The Department of Hungarian Literary Studies offers multidisciplinary approaches, perspectives and interpretive angles that offer solid foundation for the research and teaching activities of its students. Our goal is to train open-minded and dialogue-centred teachers, learned and well-prepared professionals in media and cultural studies, respectively cultural managers and researchers with a wide intellectual horizon.

The history of the department and its cultural influence is evidenced by its significant tradition and outstanding alumni. University level Hungarian Language and Literature studies were first established in Transylvania in 1872 within the University of Kolozsvár (known as Royal Hungarian Franz Joseph University from 1881). Professor Sándor Imre from Debrecen was the first to teach Hungarian language and literature courses here. He then founded in 1890 the Department of Hungarian Literature taking as a model the Royal University of Pest. The leadership of the department was taken in 1906 by Lajos Dézsi. Under the name of King Ferdinand I University (from 1945 to 1959),  Bolyai University (from 1945 to 1959) than the merged Babeș–Bolyai University Hungarian literary education took place under changing institutional conditions with the lead of Gábor Gaál, László Szabédi, Gyula Csehi, Jancsó Elemér and Piroska Benedekné Gergely. Following 1989, János Péntek started a dynamic institutional development. In 1993, the Department of Hungarian Literary Studies became an independent institution under the direction of Éva Gyimesi, who was followed by Emese Egyed and István Berszán.

Located today within the structure of the Faculty of Letters of Babeş-Bolyai University, the Department of Hungarian Literary Studies participates in several educational programs, such as the Hungarian Language and Literature Bachlor’s and Master’s degree, World and Comparative Literature, Bachelor’s Degree in Finnish Language and Literature and Hungarian Language and Literary Studies and the Doctoral School of Hungarology. In line with the teaching structure of the Faculty of Humanities, our institute offers courses in common disciplines such as literary theory, comparative literature or aesthetics.