Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies - Master of Arts (MA)

The department offers an interdisciplinary professional MA in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REEES) focusing on Russian language proficiency as well as Russian, East European and Eurasian cultures. The MA program is strongly interdisciplinary and students can pursue connections between Russian, East European and Eurasian history, politics and culture from the 19th through the 21st centuries. The faculty's strengths include literature, cinema, folklore, literary/cultural theory, cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies, minority studies, nationalism, environmental humanities, sociolinguistics and pedagogy.

The faculty works closely with students to design their own course of study. Some REEES MA students receive a teaching assistantship and tuition waiver.

For contact information and more general information on the MA in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, visit the REEES Program website or email gsll_assist@colorado.edu.

Requirements

Course Requirements

REEES MA students may take up to 12 credit hours in an outside area. Students frequently choose business, political science, geography, women and gender studies, education, history, linguistics, film studies, Jewish studies, religious studies, fine arts, and theater and dance, but students may pursue other options. All outside area courses must be approved by the Director of REEES Graduate Studies.

Upon approval of the Director of REEES Graduate Studies, students may take up to six credit hours of 3000- or 4000-level courses toward their MA degree.

Students interested in independent study should check with a faculty member who may sponsor the independent study, and then obtain an informational sheet and an Independent Study Contract from the department. Once the contract is approved by the chair, a staff member will enroll the student in the course. MA students may not take more than a total of 7 hours of independent study.

Transfer credit from accredited institutions is accepted by CU Boulder only after approval by the Director of REEES Graduate Studies and the Graduate School. Transfer credit is defined as any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a nondegree student within the CU system. MA students are allowed a maximum of 9 hours of transfer credit. 

All students must pass the Russian language proficiency exam, consisting of written and oral components, during their final semester. Educated native Russian speakers are exempt from the language proficiency exam.

Degree Plans

Plan I: Thesis Option

Students must complete at least 30 credit hours, including 24 hours of coursework and 6 thesis hours. Students must submit a thesis and pass a one-hour oral defense.

Plan II: Non-Thesis Option

Students must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, then pass a written MA final exam and a one-hour oral defense.