History

The Faculty of Modern Languages was established in the very beginning the University of Veliko Tarnovo – in 1963, when the first university outside of the capital was founded in the Old Capital of Bulgaria, the city of Veliko Tarnovo, on the historical hill of Sveta Gora.

Successor of the Tarnovo Literary School of the 13^th and 14^th centuries, the Faculty stands out against the majestic silhouette of the hill, embraced by the City of Kings, and carries on the symbols of literary traditions and teachings that have endured over the centuries.

At its inception, the Faculty only had three departments – those of Bulgarian Language, Russian Language, and Foreign Languages. In half a century, however, it grew and strengthened its position as the largest faculty having the largest number of departments, degree courses, and students, in all three educational degrees – Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy.

Currently, the Faculty of Modern Languages at UVT consists of 11 departments:

• 2 that are entirely dedicated to Bulgarian studies: Modern Bulgarian Language and Bulgarian Literature
• 8 departments covering a wide spectrum of languages and cultures: Russian Language, German and Dutch Studies, Slavonic Studies, General Linguistics and Old Bulgarian Studies, Romance Languages, English and American Studies, Classical and Eastern Languages and Cultures, Methodology of Linguistic and Literary Education
• 1 department focusing in the field of media and public communication: Journalism and Public Relations

In the beginning, the Faculty of Modern Languages only featured two degree courses – Bulgarian and Russian Studies. Later, double pedagogical courses were created that combine Bulgarian with Russian, English, French, or German. In the 1970s, English, French and German Studies were established as degree courses as well. The University of Veliko Tarnovo was first to launch, in 1991, the degree course of Applied Linguistics offering various combinations of two foreign languages. Two years later, in 1993, Slavonic Studies, and in 1998, Balkan Studies, became part of the curriculum.

The Faculty of Modern Languages has an established network of library, information and culture centres. Student training covers a wide array of languages – English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Russian, French, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Japanese, and Serbian and Croatian.

Vigorous international activity and cooperation with over 70 universities from 58 countries further enhance the Faculty’s image and help establish it as a University leader. Student participation in the various types of international mobility is especially strong.