Estonian Studies

Noémi Hartmann

"I was a student of English and American Studies in Hungary when I first started to study Estonian language and culture. In fact, I chose Estonian as my minor subject quite randomly based on a summer trip from a few years before, but I soon discovered the amazing joy of learning the language and in no time fell in love with the culture. They quickly changed my life: I am now a student of Estonian Studies and I prepare to make a living from the knowledge I gain from the Estonian language and culture. If you, too, want to invest in studying about Estonia, I highly recommend Estonian Studies because it gives an unique opportunity to learn about all the various aspects of Estonia meanwhile experiencing the culture and exploring the country first-hand. Here, you will understand the core values of people, how Estonia evolved to be the modern country that it is today, create links between history, culture, linguistics and society. You can work on your Estonian from the ground up or polish it, and you will receive help from our professors in whatever field that interests you most. Come and join us!"

An English-taught two-year Master's programme in language and cultural studies

Estonia has a complex history, a distinctive language, and a cultural life shaped by long periods of foreign rule, rapid political change, and close contact between different languages and traditions. Understanding how Estonia works today means paying attention to how these layers continue to shape everyday life.

Tallinn University's MA in Estonian Studies is designed for this purpose. The programme combines Estonian language learning with the study of culture, history, and contemporary society, allowing students to explore how language use, cultural practices, and historical experience are connected.

Students examine Estonia not as an abstract topic, but as a living social and cultural context. Questions discussed in class are often visible beyond the university—in public debate, cultural institutions, language use, and daily interaction. Teaching takes place in small groups and emphasizes discussion, reading, writing, and sustained language study.

The programme brings together students with a serious interest in Estonia and creates the conditions to see it differently: not just as a place one lives in or relates to, but as a society whose language, history, and cultural practices can be understood, questioned, and interpreted.

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Who this programme is for?

This programme is for students who want to understand Estonia through the study of language, culture, and history. It is suited to those interested in learning Estonian alongside humanities-based coursework and who are looking for a structured way to deepen their understanding, rather than a short introduction or language-only training.

It is particularly suited to students who:

Have Estonian roots or family connections, friends, work experience from Estonia and wish to explore Estonian language, culture, and history in an academic setting.
Are living in Estonia, or planning to relocate, and want to better understand the historical, cultural, and social contexts of everyday life and public debate.
Come from a range of academic backgrounds and are curious about Estonia as an area of study, whether for further academic work or for professional contexts where understanding Estonia is relevant.
Have encountered Estonian language or culture previously, whether through study, work, or personal experience, and want to continue in an English-taught Master’s programme.
Are interested in Estonian literature and translation and want to build a stronger linguistic and cultural foundation.

The programme brings together students from different backgrounds to learn alongside one another, connected by curiosity about Estonia and developing both language capability and cultural understanding to navigate Estonian contexts with confidence.

Why study with us?

Estonian Studies at Tallinn University allows you to study Estonia from within the society itself. Cultural institutions, archives, and public debate are within close reach, and the questions addressed in the programme—about language, identity, memory, and social change—are visible in everyday life, not only in academic texts.

The programme is taught in Tallinn, where literary events at the Writers’ House, festivals such as PÖFF (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival), ongoing policy debates, and everyday multilingual interaction form part of the surrounding environment. These are not field trips or special activities, but features of living in a small capital city where cultural and political life takes place at a walkable scale.

Teaching takes place in small groups with close contact between students and faculty. The cyclical format (Thursday–Saturday classes) accommodates students who are working or living in Estonia, while the balance of seminars and language study creates space for discussion, reading, and reflection rather than large lectures and frequent examinations.

Students work with faculty who are active in research on Estonian literature, cultural history, linguistics, and political studies, and who connect coursework to current debates and questions. Estonian language teaching is closely integrated with content courses, so language learning develops alongside cultural and historical understanding rather than separately from it.

For students who want to move beyond general orientation and develop a clearer understanding of Estonia in context, the programme offers both an academic framework and the advantage of studying in place.

