Slavic Languages and Literatures PhD

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Master's

The Slavic Languages and Literatures Department does not offer a terminal MA degree. The MA degree is awarded to students in the PhD program who meet the MA requirements.

Total Units Required: 8-9

Course Title
Core Courses
SLAVIC 360-0Survey of 19th Century Russian Poetry
or SLAVIC 361-0 Survey of 20th Century Russian Poetry
SLAVIC 411-0Proseminar
SLAVIC 434-0Studies in 18th Century Russian Lit
or SLAVIC 430-0 Studies in Old Russian Literature
Other department courses or approved related courses: 5-6

Other MA Degree Requirements

  • Examinations: article-length written work and oral presentation
  • Research/Projects: none specified
  • Master's Thesis:  students will write an article-length article with a strong argument and deliver it as a paper with effective presentation.

PhD

Total Units Required: 19

Coursework Requirements

Course Title
Core Courses
SLAVIC 360-0Survey of 19th Century Russian Poetry
SLAVIC 361-0Survey of 20th Century Russian Poetry
SLAVIC 411-0Proseminar
SLAVIC 430-0Studies in Old Russian Literature
SLAVIC 434-0Studies in 18th Century Russian Lit
SLAVIC 436-0Studies in 19th Century Russian Lit.
SLAVIC 438-0Studies in 20th-Century Russian Literature (1900-1930s)
Other department courses: 6
Seminars (300- and 400-level): 6

Other PhD Degree Requirements

  • Examinations: comprehensive written examinations generally given in winter quarter of third year; exams cover all periods and genres of Russian literature and Russian intellectual history; students with master's degree from another institution or with exceptionally strong background may take exams in second year; after successful completion of written exams, students take two-hour oral exam
  • Research/Projects: in second year, students choose professor with whom to rework paper written for a previous seminar; paper is reworked into publishable article and presented orally to students and faculty in spring of second year
  • PhD Dissertation: fourth-year students must present preview of dissertation orally to students and faculty of department; dissertation proposal due beginning of fourth year
  • Final Evaluations: approval of dissertation
  • Languages:  Each first-year student must take a diagnostic Russian language placement test, prepared and administered by the language coordinator.  Studying a foreign language in addition to Russian is desired and encouraged, but not required.