for 5 years from the date it was taken. This provision is also applicable to the results of the C1 exam received by the graduates of the BA programme in English Studies in the Institute of English Studies, University of Warsaw. The result of a candidate’s exam must be valid on the day on which the admission results are announced. In order for the Admissions Committee to recognize the result of a previously taken exam, a suitable application must be submitted via the IRK system no later than on the last day of registration of candidates for full-time second-cycle studies.

Candidates who hold one of the certificates enumerated below are exempt from taking the C1 exam.

The list of accepted certificates:

●      Certificate in Advanced English / Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) / C1 Advanced issued by Cambridge Assessment English (previously Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination)

●      Certificate of Proficiency in English / Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) / C2 Proficiency issued by Cambridge Assessment English (previously Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination)

●      C1 Business Higher / Cambridge English: Business Higher (BEC Higher) issued by Cambridge Assessment English (previously Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination)

●      Certificate on the C1 or C2 level issued by University Council for the Coordination of Foreign Language Teaching and Language Proficiency Certification

●      C1 exam conducted by the UW Institute of English Studies

●      ECL Language Test level C1 (min. score 80), issued by European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages

●      Edexcel ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Level 2 issued by Pearson

●      Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic (min. score 64) issued by Pearson

●      International English Language Testing System Academic (min. score 7) issued by International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

●      Test of English as a Foreign Language (min. score 94) issued by Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Candidates who do not hold a required certificate should take the exam in English (level C1) at the Institute of English Studies. 

Information about the exam:

It is an advanced written exam at the C1 according to CEFR (i.e. the fifth of six levels, with the second highest degree of difficulty). Duration: 3 hours.

Components:

• Listening comprehension (15% of the total score),
• Reading comprehension (15% of the total score),
• Use of language structures (40% of the total score),
• Writing (30% of the total score).

Requirements:

• Knowledge of English allowing efficient functioning in a social, professional and academic context - for orientation, the level of lexical-grammatical and phraseological competence required to successfully complete undergraduate studies conducted in English can be used as the reference level.
• In the area of reading and listening, understanding formal and academic discourse with a significant degree of lexical and structural complexity (e.g. lecture, interview, panel discussion, and press, literary and popular-science publication).
• Ability to create academic text (e.g. an essay), referring to the general knowledge of the candidates and their social, cultural and professional experience.

Method of determining the final result of the exam:

Candidates are required to obtain the minimum result of 60% on the C1 English exam. The score of the C1 English exam is not counted in the final result.

Deadlines

C1 Level English Exam: 15th of July, 2024, from 10 a.m. (exam will be conducted online via Kampus-rekrutacja)

Exam checking Candidates' preparation for second-cycle studies in English philology: 16th of July, 2024, from 10 a.m. (exam will be conducted online via Kampus-rekrutacja)

Announcement of results: 22nd of July, 2024

Reception of documents: 

• I round: 23rd-25th of July, 2024
• II round (in case of not fulfilling the limit during I round): 26th, 29th of July, 2024
• III round (in case of not fulfilling the limit during II round): 30th-31st of July, 2024
• additional rounds will be announced in case of not fulfilling the limits

Payments

Application fee

Student's ID payment (ELS)

Required documents

List of required documents submitted by candidates qualified for studies

Additional information

Find us on the map: Institute of English Studies