Lisa's Journey to Estonian Studies at Tallinn University:

Here is the story of Lisa who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Estonian Studies at Tallinn University. With a deep commitment to reconnecting with her ancestral homeland, she is dedicated to using her academic expertise to preserve and promote the rich history and culture of Estonia. Her studies not only reflect her passion for learning but also her desire to contribute to the ongoing efforts to safeguard the unique heritage of her roots. Through her work, Lisa aims to play an active role in the future of Estonian history and culture. READ MORE

Scholarships for Tuition Fee Reduction

The tuition fee for the MA in Estonian Studies is €1,900 per semester. The programme offers academically grounded Master’s-level study in an international context, while remaining financially accessible compared to many similar programmes in Europe.

To support access to the programme, Tallinn University offers merit-based tuition fee reductions for high-performing students.

For applicants admitted in 2026, up to four students will receive a 50% tuition fee reduction for one academic year. This means that selected students pay €950 per semester during that year.

The tuition fee reductions awarded in 2026 apply to the academic years 2026/2027 and 2027/2028.

How is the tuition fee reduction awarded?

First academic year: The reduction is granted to the four highest-ranked students based on entrance examination results.
Second academic year: Full-time students may apply for continued tuition fee support. Rankings are based on the weighted grade point average. To be eligible, students must not be on academic leave during the relevant semester.

How to apply?

To receive the tuition fee reduction, admitted students must submit an application using the prescribed form no later than 5 September. Applications may be submitted after the admission process.

Additional Funding Opportunities

The Education and Youth Board (HARNO) Scholarship

A scholarship programme for expatriate Estonians wishing to study in Estonia.

Estonian Literature Centre Scholarship

For students specialising in translating Estonian literature; covers the tuition fee. Eligible to apply after admission.

Estonian Students Fund in USA

For full-time Bachelor’s or Master’s students of Estonian ancestry studying at accredited institutions in the USA, Estonia, or elsewhere.

Programme outline

The MA in Estonian Studies combines core coursework in Estonian language, culture, and history with elective courses and a Master’s thesis. Teaching is organised in a cyclical format, with classes usually held from Thursday to Saturday, supporting students who are living in Estonia or combining study with work.

Core courses

All students complete compulsory courses that establish shared foundations for the programme, including:

Introduction to Estonian Studies and East European Studies
Estonian Language and Identity
Contemporary Issues of Estonian Culture
Historical Perspectives on Estonian Culture

These courses provide a common framework for understanding how language, culture, history, and social change are connected in Estonian contexts.

Estonian language study

Estonian language learning runs throughout the programme and is integrated with cultural and historical study. Courses are available from beginner to intermediate level (A1 to B1+), allowing students to develop language skills alongside academic coursework. A minimum of B1-level Estonian is required for graduation.

Electives

Students choose elective courses to develop an individual focus within the programme. Depending on interests, electives may include courses in cultural memory, history, literature, translation, linguistics, and contemporary society, such as:

Master’s thesis

The programme culminates in a Master’s thesis (24 ECTS), developed through the Master’s seminar. Students conduct independent research on a topic within Estonian Studies. Those specialising in literary translation may submit a book translation accompanied by an analytical introduction.

The most recent available study programme can be consulted here:

Study programme 2025/2026

Study support and student services

Tallinn University provides a range of student support services alongside academic study. These services are available to students throughout the programme and support both academic progress and general wellbeing.

All students have access to career counselling, which can help in thinking through further study options, academic pathways, or how to articulate programme-related experience in applications and interviews. Psychological counselling services are also available, offering confidential support for study-related or personal challenges. These services are free of charge and can be accessed both on campus and online.

The university is committed to inclusive study conditions. Students with special needs can receive individual support, including reasonable adjustments to studies and entrance examinations, guidance on scholarships and services, and ongoing counselling during their studies.

International students can also make use of Tallinn University’s international student services, which provide guidance on practical study-related matters and life in Estonia.

