Master of Arts Degree Requirements

The Department offers two M.A. tracks. Only students in the Slavic Languages and Literatures track may proceed to the Ph.D. program.

Slavic Languages and Literatures

Requirements for the M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures include:

• 30 semester hours of course work at or above the 5000 level (not including RUSS 5050)
• Passing the Russian language proficiency examination
• Passing the comprehensive examination
• Completion of RUSS 5050 each semester until the Russian language proficiency examination is passed

The 30 semester hours of course work for the M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures consist of:

• At least six hours of nineteenth-century literature
• At least six hours of twentieth-century literature
• RUSS 5010 Readings in the Social Sciences
• RUSS 5030 Advanced Russian I
• RUSS 7010 Proseminar
• Six hours planned in consultation with a faculty advisor

Contemporary Russian Studies

Requirements for the M.A. in Contemporary Russian Studies include:

• 30 semester hours of course work at or above the 5000 level (not including RUSS 5050)
• Passing the Russian language proficiency examination
• Passing the comprehensive examination
• Completion of RUSS 5050 each semester until the Russian language proficiency examination is passed
• A thesis written on an independent research topic under the supervision of a faculty member

The 30 semester hours of course work for the M.A. in Contemporary Russian Studies consist of:

• RUSS 5010 Readings in the Social Sciences
• RUSS 5030 Advanced Russian I
• Six hours of nineteenth- and/or twentieth-century Russian literature
• Three hours of folklore or traditional culture
• Nine hours of Russian history and Russian politics; course work is required in both fields
• RUSS 8999 Master’s Thesis
• Three hours in a related field planned in consultation with a faculty advisor

Examinations

Russian Proficiency Examination

The Russian proficiency examination consists of three components:

• Written component (three hours)
• Oral component (10-20 minutes)
• Translation component (one hour)

Students pursuing an M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures take only the written and oral components. Students pursuing an M.A. in Contemporary Russian Studies take the written, oral and translation components.

The oral component is a conversation between the student and several members of the faculty. It is scheduled and administered only after the candidate has been given permission to proceed based on performance on the written component (and translation component for CRS students).

The translation component requires the student to translate a passage of scholarly prose from Russian to English. A glossary is provided if there are specialized vocabulary items.

The Russian proficiency examination:

• is offered once per semester, usually within the first few weeks of the semester
• should be taken early (in the first or second semester)
• may be taken more than once
• must be passed before the comprehensive examination may be taken
• may be taken earlier in the same semester as the comprehensive examination or in a previous semester
• should demonstrate a high level of performance in the case of students continuing on to the doctoral level

Comprehensive Examination

For students pursuing an M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures the comprehensive examination consists of a written component and an oral component. The written component is three hours and consists of identifications, essay questions and analysis of a literary text. After passing the written component, students take a one-hour oral examination.

For students pursuing an M.A. in Contemporary Russian Studies, the comprehensive examination is an oral defense of the thesis.

Note the following important information about the comprehensive examination:

• The comprehensive exam is offered once per semester, usually about a month before the end of the semester
• The comprehensive exam may be taken more than once, but written permission to take the exam more than twice must be obtained from the Department Chair

For proficiency and comprehensive exams, test dates and a sign-up form (.doc, 36KB) are available.