Master of Arts in Humanities - Semiotics

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View all other units

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Semiotics

Master of Arts in Humanities

Application deadlines

Jan 2application system opens

March 15application deadline

May 15final admission results

Sept 3academic year begins

How to apply CONTACT US

Semiotics

The 2-year master’s programme in Semiotics provides interdisciplinary background and gives a theoretical base for application of semiotic ideas to a wide variety of disciplines and scientific study. The programme binds together the theory of semiotics and three core modules - cultural semiotics, biosemiotics and sociosemiotics. The programme also combines the major semiotic traditions of Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles S. Peirce with the leading contemporary and innovative thought.

Semiotics is the general study of sign processes, or semiosis. Semiosis makes the world meaningful. Today’s world, where processes have a disbalance of global and local dimension, challenges us to understand the need of individuals and societies for defining their identity. Semiotics is centrally relevant to achieve this understanding.

The Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu is one of the most important centres of semiotics in Europe, with deep roots for cultural semiotics and biosemiotics. Names and work of Jakob von Uexküll and Juri Lotman, founder of world-renowned Tartu-Moscow Semiotics School, form the cornerstone of the Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu. The Department of Semiotics also holds the memorial library of Thomas A. Sebeok, which was received as a donation.

Why study semiotics?

The tradition of excellence in semiotic theory in Tartu was established by Juri Lotman in 1960s, the founder of semiotics of culture and the Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School, as well as the oldest journal of semiotics, Sign Systems Studies.
The University of Tartu is one of the few institutions in the world teaching full Master’s and PhD degree programs in semiotics since 1993.
As one of world’s major centres of semiotics, the University of Tartu collaborates and is regularly visited by professors from all around the world: Myrdene Anderson, Paul Bouissac, John Deely, Dinda Gorlee, Jesper Hoffmeyer, Winfried Nöth, Roland Posner, Frederik Stjernfelt, Eero Tarasti, and many others.
The finest collections of semiotic materials in Tartu include the memorial library of Thomas Sebeok, one of the world leaders in the 20th century semiotics, and the Centre of Jakob von Uexküll, a Baltic German whose works have been very important to the development of biosemiotics.

Career prospects

Graduates can apply their expertise in the professions that require a complex knowledge of cultural analysis, i.e. semiotic consulting companies, marketing or media.
Practical applications of semiotics include translation and science writing, design and architecture, advertising, and communication strategies.
Employees of international organizations, e.g. embassies, where tolerance and conflict management skills are vital, can improve their professional education.
Programme graduates can continue on to doctoral studies and research. Semiotics is particularly relevant to advanced study in the life sciences, where biosemiotic understanding and semiotical interpretation is proving to be of remarkable value.

Programme details

Title Semiotics	Language English
Level of study Master's	Location Tartu, Estonia
Degree awarded Master of Arts in Humanities (Semiotics)	Tuition fee 3400 EUR/year
Faculty Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Semiotics	Scholarships 10 tuition waivers
Duration 2 years
Credits 120 ECTS
Study-form Full-time regular studies

Tuition fee & scholarships

The tuition fee for fee paying students on this programme is 3400 euros per year. Note that tuition fees can only be paid once the new semester officially begins.

Altogether 15 study places are available on the programme. On the basis of the admission results, 10 best applicants will be given tuition-waiver scholarships. Applicants do not have to apply for the tuition-waiver separately, as they will be considered automatically for the competition.

Information about the rules and conditions for tuition-waiver scholarships as well as tuition fee payments is given here.

Information about other scholarships is available here.

Ask a student

"I had spent last year studying abroad in Estonia, and took some Semiotics courses. I felt the programme really helped expand on my previous knowledge and allow me to take an entirely new outlook on studying language and culture. I focus on studying minority languages and culture, and Semiotics allows me to look at culture and politics at an internal level."

Jason, International Student Ambassador from the USA

Contact Jason or any other International Student Ambassador to enquire about the life in Tartu or read their blog.

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