Take a walk around our campus via the virtual tour

Academic resources and intellectual environment

The Estonian Studies programme is based in the School of Humanities and draws on the academic resources of Tallinn University. Students have access to the university’s study library and the main university library, as well as the National Library of Estonia, all located within easy reach of the campus.

Studying Estonian Studies in Tallinn means working within an active cultural and intellectual environment. Students are encouraged to engage with lectures, seminars, conferences, and cultural events taking place in the city, including literary events at the Writers’ Union, book presentations, festivals such as HeadRead, concerts, exhibitions, and visits to museums and archives. These activities support academic study without being formal programme requirements.

The programme cooperates with partner institutions such as the Estonian Literature Centre, and the Estonian Writers’ Union, as well as with networks of Estonian language teachers in higher education internationally. These partnerships support teaching, translation-related study, and engagement with contemporary Estonian cultural life.

Academic Staff

Piret Viires is the Professor of Estonian Literature and Literary Theory at Tallinn University. She received her doctorate degree in Estonian Literature in 2006 from Tartu University. She has published books on Estonian Literature and postmodernism. The most recently published is Postmodernism in Estonian Literary Culture (2012, Peter Lang Verlag). In addition, she has published many articles, edited scholarly publications, organised conferences. She is a member of various scholarly organisations and editing boards. Her teaching assignments and research have taken her to the University of Turku (Finland), Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), Ohio State University (USA). Piret Viires is a member of the board of the Estonian Writers' Union and has published fiction.

Main research interests: Modern Estonian Literature, postmodernism and post-postmodernism, relationships between literature and technology, digital literature.

Anna Verschik is the Professor of General Linguistics at Tallinn University. Her scholarly interests include topics like Estonian-Russian language contacts, multilingualism on the internet, sociolinguistics in the Baltic countries, contacts of Yiddish in the Baltic area and sociolinguistic situation of post-Soviet countries in a comparative perspective. She teaches subjects related to her research field.

Main research interests: contact linguistics and multilingualism.

Follow her minilecture Will the Estonian language go extinct?

Ele Arder is a teacher of Estonian as a second language. At Tallinn University, she works primarily with A1- and A2-level Estonian learners. She enjoys teaching beginners because it allows her to shape students’ first encounters with the language, help them find suitable learning methods, and encourage them to start using the language as early as possible. She sees every moment of language learning as an opportunity to introduce Estonian culture, which helps her build deeper and more trusting connections with her students. Arder believes that university students are very quick learners and that their interest in Estonian language and culture is often greater than Estonians themselves might assume.

Marek Tamm is the Professor of Cultural History and senior research fellow at the School of Humanities in Tallinn University. He is also Head of Tallinn University Centre of Excellence in Intercultural Studies and of Estonian Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts. Graduated in history and semiotics at the University of Tartu (1998), he earned his master degree in medieval studies from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (1999) and his doctorate degree in medieval history from Tallinn University (2009). Author of five books, of some seventy scholarly articles published in Estonian, English and French, and editor of dozen collections of articles.

Main research interests: cultural history of medieval Europe, Estonian historical culture, theory and history of historiography, and cultural memory studies.

Follow his minilectures How Old is Estonia? and What do We Remember From Estonian History?

Karsten Brüggemann is the Professor of Estonian and General History at the School of Humanities of Tallinn University. He received his PhD in history from the University of Hamburg in 1999 with a study of the Russian Civil War in the Baltic region: Die Gründung der Republik Estland und das Ende des ‚Einen und Unteilbaren Rußland‘ (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2002). In 2013, he defended his habilitation at the University of Gießen with a study on the perception of the Baltic provinces in Russian imperial culture that is scheduled to be published in 2017 under the title Licht und Luft des Imperiums. Legimitations- und Repräsentationsstrategien russischer Herrschaft in den Ostseeprovinzen im 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz). He is the author of an analysis of musical mass culture in the USSR in the 1930s, Von Krieg zu Krieg, von Sieg zu Sieg (Hamburg: Kovač, 2002), a history of Tallinn, co-authored with Ralph Tuchtenhagen (Tallinn. Eine kleine Geschichte, Köln: Böhlau, 2011; in Estonian published as Tallinna ajalugu, Tallinn: Varrak, 2013) and numerous articles on Baltic and Russian history. Together with Ralph Tuchtenhagen he is the editor of a three-volume history of the Baltic States. He is co-editor (with Mati Laur) of the journal Forschungen zur baltischen Geschichte and member of the editorial board of Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung. Since 2011 he serves as Vice President of Baltische Historische Kommission.

