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This programme is for students with broad intellectual interests who are not yet ready, or do not wish, to commit to a single discipline from the start, and who want a serious academic environment in which to develop their thinking and academic direction. You study culture, history, language, and society through shared courses, specialist modules, electives, project work, and internship experience. Over time, you learn to connect ideas across fields, interpret cultural and social questions in context, and develop arguments informed by more than one perspective. 

Studying in Estonia gives these themes a concrete setting. Questions of identity, memory, language, and cultural change are visible here in public life as well as in academic study, through cultural institutions, public debate, archives, and everyday experience. 

You graduate with more than a broad humanities degree: you leave with a clearer academic direction, stronger judgement, and a foundation for what comes next, whether that is master’s-level study in the humanities or social sciences, or early-career work in fields where analysis, writing, cultural understanding, and contextual judgement matter. 

This programme is right for you if you: 

• are curious about culture, history, language, society or human experience and want to explore these through different humanities perspectives;

• want to shape your own study path through specialist modules and electives across the university;

• are exploring your academic direction, whether you are coming straight from secondary school, returning after a gap year, settling in a new country or reconsidering previous studies;

• have a personal connection to Estonia or an interest in the region and want to explore Estonian and Baltic culture and history within a broader humanities programme;

• are considering a master’s degree in the humanities or social sciences and want to develop the analytical skills and academic interests that will support further study.

At the core of the programme is a shared foundation in the humanities, combined with two specialist modules of your choice:

• Anthropology

• Asian Studies

• Cultural Analysis

• Estonian Studies

• History

• Literary and Cultural Studies of English-Speaking Countries

• Russian Language and Culture

You choose two modules and complete both in full. Each consists of four courses that develop your knowledge of the field and introduce its methods and analytical approaches. You formally confirm your module choices from the second year, although some courses may need to be taken earlier depending on the timetable.

Some of the compulsory courses include:

• Critical Thinking

• Introduction to the Humanities

• Language and Culture

• Digital Literacy

These courses provide a common foundation in analytical reasoning, academic writing and humanities study, while introducing the social and cultural context of your studies. You also study Estonian during the degree.

Alongside your specialist modules, you have 54 ECTS of open electives to shape your studies around your interests. You can take courses from other modules or schools within the university, develop additional language skills or complete a 48 ECTS minor.

Practical learning includes an internship and , a project-based course where you work with students from different programmes to address a real-world problem. These experiences help you apply your knowledge, combine perspectives and develop your collaboration skills. The programme concludes with a bachelor’s examination.

Put your knowledge into practice

Your studies connect humanities learning with practical experience. Through a compulsory internship, you apply your knowledge and skills in a working environment. In the interdisciplinary LIFE project, you collaborate with students from different programmes across Tallinn University to address a real-world problem, bringing together different perspectives and working towards a shared outcome.

Some students may also gain experience in academic research by working as assistants to doctoral researchers. These opportunities are offered through a competitive selection process.

Internship opportunities

All students complete a compulsory internship of at least 156 hours. Depending on your interests, you may undertake your placement in a cultural institution, public organisation, educational setting, university research environment or another relevant organisation.

You are responsible for finding a suitable placement in consultation with the programme. This allows you to explore an area of work that interests you and connect your humanities studies with professional practice.

Erasmus+ and exchange opportunities

As a Tallinn University student, you can explore opportunities to study abroad through exchange studies, experience a different academic environment and bring new perspectives to your humanities studies. Find out more about exchange opportunities.

Finishing your studies

Starting from the spring semester of the second year, you conduct research and write a bachelor’s thesis, demonstrating the knowledge and analytical skills developed throughout your studies. The programme concludes with a defence, where you present your work in front of the committee.

Career Opportunities

An interdisciplinary background in the humanities develops analytical, research, writing and communication skills valued across the public, private and non-profit sectors. Graduates can pursue opportunities in:

• Culture and heritage
• Education
• Journalism and media
• Communication and public relations
• Public administration
• International organisations
• Research and analysis

After your bachelor’s studies, you can continue to master’s-level study in the humanities, social sciences or related fields, including anthropology, history, cultural studies, area studies and education, depending on the admission requirements of your chosen programme.

