Table of contents
Dear BA Student,
Welcome to ELTE BTK 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 a student population of around 1500 people 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.
As SEAS is also attended by an ever growing number of international students, this introduction has been written in English. If you are a Hungarian national, skip the shaded areas as these apply to international students only.
As for the geographical location 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. If you see R327 (or R327), 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 (SAC ‘Self Access Centre’ is an exception as it is on the 1st floor in room 140 (i.e. R140)). Your classes (especially the ‘big’ lectures) will often be in other buildings, e.g. Buildings D, A, B, etc.
This is what you will usually find in neptun:
R = Rákóczi Building (SEAS), eg. R414 (Building R, room 414)
GVA, Gv A = Gólyavár, Great Lecture Hall on the first floor
Gv B, GVB = Gólyavár B, Small Lecture Hall on the ground floor
D. ép. nagyea/nagyelőadó = Building D Great Lecture Hall (2nd floor)
F. ép./F. épület = Building F Great Lecture Hall (ground floor above porter's lodge)
B 172 = Building B Great Lecture Hall (first floor)
In what follows we intend to give you a few guidelines that will hopefully make way for a smooth transition between secondary school and your career at the University. 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, ask Dr Krisztina Szalay (if you are a Hungarian national) or József Bíró/Dr Krisztina Szalay (if you are an international student). It is always safer to err on the side of caution than regret a decision later.
Read the following points carefully (give yourself at least 30 minutes)
FOR STARTERS
- The administrative side of your studies (taking/registering for courses/exams, etc.) will mostly happen through the University’s electronic administration system: neptun. Use the gate for students. Ideally, you have already received (or will soon receive) a username and a password with your letter of acceptance. If you have received no neptun code or if you are experiencing problems, contact Questura. Do not write to SEAS about this (we cannot offer any assistance in the matter). If you are an international student, contact József Bíró.
- First read what comes below, then read this if you are a Hungarian national.
Use the student gate to log in (switch to English). Once logged in, go to personal data first, then to contact information and enter your email address.
WARNING Further settings if you wish to receive communication from your teachers, classmates, admins into your email box:
- log into neptun
- find messages box
- click on settings
- click on message forwarding
- tick ALL boxes and save (bottom of page)
WARNING Restrictions on freemail, citromail accounts and bulk email (involving identical messages sent to numerous recipients)
ABOUT YOUR STUDIES in general
- Your BA studies (worth 180 credits) are divided into three major components:
- major (120 credits) in either the English or the American specialisation (= En/Am Spec)
- minor in an institute other than SEAS or a specialisation module in SEAS (50 credits)
- free track(10 credits, 14 credits for international students)
This gives a total of 180 credits.
Read now about these in detail below.
ABOUT YOUR STUDIES in detail: MAJOR
- ideally the length of your studies is 6 semesters (3 years)
- you will have to collect the 116 credits from courses given as BBN-ANG or BBN-AME (e.g. BBN-ANG-112) and 4 credits in Philosophy (XFI11). This amounts to 120 credits.
WARNING Make sure you ALWAYS pick the course with the right code. If you need a course for your major, NEVER take it as BBI, ANN, etc. If you take the wrong code, you will be adversely affected as neptun will not recognise a course as valid that has no BBN in it, so you might not be able to pick a desired course in the following semester, you may not be able to select your desired minor, your completed prerequisites will be invisible for the system, etc.
- if you are an international student, your chosen courses must begin with BBI (e.g. BBI-ANG-112)
WARNING Make sure you ALWAYS pick the course with the right code. If you need a course for your major, NEVER take it as BBN, ANN, etc. If you take the wrong code, you will be adversely affected as the neptun will not recognise a course as valid that has no BBI in it, so you might not be able to pick a desired course in a following semester, you may not be able to select a desired minor, etc.
- So how can I ensure that I always pick the right course?
Step 1
Download the Study Unit List (Tanegységlista) of BA in English and American Studies (look for green highlighting). (Yes: there is an American specialisation too, but disregard this for the time being.) Download the file. This is the official Study Unit List.
If you are an international student, your Study Unit List is available here (look for green highlighting)
- The Study Unit List contains all the obligatory and elective courses you will have to take to be awarded a BA degree.
