erasmus

Tell us about what you think about SEAS

Dear Exchange Student,

Welcome to ELTE Faculty of Humanties, School of English and American Studies (SEAS)

SEAS is one of the largest institutes of the Faculty or Humanities (BTK) of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) with approximately 1500 students attending more than 350 courses offered by a staff of more than 80 core teaching members (see hierarchy). We also have a sizeable library attended to by a group of dedicated librarians. You will also be able to borrow books from it.

As for the geographical position of SEAS, it is referred to as R épület ‘Building R’ (standing for (H-1088) Rákóczi út 5, the postal address of SEAS) on the premises of the campus of the Faculty of Humanities (sometimes the building is also refreed to as E épület). If you see R327 (or R5 327), for example, in the course catalogue it reads: ‘room 327 in Building R’. The classrooms that belong to SEAS are found on the 3rd and 4th floors of the building (one classroom in on the first floor (R140) though). Your classes (especially the ‘big’ lectures) will often be in other buildings, e.g. Building D, A, B, etc.

Campus of the Faculty of Humanities (take the virtual tour)

Rákóczi út 5 (SEAS) -- main entrance

The 2012/13 academic calendar is here, some general information on the University is available here (see also University's homepage and Faculty's homepage). A guide is also available for downloading. The campus also offers photocopying services (Building D, basement, far end of the corridor)

In what follows we wish to give you a few guidelines in the form of frequently-asked-questions to ensure that you get the most out of your studies. You may want to come back to this page to check if you are on the right track. If you have questions that concern academic affairs, turn to Dr. Attila Starcevic. For other (non-academic) concerns (e.g. paperwork, student residence halls/dormitories, student passes, etc.) turn to Mr. Sándor Balaci(if you are an Erasmus student or a student granted a tuition fee waiver) or Mr. József Bíró (in case you are a fee-paying student). Both coordinators can be found in Building A (A épület), ground floor, room 25.

FAQ

• Which institutions does SEAS currently have an agreement with?
  • University of Helsinki
  • Universitá degli Studi di Roma - La Sapienza
  • Université de Strasbourg
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi
  • University of Cyprus
  • Sveuciliste Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku
  • Katolicki Universitet Lubelski
  • Universidade Nova De Lisboa
  • Ludwig Maximilians Universitaet München
  • University of Limerick
  • University of Lodz
  • Roehampton University
  • Kafkas University

• Under what conditions will I be able to study in SEAS if my institution has no agreement with SEAS?

Generally you can only study in SEAS if SEAS has an agreement with your native institution of higher education to ensure that an equal number of students is sent out and received on a regular basis every academic year. This is more of a principle than a rule, so SEAS may decide to let you stay on even if there is no such agreement. This, however, is decided on an individual basis between your home coordinator, your native ELTE coordinator, the faculty coordinator of ELTE and SEAS. You will be informed of SEAS' decision as soon as possible. SEAS also has to make sure that you meet its proficiency requirements in case of non-native speakers.

• When does the semesters begin?
  • Autumn (Fall) semester: first week of September
  • Spring (Summer) semester: first week of February
• What is the duration and broad outline of a semester?
  • study period: 14 weeks
  • exam period: 7 weeks

The study period is immediately followed by the exam period. There are NO exams in the study period. If you want to go home for a major religious festivity, take seminars rather than lectures.

• Is there a spring/autumn break?
  There is. Generally around the 6th/7th week of the semester. Duration: 1 week.

The University is closed in the period running up to Christmas. It extends to the first days of January.

• Are all of the courses and exams in English in SEAS?

Yes. The only exception to this may be courses given for students in the MA in English with Teaching Qualifications programme. As only some of the courses require Hungarian as a mediating language, you are advised to make enquiries before you take such a course.

• What programmes are there in SEAS?
  • BA in English and American Studies (course codes: BBN/BBI-ANG or BBN/BBI-AME)
  • BA specialisations (BBN-ANE, ANM, AND, ANF, AMW, ANB, ANG-3xx, AME-3xx, the last two known as '300 courses')
  • MA in English (BMA/BMI-ANGD),
  • MA in American Studies (BMA/BMI-AMED) and
  • MA in English with Teaching Qualifications (TANM-ANG)
• If I choose a BA course, how do I know which level it is?

Generally, courses whose numeric part begins with '1' are foundation level courses (e.g. BBN-ANG11-112), those with '2' are core course (e.g. BBN-ANG-241) and those with '3' are specialisation courses (e.g. BBN-AME-312.200).

• Can I choose just any course?