Explore our Master’s programmes

Student life and learning environment

Meet our Alumni

Read about alumni experiences

Meet our teaching staff

Meet the full teaching staff

Admissions

General requirements

• Secondary School Certificate;
• Proof of English Proficiency;
• Letter of Motivation.

Please find further information here.

Admission exam

The admission exam consists of a written and oral part.

• The written part is based on the Letter of Motivation that is uploaded in PDF format into the application database in   (international applicants) or  (local applicants). The first round of selection is made on the basis of Letter of Motivation and the submitted application (incl. qualifications). Successful applicants are invited to an interview.
• The oral part is an interview, during which the candidate's ability to justify the choice of the programme and interest in the Humanities are assessed. One part of the interview is the discussion of an academic text which the candidate must read prior to the interview. The exact time of the interview will be sent to the candidate via e-mail and it is conducted either at Tallinn University or via Zoom. 

Important! Only applicants receiving minimum of 20 points for the first round (letter of motivation) will be invited for an interview.

Letter of Motivation

Letter of Motivation (ca 500 words, to be uploaded in PDF format) must provide clear responses to the following questions:

• Why do you want to study in the Liberal Arts in Humanities programme at Tallinn University?
• Which study disciplines and/or subjects offered in the programme interest you the most and why?
• How have your personal, educational and/or professional experiences prepared you for this programme?

Do not simply duplicate the information from your CV. In this Letter, we want to see your personality and individual style of expression.

Interview

The interview is conducted based on the candidate’s Letter of Motivation and compulsory reading. The texts for compulsory reading and discussion can be found here.

The candidate must choose one academic text, read it thoroughly, and reflect on its meaning and significance within the relevant field. The candidate must be able to discuss the key themes it raises and their own personal views on those themes. Furthermore, the candidate should be able to draw parallels with other texts they have previously read and explain how the read text relates to their own areas of interest.

Assessment of the candidates

1. Motivation letter: 30 points (minimum required: 20 points), accounting for 30% of the final score.
2. Interview and discussion of the assigned text: 70 points (minimum required: 45 points), including: general interview: 30 points (minimum required: 20 points); text discussion: 40 points (minimum required: 25 points). This component accounts for 70% of the final score.

Important! Only applicants receiving minimum of 20 points for the first round (letter of motivation) will be invited for an interview.

Delaying your interview
If the date and time offered for an online interview does not suit the applicant it may be possible to delay the interview until the next interview date which is usually in the next month.

What we assess:
 

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.

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 documents and enter 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 who received the minimum of 20 points for the written part will be invited for an interview. At least three 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 but points are still entered individually into the table which calculates the average of the points given and the final subtotal points.

Find more information about the deadlines

Additional points for volunteer work

Candidates who have work experience as volunteers may receive up to 4 additional points for their activities.

The candidate should add to the application a short description stating the name of the organization, the period of work as a volunteer, how many hours in total, and describe the tasks and duties carried out. A letter of confirmation from the organisation should be uploaded into the application database.

NB! The admission board has the right to decide, whether the candidate will get these additional points and how many points will be given.

Scholarships 

Tuition fee discounts 2027/2028 Academic Year

The tuition fee for the BA in Liberal Arts in Humanities at Tallinn University is €2,300 per semester.

For students admitted in 2027, two 50% tuition fee discounts are available. With the discount, the tuition fee is €1,150 per semester.

Starting with the 2027 intake, tuition fee discounts are awarded on a semester-by-semester basis, in accordance with the university’s applicable regulations. The deadline for applying for discounts is 6 September 2027.

Move to Tallinn

Studying in Tallinn, means studying at a compact European capital where education, technology and digital innovation meet. As an international student, you can benefit from Tallinn University's support and access practical information to help you settle into life in Estonia from the basics of accommodation to the details about working while studying and of course where to find the student support services. 

Find information about:

• Accommodation
• VISA information
• Healthcare and insurance
• Cost of living
• Public transport
• Working while studying
• Peer support and student buddies
• Student Support Centre

Explore more practical topics that might come up as you relocate.

Contacts

Elsi Vänto
Study Counsellor-Study Specialist

For additional guidelines regarding admission procedure please contact the international admission specialist:

For additional information regarding student life at Tallinn University please contact Student Ambassadors.