Main research interests: connected with Russian and Soviet history include the history of the Baltic States, civil wars and wars of independence, the cultural history of Stalinism and Late Socialism, national narratives and memory cultures as well as the history of sport and tourism.

Kristo Nurmis is a historian and a research fellow at the Tallinn University School of Humanities. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in the field of Russian and Eastern European History (2022). Kristo is currently working on a book project exploring the politics of legitimacy and mass influence in the Soviet and Nazi occupied Baltic States from 1939-53

Tõnis Saarts is the Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at Tallinn University. He has a background in both political science and sociology. He has focused on comparative politics, political sociology, and historical sociology. More specifically, his research interests have concentrated primarily on political parties, party systems, social cleavages and the multiple challenges contemporary political parties have in modern democracies (the rise of populism, party system cartelization, etc.). He has also been interested in democratization in Central and Eastern Europe, where he has primarily focused on the Baltic States in a comparative perspective. His great passion has been historical sociology, in which he has studied the formation of modern democracy and statehood from a historical perspective. Saarts has also been active in the public sphere, in which he has written numerous media articles and provided media commentaries on the developments in Estonian politics for many well-known international media outlets.

Follow his minilecture What is populist democracy?

Joosep Susi is a visiting lecturer of literature didactics and estonian literature. His scholarly interests include poetry, poetry pedagogy, and the analysis of literary works as coherent wholes. He researches lyrical poetry and has pursued doctoral studies in literary theory at the University of Tartu. Susi is also a recognised literary critic, journalist, and promoter of contemporary literature.

Miriam Anne McIlfatrick-Ksenofontov has an MA in Romance Studies and Translation Studies and a PhD in Studies of Culture (Tallinn University, 2021). Her PhD thesis researched the poetics of translation in order to describe and conceptualise an approach to translating poetry that locates both poet’s and translator’s processes on the same continuum of creative activity. Her scholarly interests fall within the field of cultural studies, spanning English-language literatures, translation theory and practice, poetry and oral poetics, cognitive literary studies, and theories of creativity. Her teaching experience includes Literary Analysis, Comparative Poetry, Irish Literature and Culture, and Academic Writing. She has trained literary translators (for the Estonian Literature Centre) and Cambridge Assessment speaking examiners. She translates Estonian poetry for publication and performance. She is a member of the Estonian Writers' Union and the Estonian Association of Comparative Literature.

Lauri Linask teaches theory of culture, semiotics, and other related areas. His research interests include the theory of semiotics, culture and cognition, and the formation of their interrelations in children from a semiotic point of view. He is also interested in various relationships between culture, meaning and nature, within which culture is situated and tied.

Admission Requirements

General requirements

Completed Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent
Proof of English Proficiency
Please see the complete overview of admission and application requirements for Master's level applicants.

Entrance exams

The admission exam consists of a written and oral part.
As the written part, the applicants submit a motivation letter (one page) explaining why they wish to follow this particular programme at Tallinn University, how will they profit from this experience, future plans related to this degree etc. (should be uploaded to online application system DreamApply in pdf format)
In your motivation letter you should explain how you and this particular programme ‘match’ (why you wish to follow this particular programme at Tallinn University, how will you profit from this experience, your future plans related to this degree etc). Look closely on the MA programme and explain which topics and areas covered in the programme specifically fascinate you.
The oral part in an interview. Only applicants receiving the minimum required points are invited for an interview. The time of the interview is arranged individually via e-mail. If the date and time offered for an online interview do not suit the applicant it may be possible to delay the interview until the next interview date which is usually in the next month.
Student candidates who wish to specialise on translating Estonian literature should also upload a two page sample of a translation (from Estonian into their native language and the Estonian original). Prior knowledge of Estonian is required for this specialisation!

