Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies (BECES) Charles University

Overview

At the can study Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, and other languages. You can become a regional expert on a specific territory and join international organizations and NGOs, diplomacy and state administration, media, the business sector, or pursue a career in academia.

The Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies (BECES) from  Charles University focuses on the unique and challenging political and social environment of the region. You might focus on either a single country or a whole region from a thematic angle, such as history, culture, political development, or environmental issues. To enhance your curriculum, you can choose between two regionally focused specializations: Balkan and Central European Studies and Russian and Eurasian Studies. 

Key facts

Both specializations analyze and integrate the political, societal, economic, and cultural developments in the region and address broad thematic issues such as governance, security, nationalism, and ethnopolitical conflicts. They allow students to develop a blend of specialist area knowledge, analytical expertise, and language skills. 

The program is deliberately structured to take advantage of the multidisciplinary nature of our faculty, and you will be encouraged to make connections between different fields of study. As a student of BECES, you can study many languages connected to the region, from Greek through Russian or Polish to Czech.

You will become a regional expert on a specific territory with a broad and deep knowledge of the field and a good command of one or two languages of the area. You will be capable of conceptual thinking, appreciating cultural diversity and open but critical understanding. You will be able to find positions related to the issues of the studied area in international organizations, NGOs, diplomacy, state administration, media, the business sector, or within academic and research institutions.