Graduate Degree Programs and Certificates

The Slavic department currently offers courses of study leading to the Master of Arts in Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; and the Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures.

The M.A. degree program offers a comprehensive course of study in Russian literature, language, and culture. A required set of courses (in advanced language, theory and methodology, and history) provides the core of foundational knowledge in the discipline. M.A. students are then free to choose literature courses offered by the Slavic department at both the 500- and the 400-levels, plus courses of related interest that are offered by other departments at UIUC, such as the Program in Comparative and World Literature, the History Department, the English Department, and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, among others. The M.A. program is generally four semesters long and culminates in an M.A. written exam.

An M.A. or equivalent is required for admission at the doctoral level. See Degree Requirements for detailed information.

The Ph.D. degree program in Slavic Languages and Literatures is characterized by an open structure, allowing students to design an individualized program of study, based on their interests and in consultation with the graduate advisor. Students can specialize in any Slavic-area field currently offered by the department (including but not limited to Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, or Yiddish) and may complement their coursework in language and literature with studies in critical theory, comparative literature, philosophy, cinema and related media, history, political science, and the visual and performing arts. Students may also choose to complete a graduate minor or a graduate certificate in another program, such as Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; the Unit for Cinema Studies; the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory; or the Gender and Women’s Studies Program.