Yes, but we recommend that you choose BA courses if you are a BA student. As an MA student you are advised to choose MA-level courses but you may also take BA specialisation courses (those that have '3' in the numeric part of the code: e.g. BBN-AME-312.200) or any other course which you get admitted in.

• What types of courses are there?
  • Seminars/practical classes: practical classes take place in small-sized groups of 10-15 students. Attendance is obligatory and checked. A seminar means continuous assessment throughout the semester (this involves a mid term and an end term test, handing in homework assignments on a regular basis, or meeting any other requirements specified in the course syllabus). The grade awarded for a seminar will be a reflection of the quality and quantity of your work throughout the semester, so a seminar does not usually involve an exam. This is why your grade will usually become available at the very end of the study period or the very beginning of the exam period.
  • Lectures: attendance is generally not checked. If your instructor makes attendance obligatory, it will be checked and it will a prerequisite (stated in the course syllabus) for taking the exam. There is generally no continuous assessment of your work throughout the semester, so you will have to take an exam in the exam period. There are NO exams in the study period.

Check the absence policy of SEAS here.

• If I want to pass a course for credit, do the same requirements apply to me as to the Hungarian students?
  Yes, as specified in the syllabus.
• How many times can an exam be attempted ?

Any exam can be attempted twice in a given semester (the only exception being language proficiency exams, which can only be attempted once).

• What is the level of language competence required for BA/MA courses?

Advanced level of English is required to complete (any of) the courses.

• What is the required level of minimum language proficiency in SEAS?
  • for BA courses
    • TOEFL PBT (Paper-based test): 500 or
    • TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test): 60 or
    • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 3.5/4.0/4.5 or
    • CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference): B1
  • for MA courses
    • TOEFL PBT (Paper-based test): 550 or
    • TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test): 90 or
    • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 5.0/5.5/6.0 or
    • CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference): B2

SEAS will not require you to send in officially proved documents but on request you may have to send in a 1-2 page academic motivation letter in English to Dr Attila Starcevic. The minimum number of words is 500. Please tell us about your academic motivation and interests, courses you would like to take, research you would like to conduct, etc., NOT why you would like to be a tourist for a semester in Hungary and Budapest.

Your request to study in SEAS may have to be denied if your language proficiency is found inadequate. This is needed to ensure that you get the most out of your time and resources under the conditions set by SEAS.

• Where can I find the courses?

In the on-line course catalogue.

The courses for the 2013 Autumn semester will become available after 15 July. Until then we suggest you browse one of the previous Autumn/Spring semester's load of courses. The chances are that many of them will be offered again (in addition to a fair number of new ones). This sounds a bit disquieting but if you need details to fill your preliminary learning agreement we suggest you look at the courses we offered in Autumn 2012. You will always be able to add changes to and make your final learning agreement once you are in Budapest and have had a chance to look at the current catalogue. The course catalogue contains all the information you need: credits, hours/week, type of course (seminar/lecture), etc.

• How do I find ALL the courses on offer by SEAS?

Go to course catalogue, enter a dot ('.') in the code contains search field, press desired semester and off you go. As courses are being constantly added in the catalogue, the list will be bigger by the week by the end of June.

• How do I register for them?

Ideally this should happen through the University’s electronic administration system: neptun. SEAS's course catalogue is not linked to neptun. Neptun is available in English as well. However, exchange students typically receive their neptun code and password somewhat late in the semester (usually after registration has already run its course). To circumvent the problem we suggest the following: you will have to contact each of your professors individually. Drop them an email asking them if they're willing to admit you in the class over and above the students who have already registered through the usual channels (neptun). Your request may be denied, that's their prerogative. This does not usually happen though.

• How can I find the professors' email addresses?

If you need a professor's email address follow the course description and simply click the professor's name. If there's no course description, simply look up the name in the staff directory.

• How do I get to know about the subject matter of a course (syllabus, bibliography, etc.)?

If you need to know about this for your (preliminary) learning agreement, write to the particular instructor of a given course (as shown in the catalogue). If the course happens not to have a description, you can always look up the instructor's email in the staff directory and ask them what the intended requirements/syllabus/etc. are.

• Do I need their permission for every single course?
  No. You only need a professor's permission if you plan to take a seminar.

In the BA programme, seminars end in an even number before the decimal, so ANG-242 and ANG-312.13 are both seminars. This is also indicated in the course description (in the course catalogue) next to the code. Lectures are open to all students from all walks of life. In the BA programme, lectures end in an odd number before the decimal, so ANG-141 and AME-311.04 are both lectures.

