Slavic and Eurasian Studies | College of Liberal Arts
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MA Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

The requirements of the program are designed to give students a broad background in the Russian, East European and Eurasian area. Students may choose the thesis option, consisting of at least thirty semester hours of coursework (including the thesis); or the report option, consisting of at least thirty-three semester hours (including the report). Use the Degree Planning Form or Graduate Catalog for the year you entered the program to help you plan your course schedule.

Under either option, at least 18 hours must be in non-language graduate coursework that deals primarily with the Russian, East European and Eurasian area. Each student in the program must take at least one course from each of the following groups:

  • A seminar in Russian, East European and Eurasian Civilizations and Cultures (REE 381 — 3 credit hours)
  • Topics in Literature and Culture (REE 386 — 3 credit hours)
  • Topics in Economics, History, and Government  (REE 387 — 3 credit hours)
  • Topics in Anthropology, Sociology, and Geography (REE 388 — 3 credit hours)
  • An approved Research Methodology course (3 credits)
  • A Masters Writing Colloquium course while enrolled in REE 698B or REE 398R (1 credit hour)
  • Area studies electives courses (9 credit hours for Thesis option students, 15 hours for Report option students).

All courses counted toward the degree must have content relevant to the former Soviet Union or East/Central/Southeast Europe and must be taken for a grade (not credit).

Plus, you must choose either:

  • Thesis option: REE 698A (3 credits) and REE 698B (3 credits), a two-semester sequence of work concluding with the timely presentation of an acceptable M.A. thesis in the major field of concentration
  • Report option: REE 398R (3 credits), a one-semester course concluding with the timely presentation of an acceptable M.A. report.

Language Proficiency

The student must also pass an oral proficiency test in the selected language at Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) level 2 or the American Council of Teachers of Russian intermediate-mid level. Credit earned in fulfilling the language requirement may not be counted toward the degree since language competence is a necessary tool for graduate study in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies; however, content courses taught in a foreign language at the advanced (4th-year) level may be counted as electives courses towards the MA degree.

While Russian is the area of greatest departmental strength and with the most regular course offerings, the department encourages students to work with faculty, who also have expertise in Czech, Polish, South Slavic/Balkan and Ukrainian studies.

Participation in the Intellectual Life of the Center

Students who are accepted into the program are expected to participate fully in the intellectual life of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. This includes but is not limited to volunteering at Center events, participation in community outreach efforts, getting involved with our Slavic Connexion podcast, and reporting awards and honors received to the Center.

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