- The Study Unit List contains bundles of information for an ideal BA student. The following is a real-life example with explanation of the various fields.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| ANG-141 | Hangtani alapozó Foundations of Phonology | 2 | K | k | 15 | 2 | (FLN11-101) |
1 – code (always use this code when searching for a course)
2 – name of study unit: Hangtani alalpozó (Foundations of Phonology)
3 – semester when offered and ideally taken (this course you should ideally take in the 2nd semester)
4 – K: lecture (‘kollokvium’ in Hungarian; the opposite is G ‘gyakorlat’ (seminar/practical class)). Lectures given by SEAS end in an odd number (before the decimal): e.g. ANG‑317 and AME-311.28 are both lectures. Seminars end in an even number (before the decimal), so ANG-242 and AME-322.17 are both seminars.
5 – k: obligatory (‘kötelező’ in Hungarian; the opposite is v ‘választható’ (elective))
6 – hours/semester: 15 hours/semester = 45 mins/week
(you may find the following useful as well: 30 = 90 mins/week, 45 = 135 mins/week, 60 = 180 mins/week)
7 – credits (this particular study unit is worth 2 credits)
8 – prerequisites: in (brackets) = weak prerequisite, no brackets = strong prerequisite
NB: weak prerequisite = the course and its prerequisite may be taken in the same semester (the above course, for example, may be taken in the same semester with FLN11-101). If the prerequisite is failed, the course for which it is a prerequisite will be also be failed and the grade deleted by the Registrar
strong prerequisite = the prerequisite must be successfully completed in one of the previous semesters, i.e. prior to taking the course for which it is a prerequisite
Step 2
As you are in your first semester, you must take all of the course that have ‘1’ in field ‘3’ above, i.e.
XFI11-101 (NOT available for international students)
FLN11-101
FLI11-101
ANG11-104
ANG11-132
ANG11-181
ANG-112
ANG-102
AME-121
Step 3
- Log into neptun (change language to En before logging in if you are an international student), go to
- Tárgyak --> Tárgyfelvétel (for internationals: Subjects --> Subject registration)
- set semester to 2015/15/1
- tick Mintatanterv tárgyai (for internationals: Subjects of the chosen curriculum)
- choose Anglisztika in mintatantervek (for internationals: choose Anglisztika in curriculums)
- tick Csak a meghirdetett tárgyak (for internationals: tick Show only those subjects that will be launched)
- press Tárgyak listázása (for internationals: press List subjects)
- set number of hits to 500
- find following codes with ctrl+F by entering the codes in the search field (they all begin with BBN for non-internationals, and with BBI for internationals)
- XFI11-101 (NOT available for international students)
- FLN11-101
- FLI11-101
- ANG11-104
- ANG11-132
- ANG11-181
- ANG-112
- ANG-102
- AME-121
If there is a selection of courses under a particular code, pick one that best fits your daily schedule or one that still has available places.
If you do not choose your courses for your major/minor this way, you will not be doing yourself any favours (you will lose points in the various rounds of registration, etc.). If you have taken your course in a way different to the one described here, drop them and take them as suggested here.
If you want to take a course in your free track, choose minden (all) in curriculums before you list them.
- Why can’t I search for a course using my favourite teacher’s name?
You can, but you will not be doing yourself any favours. There is a risk that you will pick the wrong code and then we are back to square one (neptun will simply ‘glaze over’ a course that you have completed, so you may have to take it again). Anyway, if your favourite teacher has decided to give a course that is part of your major, you will find it regardless.
- Not all courses have a description in neptun. What can I do?
SEAS has its own course catalogue, independent of neptun (go to SEAS portal, proceed to studies then find course catalogue). Here you can find additional information on your courses (contact details of your professors, etc.).
- Will some obligatory courses be automatically added to my list of courses, such as the Proficiency Exam?
Never. It is entirely your responsibility to make sure you take all of the courses you want/need. If you fail to do this, you may fall behind with your studies. The only Study Unit that the Registrar takes for you is ANG-901 (Thesis) and 902 (Final Examination) following an administrative procedure in the 5th and 6th semesters.