• Addressing your professors.

Addressing a person (especially if they are your teachers) can be a delicate matter at times. Using inappropriate wording may lead to unwanted consequences. We suggest you stick to the following well rehearsed formula:

"Dear Professor X,

[X: use only the family name here -- in the SEAS staff database (as in the Hungarian practice of giving names) family names appear first]

I am an Erasmus student from [give name of home university and city] who has no EHA code at the present. I would like to join the following classes found under your name in the course catalogue:

-- give code and brief course title

Please let me know if this is possible at your earliest convenience. My choice of courses will be recorded in the neptun soon after receiving your response.

Regards,

XY [give full name with given name(s) appearing first followed by family name(s)]

• When should I arrive?

The semester officially begins in the first week of February (for a Spring semester) and September (for an Autumn semester), but the first week is reserved for finalising registration for courses. It's probably for the best if you arrive a week before to be able to finalise your registration and have enough time for making alternative arrangements for the courses you have not been able to take.

• Do I really need this EHA code and password?

Yes. It will be issued together with your student pass. You will have to go to Questura (just a short walk from the University). Keep your EHA code and password for future reference. We advise you to log into the neptun once you have your neptun code/password to activate your account. If you do not do this within a week, your password will expire. You need to set a public email address. This is the only way your professors can contact you in case a class is cancelled, for example, or if you have to read something ASAP for the next class.

• How do I get to set a public email address?

Log into the neptun using your neptun code and password. You must also set the language to English before you log in.

If you are staying for 2 semesters, the email address will be automatically prompted for confirmation every 6 months. Ensure that you continue to have a public email address by clicking the link in the confirmation email every so often.

Check your mail box (as well as your junk mail) regularly for messages arriving from neptun. The coursemail (memos, infosheet, e-learning, etc.) sent by your teachers will be arriving through neptun. Do NOT delete these messages without first checking them them for content that you may concern your studies and your courses.

• Where do I have to enter my courses after I have been admitted?

You have to fill in a Student Guest Application Form. Do not skip rubrics: give code, course title, etc. Keep this form as it will be important for some later steps in your studies.

• Where do I get my copy of the Student Guest Application Form?

You can pick it up from Mr Sándor Balaci during his office hours.

• Will my courses be entered into neptun eventually?

Yes. You will have to email them (lectures and seminars) to Dr. Attila Starcevic quoting your EHA code and the codes of the courses you have been admitted to (the codes have to be exact down to the last digit/letter: e.g. BBN-AME-322.215 or BBN-ANG-242/d). Give a short title and name of teacher as well. The codes should arrive no later than end of February (for a Spring semester)/September (for an Autumn semester). This is where it pays to have a public email address in neptun. Your professors can now email you about important course events: approaching home paper deadlines, cancelled classes, upcoming tests, etc.

• How many credits will my courses/modules be worth here?

As many as their counterparts are worth at your home university. This is left for you to work out.

• Can I take Hungarian courses?
  Yes, write to Mr Balaci for enquiries.
• So what are the steps I have to take?
  1. pick up your copy of the Student Guest Application form from Mr Balaci. Make sure it has been properly filled with all the details that we require (personal details, details relating to your university, level of studies, courses you intend to take, etc.)
  2. Contact your teachers individually for the courses you want to sign up for and collect their signatures (explained above)
  3. come to Dr Attila Starcevic for the necessary signatures (you will have to see him if you want to borrow books from SEAS library, on which more immediately below)
• Do I have access to SEAS Library?

You do. This is how admission is done:

• STEP 1: download form, fill it in and read it through carefully
• STEP 2: bring along your Student Guest Application form (make sure it is properly filled in stating all the codes and course titles, and signed by your professors)
• STEP 3: come for a signature to Dr. Attila Starcevic (preferably during his office hours)
• STEP 4: go to the library
• STEP 5: enjoy your books
• STEP 6: at the end of the semester take books back to the library and have the library clearance form (top section of form mentioned in STEP 1) signed by a librarian

You must do step 6 even if you have not borrowed books

You have to return all University property before you can be granted your Transcript of Records.

• Who can I see about advice on my Learning Agreement?

Dr. Attila Starcevic in his office hours or by appointment

Sundry information

• Some further information is available from the University's main site for Erasmus students (some of the data may be dated and/or incomplete, so you always have to make your own inquiries with your coordinators; the data on this site are regularly updated and checked).
• Want to meet Erasmsu students from all over Europe? Read on

We hope you will enjoy your studies in SEAS!

Yours,

SEAS