Important! Only applicants receiving minimum of 28 points for the first round (letter of motivation and research proposal) will be invited for an interview.

For the purposes of identity verification at the admission procedure the Admission Committee has the right to record the oral part of the admission exam carried out via video bridge.

Assessment of the candidates

1. Letter of Motivation: 40 points (min. required 28 points)
2. Interview: 60 points (min. requirement 42 points)

For candidates specialising on translating

1. Letter of Motivation: 40 points (min. required 28 points)
2. Sample of a translation 15 points (min. requirement 10,5 points)
3. Interview: 45 points (min. requirement 31,5 points)

Exam Part	Evaluation Criteria	Scale
Letter of Motivation	Ability to justify one’s choice of specialty, knowledge of the study programme	max 20 points
	Written self-expression skills	max 20 points
Interview	Motivation and willingness to study chosen study programme	max 20 points
	Oral self-expression and argumentation skills	max 20 points
	Ability to comprehend future prospects related to the field	max 20 points

Translation Specialisation

Exam Part	Evaluation Criteria	Scale
Letter of Motivation	Ability to justify one’s choice of specialty, knowledge of the study programme	max 20 points
	Written self-expression skills	max 20 points
Interview	Motivation and willingness to study chosen study programme	max 15 points
	Oral self-expression and argumentation skills	max 15 points
	Ability to comprehend future prospects related to the field of study	max 15 points
Translation Example	The accuracy of the translation and the conveying meaning	max 5 points
	Linguistic quality of the translation	max 5 points
	Contextual and cultural sensitivity	max 5 points

How we assess

The examination board will assess each candidate individually based on the criteria. For the written part, each board member will assess the candidates based on the submitted materials and puts the points into a table that calculates the average of the candidate. Based on the average the candidate is invited / not invited for the interview. Only applicants receiving minimum of 28 points for the written part will be invited for an interview. At least two board members must participate at the interview. One of the participating board members will be leading the interview, all members may ask questions. After each interview there is a discussion among the board members who were present at the interview. Points are still entered individually into the table which calculates the average of the points given, and the final subtotal points.
If the candidate has also submitted a sample of translation, the board members will discuss it among themselves before entering the individual points into the table.

For the purposes of identity verification at the admission procedure the Admission Committee has the right to record the oral part of the admission exam carried out via video bridge.

Find more information about the deadlines here.

Postgraduate Destinations

Postgraduate Career Opportunities

Wondering what to do after graduation or what kind of career opportunities open up with an MA in Estonian Studies?

Our international graduates build successful careers both in Estonia and abroad, thanks to the unique combination of Estonian language, culture, history, and society knowledge they gain during the programme.

With Estonian language skills at least at B1 level and strong intercultural competencies, our alumni are highly valued in fields where understanding Estonia or working with Estonian partners is an advantage.

Popular career paths for our graduates:

Jobs in Estonia (education, research, cultural sector, business, creative industries)
International careers connected to Estonia and the Baltic region
Translation and language-related jobs, including translating Estonian literature
IT and technology sector roles where Estonian language or cultural knowledge is useful
International relations, diplomacy, and cultural exchange work
Sales, marketing, and communication roles in companies operating between Estonia and other countries

Many students choose this programme because it provides the background needed to live and work in Estonia, including understanding society and navigating everyday life.

Further studies

Our graduates are well prepared to continue their education at PhD level — both in Estonia and at universities around the world.

