Some of the reasons to join the Department of Medieval Studies at CEU:
- Academic Excellence & Research
- Interdisciplinarity & Multidisciplinarity
- International Community & Network
- Experience & Careerbuilding
- Community & Social Life
- Inspiring Environment
- Support & Welfare
Read what our alumnus says about his "CEU experience"!
Hervin Fernandez-Aceves
Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
Hometown and country: Guadalajara, Mexico
Program: Medieval Studies
Year of Graduation: 2013
Current position: Doctoral candidate, University of Leeds
"What I appreciate about my CEU experience is its wide and rich scope of formative options (from network science to Byzantine Greek paleography!), the strength and interdisciplinarity of its methodological training, and the inclusive and supportive activities of its research centers."
Academic Excellence & Research
- A wide selection of courses covering topics ranging from 300 to 1600, from Western Europe to Byzantium or the Ottoman Empire. To get a glimpse of some of the topics our students work on, watch our roundtable on trans-, inter-, and multidisciplinarity.
- The academic programs make use and pioneer in applying innovative research tools (multimedia/visual, electronic databases, etc.) accessible for all students.
- The department fosters multidisciplinary approach and supports an internationally acclaimed methodological richness.
- Assistance and support is provided in English academic writing by professionals trained in various disciplines including history, literature and Medieval Studies (https://caw.ceu.edu/).
- Strong emphasis on source languages: courses available in Latin, Ottoman, Persian, etc. (See also Modern Language Support: https://caw.ceu.edu/foreign-languages
- First class research libraries (see CEU-ELTE Medieval Library, CEU Library) and archive (Vera & Donald Blinken Open Society Archives (OSA)
- Awards won by our students: http://medievalstudies.ceu.edu/news/awards
- International Research Projects led by Faculty Members of the Department: http://medievalstudies.ceu.edu/current-research-projects
- Courses, summer school in Manuscript Studies and Medieval Codicology
Interdisciplinarity & Multidisciplinarity
- The department is part of a lively academic community of teaching units including the Department of History, the Nationalism Studies Program, the Religious Studies Program, the Source Language Teaching Group and research centers of Eastern Mediterranean Studies, the Early Modern Studies reserach group, the Open Society Archives, and Pasts, Inc. These departments and centers aim to strengthen CEU's commitment to interdisciplinarity and the links between teaching, learning, and research.
- Applicants from diverse backgrounds and expertise are welcome at the department.
- See the various research areas and thesis topics in various fields in Medieval Studies.
International Community & Network
- International community: Our truly diverse and international faculty and student body (MA and PhD) ensures that our students engage with and join a broad international and national network of leading scholars. Networks connected to the Medieval Studies department: CARMEN The Worldwide Medieval Network, CARA – The Medieval Academy of America, MECERN - Medieval Central Europe Research Network
- Co-operation: active cooperation and contact with leading research centers in Europe and the US
- Exceptional mobility: students and faculty are encouraged to study abroad with the support of available International Exchange Opportunities (grants, funds, ERASMUS, DAAD, BARD). Semesters abroad for PhD students is an integral part of the program.
- Networking: Visiting faculty as well as an impressive range of public talks and other events are organized to inspire new discussions and enrich the palette of networking, co-operation and collaborative projects.
- Conferences: Support offered to attend national and international conferences and workshops. The Department regularly visits, runs sessions and supports participation at major medieval congresses such as the IMC in Leeds, UK and the ICMS in Kalamazoo, MI.
- Accreditation: Degrees - MA and PhD - are accredited both in Austria and in the US.
Experience & Careerbuilding
- A wide range of public lectures, such as the Natalie Zemon Davis Lecture Series as well as workshops, symposia and summer universities are organized every year to inspire new discussions and enrich the palette of networking, co-operation and collaborative projects: http://medievalstudies.ceu.edu/events
- Strong alumni network: alumni are regularly invited to organize conferences, workshops, summer university courses at CEU; they also participate in and organize research projects - http://alumnicareer.ceu.edu
- An international network of academic excellence: our alumni http://medievalstudies.ceu.edu/news/alumni-spotlights
- Publication opportunities: MA and PhD students can publish in the department's own periodical, the Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU, which is widely available in libraries worldwide (Moscow State University Scientific Library, UK; Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Austria; Moscow State University Scientific Library, Russia; Société des Bollandistes, Belgium; etc.). Conference papers, PhD dissertations are published in the CEU Medievalia Series and in co-production with established publishing houses Archeolingua and Solivagus. In addition work of former PhD students and alumni has been published at renowned international publishers as Brepols.
- Further professional opportunities for CEU alumni include working as external readers for MA theses, chairs at MA thesis defenses, referees for MA students, editors for the Central European Medieval Texts series, or lecturers and co-teachers at the department
- CEU Careers Service: http://alumnicareer.ceu.edu/career-services
Community & Social Life
- Friendly, collegial, supportive and professional environment
- Interactive and inspiring field trips every spring to destinations in Central Europe.
- Trips and functions: students, faculty and staff are involved a lively and informal departmental life, including the long-standing tradition of the annual medieval dinner recreated from original recipes by students and professors, museum and library tours for the incoming students, and the end-of-year party with potluck dinner, presents and good cheer.
- Venerable “medieval traditions": the prestigious Order of the Unicorn bestowed upon those deemed worthy by the departmental community, annual medieval dinner and the medieval cookbook compiled out of departmental favorites.
Inspiring Environment
- Well-equipped, modern and constantly developed campus
- CEU is situated in Vienna, a culturally and intellecturally thriving city in the heart of Europe
- Close proximity to first-class research libraries, such as the various libraries of the University of Vienna or the Austrian National Library.
- As per CEU's previous location in Budapest, close working contact with various museums and collections of national and international importance in Budapest (Hungarian National Museum, Budapest History Museum, Aquincum Museum and Archaeological Park, Museum of Applied Arts)
- Center for Arts and Culture at CEU
- Student Union
Support & Welfare
- Most of our students study here on a stipend
- Funds available to subsidize and support our students, e.g. Research and Travel Funds, Doctoral Reserach Support Grant, Winter or Summer School Grant
- Intradepartmental Funds: Tanasa Memorial Fund, Henrik Birnbaum Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Medical Center - Health Services
- Psychological Counselling
