Admission Requirements
Course Requirements
Final Examination
Admission Requirements
The requirements for admission to the master's degree program in Russian are:
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A Bachelor of Arts degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited college or university.
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A command of the Russian language sufficient to permit the student to do satisfactory graduate work in an area of specialization.
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A familiarity with Russian literature sufficient to permit the student to perform adequately in courses at the graduate level.
The applicant's previous academic training in Russian language and literature normally serves as an indication of competence. Accordingly, the department does not ordinarily consider applications from students who have not had at least three years of college Russian and some undergraduate training in Russian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Before registering for the first quarter's work in the department, entering graduate students are required to take placement examinations in Russian. Students who fail to perform satisfactorily must register for remedial courses. Course work in third-year Russian and below carries no credit toward either the M.A. or the Ph.D. degree.
Course Requirements
Candidates for the M.A. who are not also candidates for the Ph.D. should plan course work that ensures adequate preparation for the M.A. final examination at the end of the third quarter. Candidates for the M.A. degree who are also Ph.D. candidates should attempt to include as many of the department's basic course offerings as possible in the first-year program to ensure sufficient time to complete the M.A. thesis during the fifth quarter of registration. In any case, course work should be planned in consultation with the graduate adviser.
Candidates for the M.A. must complete a program of 36 units, of which 27 units must be selected from courses given by the department. The other 9 units may, with approval of the candidate's adviser, be selected from courses in related fields. Of the 27 units in the department, a minimum of 9 must be in language (unless waived by the graduate adviser) and a minimum of 9 in literature. The remaining 9 may be distributed in accordance with needs and interests of the student, with advice and approval of the department adviser.
No credit toward the M.A. degree is allowed for first- or second-year courses in non-Slavic languages required for the Ph.D. degree.
Final Examination
Students not enrolled in the Ph.D. program may either submit an M.A. thesis or take a final written examination. Those who chose the final examination must demonstrate, regardless of the area of specialization: command of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicology of contemporary Standard Russian sufficient to teach beginning and intermediate courses at the college level;
an ability to read contemporary Standard Russian sufficient to assist students studying contemporary Russian poetry or literary prose; and sufficient familiarity with Russian literature of either the 19th or 20th century to handle survey courses dealing with a chosen period of specialization. The examination should be passed at the end of the final quarter of required course work.