Meet some of our Alumni

As someone of Estonian heritage, I have always cherished my roots. My grandmother fled to the United States from Saaremaa in 1944 and while I was growing up, always told me stories of her homeland. She and my mother instilled in me a love for Estonia, which has gotten stronger since I began the Estonian Studies program. The program allowed me to get in touch with my ancestry, but also in a way, gave me the opportunity to find myself. I recommend the program to expatriate Estonians and their children in order to study the Estonian nation, but also to celebrate their beautiful heritage.

I was a fresh-out-of-highschool teenager when I first moved to Estonia. I had successfully graduated but was tired of studying and seeking adventure. So I took a gap year, working as a volunteer in Estonia. What was initially supposed to be one year of adventure turned into something else: I began studying at Tallinn University. After three years of university life, I was once again faced with the question of whether I should stay or leave. Eventually, I decided that I was -once again- going to stay for a bit longer. While I had already started learning Estonian, I felt that I wanted to invest in it more. Additionally, I was looking for a Masters programme that would provide me with a better understanding of Estonian culture and society and, through this, function as a bridge between my Social Science Bachelor and the reality of life around me. “Estonian Studies” ended up being my choice. In addition to helping me understand my life in Estonia better, it also provided practical tools such as Estonian language classes. Last but not least I enjoyed the variety and interdisciplinarity of subjects.

Pursuing this maiden course of Estonian Studies at Tallinn University was not only an honour for me, but it was also my unique way of expressing gratitude to The Republic of Estonia and Tallinn University regarding the opportunities offered to me to pursue higher quality education. As a student of Estonian Studies, I came to appreciate the contents of the course which covered themes such as culture, language, politics, socio-economic issues and more importantly gaining knowledge into how all these themes inform one’s understanding of “Estonianess”. During the studies I gained significant historical insights and antecedent occurrence of today’s Republic Estonia; this helped me to further understand and appreciate the Estonian Cultural, language, and business acumen characterizing why today’s Estonia is a desirable destination for entrepreneurs and persons interested in quality education. One strong impression the course left on me was about studying the history of the Estonian Song Festivals - thus causing me to fall in love with the song "Palve" - my all-time favorite. Without any hesitation, I recommend this course to anyone who is futuristic in nature or forward-looking, pragmatic, and result-oriented; and interested in gaining knowledge about how historical trajectories informed the entrepreneurial mindset that has led a small country to become a global leader in quality education and digital innovations. My appreciation goes to all who directly and indirectly supported me in this journey of creating my own unique “Estonianess”.

Read his blog post

It was a very unique experience for me to study in Estonian Studies programme from 2018. This programme taught me much more than I expected about Estonia, including Estonian language, culture, literature, politics and many other pieces of this amazing country. The programme is well structured to bring you a very clear understanding of Estonia, which also gives you the power to do your own research. I miss school life at Tallinn University very much and recommend everyone who relocates to Estonia or is eager to know more about this fascinating country to apply for it.

Several years ago, thanks to my friends from Estonia, I started exploring Estonian history and culture. We travelled a lot around towns, villages and islands, discovering new places. Then, I started organizing business trips for international companies and learning about Estonia from the professional side. Finally, I realized that I want to move to a new level of knowledge about Estonia. That matched with the concept of the "Estonian Studies" programme, which combines the Estonian language, culture, literature, and history.

During the Master's program at Tallinn University, I improved my knowledge in humanities, developed new skills, met new interesting people and good friends. I will continue studying the Estonian language and culture and share my inspiration and experience with other people.

2 years of study totally changed my views and added new elements to the life puzzle. This is totally what I was looking for. I wish everyone got this experience, that I gained within the walls of Tallinn University.

I am very proud to be one of the first graduates from Estonian Studies program. It was introduced in 2017, and I was very excited to be a student at this program. Estonian studies gave me an excellent opportunity to improve my Estonian language, as well as learn about Estonian culture, literature, politics, society and many other aspects of Estonia. I graduated in 2019 and I miss very much studying process, as it was super many-sided, inspiring and fascinating.