Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (MA)
Department website: http://liberalarts.utexas.edu/slavic/graduate/about.php
The Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies is a two-year, multidisciplinary program that offers advanced scholarly training for students who seek integrated knowledge of the language, history, society, and culture of the former Soviet Union and Eastern/Central/Southeast Europe, or one or more of their subareas. The program is designed for students preparing for careers in the professions and for those seeking an intermediate, interdisciplinary master’s degree before pursuing a doctorate in a particular discipline. Within the requirements of the program, students may choose an individual course of study to meet their needs, with a broader choice of courses than is possible in a traditional disciplinary master’s degree program.
The program of study may involve work in any of the following academic disciplines: anthropology; architecture; art history; business; comparative literature; economics; European studies; geography; government; history; law; linguistics; Middle Eastern studies; music; philosophy; public affairs; radio-television-film; Russian, East European and Eurasian studies; and sociology.
Candidates for the degree are expected to acquire extensive knowledge of the country or countries of their specialization, as well as working competence in one of the region’s languages.
Graduate Handbook
Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.
Admission
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university. Preferred qualifications include significant course work on and/or professional experience in the former Soviet Union or East/Central/Southeast Europe, and/or intermediate low proficiency in at least one of the languages spoken in the region.
Total Hours Required: 31
Thesis: 31
Report: 34
Requirements
The program requirements are designed to give students a broad background in the area of Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. Under either option, at least 18 hours must be in non-language graduate coursework that deals primarily with the region of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Non-language Graduate Coursework | ||
| REE 381 | Seminar in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Civilizations and Cultures | 3 |
| REE 189 | Master's Writing Colloquium | 1 |
| Select at least one course from each of the following categories: | 12 | |
| Topics in Literature and Culture | ||
| Topics in Economics, History, and Government | ||
| Topics in Anthropology, Sociology, and Geography | ||
a methodology or theory course from a list of approved courses | ||
| Additional Coursework | 2 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Additional Requirements and Policies
All courses counted toward the degree must have content relevant to the former Soviet Union or East/Central/Southeast Europe. The student must pass an oral proficiency test in the selected language at the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) level 1+ 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 level (fourth year or above) may be counted as electives courses towards the MA degree.