- Will I get to hear a human voice about all this?
You will. In the week preceding the first teaching week, there will be an open day when you can ask questions or simply listen to all this in person. This will not sound any easier though, so we advise you to read this through carefully before coming to the open day.
- What is this English vs. American specialisation?
At the end of the study period of the 1st semester (mid December) you will have to choose between the English and American specialisations (‘specializáció’). Read about this here.
No. There are 3 rounds of registration. You will get points depending on when you take a particular course and how you take it). The rounds are
- preregistration for early birds (you will get extra points for early bird registration) Closes 2016-09-02 16:00. You can take only a total of 45 credits in this round (this does not increasee with the number of majors you may have).
- ranked registration (your registration will be ranked depending on a number of factors: early bird registration, registration through curriculum of your major, number of completed semesters, etc.). If interested in the details, read on.
You will get automated messages from the system telling you to deregister if it seems very unlikely that your registration will be successful (eg., a seminar of your choice has only 15 places and you have been ranked 27th) or if you have not completed teh prerequisites. In this case look for a different seminar or simply deregister (in case you have failed to pass the prerequisite). Lectures typically have no restriction on the number of students, so you can take them any time during registration. Lasts: 2016-09-02 20:00–2016-09-08 16:00
- registration for late birds (you can only take courses that have free places and for which you have the prerequisites). Lasts: 2016-09-09 8:00–2016-09-16 16:00. On current deadlines click here.
- After this date, registration is only possible for extra charges at the Registrar provided you have the prerequisites:
- download form
- fill it out with course details (code, name of teacher, etc.)
- go to your teacher who has given you permission to attend their course, have the form signed
- go to the Registrar or to Mr Bíró József (if you are an international student)
- After this date, registration is only possible for extra charges at the Registrar provided you have the prerequisites:
ABOUT YOUR STUDIES in detail: MINOR
- 50 credits of your 180 credits will have to be spent on either
- a minor or
- a specialisation module in SEAS
(this is an either/or choice)
- a minor can come from any of the minor programmes of institutes other than SEAS (if you have a major in English and American Studies, you cannot take a minor in the same programme)
- usually, a minor is taken ideally at the end of the 2nd (spring) semester
WARNING Some minors have been compiled in such a way that the foundation courses must already be taken in the 1st (autumn) and 2nd (spring) semester. After passing these, the students are normally admitted into a minor programme at the end of the 2nd semester. Make sure you start collecting your ‘minor’ credits at the right time (allow time for enquiries in the relevant institutes of your choice, not SEAS).
- the minors of the Faculty of Humanities (BTK) on offer can be found here (look for ‘minor’ in the last column)
- as the various minors are not given by SEAS, we cannot assist you in choosing a minor. You will have to find the person in charge in the institute of your choice. The list of all the institutes of the Faculty of Humanities can be found here.
- All institutes have an open day at the beginning of September (before the first teaching week) when students can ask questions about minors. Do not miss it!
- If you decide you do not want to take a minor, you will have to complete a specialisation module in SEAS. Do not despair, you will be spoilt for choice. Check out our specialisation modules here.
- You will have to indicate in neptun which minor (or specialisation module) you want to take. This happens only once in an academic year in the spring semester. The deadline is usually end of June.
- Do I have to take all of my courses in my minor as BBN too?
Yes. If you are a Hungarian national, you must take all of your major/minor courses as BBN (BBM in the case of some minor) courses. The courses you take in your free track can be coded in any way.
If you are an international student, you can take them as either BBN or BBI depending on what codes are available (enquire about this in the institute of your choice).
- Is it possible to take both a minor and a specialisation module (or two minors)?
Theoretically it is. At the moment this is only available for non-internationals. You will have to enquire about this with the Student Council of ELTE BTK, as well as the Registrar (Tanulmányi Hivatal) when you enrol. When talking about this, refer to it as honorácior státusz (you can read about it in HKR ‘Hallgatói követelményrendszer’ at http://www.elte.hu/dokumentumok/szmsz, second volume of SzMSz).
