Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Latin Language and Literature

The objective of the Master’s degree programe Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in the Latin Language and Literature is to prepare qualified teachers, who possess adequate language and pedagogical skills for teaching Latin, which is a highly specific subject due to the fact that Latin is both a dead language and a language, which has shaped the Western European culture and scholarship for more than two thousand years. Single-subject studies (completus) and major studies (maior) aim at developing students’ language skills together with their knowledge of ancient literature and history, gained in Bachelor's degree programe Latin Language and Literature. It offers theoretical education in pedagogy, psychology, and didactics, which is to be gained in pedagogy and psychology courses as well as courses of Latin didactics and teacher-training courses. The minor studies complement and enrich the syllabus of the major studies. The minor studies are designed especially as a supplement to the major studies of the Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in any living language, history, and Social Studies Basics. All study programs within the Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in the Latin Language and Literature put emphasis on close interrelation between pedagogical theory and practice, the aim of which is to prepare students for a quickly changing educational environment.

„An average teacher tells. A good teacher explains. An excellent teacher shows. The best teacher inspires.“

Practical training

In the first 2 semesters, students focus on mastering the concepts of field-specific didactics (Didactics of the Latin Language I and II), which is followed with classroom observations and teacher training (Teacher Training I and II), the extent of which depends on particular study programe. Single-subject teacher training comprises 360 hours at school (100 hours of teaching, including tandem teaching, and 260 hours of other activities: observations, instruction reflection with a teacher, assistance, excursions, test correction etc.). Students of combined studies are required to have a half number of teacher training hours. The teacher training also involves the creation of student’s portfolio and instruction reflection with a teacher of Latin didactics.

Further information

An important part of the pedagogical study of the Latin language and literature is student’s portfolio, which serves not only as an important means of student’s self-reflexion, but also as an archive documenting student’s experiences, his/her learning process, and important learning outcomes of the individual courses held by a teacher of Latin didactics. The portfolio forms a communication basis between the student, a teacher of Latin didactics, and (possibly) a mentor during the teacher training, and serves as a reference framework for student’s final assessment, especially at the final state examination.

The graduates are primarily qualified to work as teachers at four-year and eight-year high schools with Latin instruction. They can also work at secondary medical schools and as lecturers of Latin for specific purposes at a university (esp. at the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine). The graduates are also qualified to work at language schools, which is, however, a rather exceptional job due to the fact that Latin is a dead language. They can also use their skills at various cultural institutions (archives, libraries, and museums), publishing houses and all types of media, i.e. jobs where the knowledge of Latin and/or the ability to find and critically work with various sources of information together with cultivated speech are required. Generally speaking, thorough knowledge of ancient literary and cultural history enables better understanding of the majority of European cultural spheres.

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of the same or related Bachelor’s degree programme (the similarity of the fields will be assessed based on the application).

Subject matter of the entrance examination: oral interview focused on the study motivation of the applicant.

Website Department of Classical Studies.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Criteria for evaluation

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 60 points (out of 100).

Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

The graduate of the study programe Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in the Latin Language and Literature can apply for admission to the PhD degree programe. The Institute of Classical Studies offers the following study programes: Classical Philology, Medieval Latin Language and Literature, Ancient History, and Historical Languages of the Czech Lands.