ABOUT YOUR STUDIES in detail: Free Track
The remaining 10 credits (14 credits for international students) towards your 180 grand total can be spent on anything you felt was sadly missing from either your major or minor, eg., the pedagogy/psychology module given by the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology (the code for such courses is TANB) or anything else you mght fancy
WARNING You can only take BA-level courses, but NOT MA-level courses. So avoid courses that have ANN, BMA, BMI, BMVD codes in them at the Faculty of Humanities.
Milestones in your studies
| semester | step to take |
|---|---|
| 1st | -- mid January: choose specialisation (En/Am Spec) (expect a mail from SEAS) -- take your first course in the American specialisation (for those in the American specialisation only): AME-226 |
| 2nd | -- take Proficiency Exam (ANG11-101) by mid February -- apply for specialisation modules given by SEAS (if you do not want a minor) -- record En/AM specialisation, specialisation module, minor officially in neptun (from May until mid June) |
| 4th (ideally) | -- find supervisor for your thesis (discuss your choice, find topic for research, etc.) |
| 5th | -- record your thesis title at SEAS and submit it to the Regsitrar (a formal procedure with strict deadlines) |
| 6th | -- register for final examination electronically in neptun (observe faculty deadlines) -- take your thesis writing seminar (not the same as optional tutorial seminar) -- write thesis -- register your main and subsidiary topic of the final examination (observe deadlines of SEAS) -- submit thesis electronically in SEAS database -- submit sof copy in the Registrar -- pass final examination |
Summary
FOR AFTERS
- Your achievement in a particular course will be awarded one of the following grades: fail (1) or pass (in ascending order of merit: 2, 3, 4, 5). ‘5’ is the closest equivalent of ‘excellent’ in other systems. You will have to register for exams in neptun (there is no registration for seminars)
- There are (at least) 3 dates for any given exam. The last date is usually a retake (‘utóvizsga/UV’) exam (for those only who have a fail in the given semester). You can only attempt an exam twice in any given semester. If you register for the first date and fail, you can retry the exam on the second date or you can take the retake (last date). If you take the exam on the second date (in the case of an exam that has three dates only) and fail, you can only take the retake. You cannot have the retake exam as the only exam attempt.
- Some exams (e.g., proficiency exams) have ONE exam date only
- If you cannot attempt an exam (for any reason), a ‘no-show’ (‘nem jelent meg’) will appear in neptun. This is not a grade. You will have to attempt the exam at another date. Note the following: if you have a no-show on the second date of an exam that only has three dates, you will not be able to register for the retake (as retakes are reserved for those with a fail).
WARNING
- You can take a course three times during your studies
- You have four exam attempts for any given course during your studies
- If you exhaust any of these possibilities, you still have ONE last option: you have to fill in an appeal and file it to the Dean through the Registrar (known as ‘dékáni méltányosság’) for a fifth exam attempt or a for a course to be taken for the fourth time
- If you do not clear your exam in this way, you will be dismissed from the University
- the maximum number of such appeals is two (2). This means you can either
- submit one appeal for 2 courses at the same time or
- submit two appeals for one (1) course each on two separate occasions
- What happens with those credits that I take and do not clear (in the case of failed courses or courses whose exams I decide not to attempt)?
You must understand that every credit has a monetary value. Currently every credit is worth HUF 4300. Every student is allowed an excess of 18 credits on top of the 180 credits required for graduation (this is 10% of the 180 grand total). You do not have to pay for these 18 credits. These credits can come from either those courses that you failed, taken with the wrong code or those you have dropped.
Every credit on top of the 18 credits must be paid for: in the case of a 3 credit course failed three times in three consecutive semesters the sum is HUF 38 7000 (3*4300*3). You will be required to pay this lump sum at the end of your studies (you will not get your diploma until you have cleared your debt).
- How many credits do I have to collect in a semester?
Ideally, 30. This means that you will graduate in exactly 6 semesters (6*30 = 180 credits).
WARNING
If you are a state-funded student (‘államilag finanszírozott’) and do not collect a minimum of 27 credits in two consecutive semesters, you will become a fee-paying student (‘önköltésges’). Make sure this does not happen to you.
We wish you all the best in your studies!
(check out also the introduction in Hungarian)
Yours,
SEAS
Read about BA without the introduction
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