Graduate Programs

Overview

A summary of the basic requirements for the MA and the PhD degrees is given below.
For complete information, prospective and enrolled students may follow these links:

Information for Prospective Students

For consideration for acceptance into our graduate program we require the following:

1. Completed Online Application Form.
2. Statement of Purpose.
3. GRE scores (Graduate Record Exam) – Institutional code: 1324, department code 2606.
4. TOEFL scores (Test of English as a Foreign Language) – For International Applicants Only.
5. Three Letters of Recommendation.
6. Transcripts.
7. Writing Sample.

Informational links:

• Slavic Department Admissions Information
• University Graduate School Admissions Information

Information for Enrolled Students

• Slavic Department Degree Requirements
• University Graduate School  

Resources

Funding opportunities for graduate study:

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Fellowships and Assistantships from Indiana University
• IU Educational Opportunity Fellowship (for minority and first-generation college graduates)
• Indiana University GradGrants Center
• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships (U.S. citizens or permanent residents only)
• Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship

For information on funding for graduate student research, exchanges, travel to conferences, pre-dissertation travel, and external sources for dissertation research grants, please refer to the Russian and East European Institute's Funding Notice.

Graduate Student Advisors

For Linguistics:  Ron Feldstein    BH 502   email: feldstei      ph: 812-855-9906
For Literature:    Aaron Beaver     BH 509   email: abbeaver  ph: 812-855-3351

List of current graduate students.

Admission Requirements for the M.A.

• GRE General Test
• Knowledge of Russian language adequate for graduate study, as determined by a proficiency exam based on the department's fourth-year course.
• General acquaintance with the major works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature equivalent to at least the materials covered in a two-semester undergraduate survey course.

Deficiencies

• Students enrolling with a deficiency in Russian language study are encouraged to enroll in the Summer Workshop (SWSEEL) or equivalent summer program in order to remove the deficiency. Students who enter the program without adequate preparation will be required to make up the deficiency in undergraduate classes. Courses taken to satisfy deficiency requirements will not carry graduate credit and will lie outside of the 30 credit hours required for the M.A. degree.
• Students with a deficiency in Russian literature may take the departmental undergraduate survey courses (R263-R264) without credit. 

The M.A. Degree

Requirements

• 30 credit hours (20 in the Slavic Department)
• Completion of one of the four tracks of study
  • Track 1: Russian Literature
  • Track 2: Slavic Linguistics
  • Track 3: Language and Area Studies
  • Track 4: Dual Concentration
• Reading knowledge of French or German (demonstrated by course or proficiency exam)

Teaching Opportunities

• There are typically no teaching opportunities for first-year MA students.
• Second-year MA students and PhD students may apply to teach in the department as language instructors or as associate instructors (AIs) for select non-language courses. Students who wish to teach are required to take a one-semester pedagogy course, R 592.

THE PhD DEGREE

Plan A: Russian Literature 

Admission Requirements

• Doctoral admission exam

Course Requirements 

• 30 credits from M.A. 
• 12 credits from minor
• R503 or R504 (whichever was not done during the MA)
• 1 semester linguistics requirement (L571, L576, L501: see Bulletin)
• 2 semesters of a second Slavic language
• At least 5 additional literature courses in the department, including one seminar.

Total: 90 credits (at least 69 credits of course work and up to 21 credits of dissertation).

Language Requirement

• Active knowledge of written and spoken Russian beyond that required for the M.A
• Reading knowledge of German, French, and one other Slavic language.

Qualifying Examination

• 3 written exams, as described in the Bulletin
• 1 oral exam, as described in the Bulletin

Plan B: Slavic Linguistics 

Admission Requirements

• Doctoral admission exam

Course Requirements 

• 30 credits from M.A. 
• 1 semester literature requirement (R505 or R506)
• 2 semesters of a third Slavic language. 
• 12 credits from minor
• 6 diachronic and synchronic linguistics courses, including at least one seminar.

Total: 90 credits (at least 69 credits of course work and up to 21 credits of dissertation). 

Language Requirement

• Active knowledge of a major Slavic language beyond the minimum required for the M.A.
• Reading knowledge of one Slavic language from each of the other two branches
• Reading knowledge of German and French. 

Qualifying Examination

• 4 written exams, as described in the Bulletin
• 1 oral exam, as described in the Bulletin

THE DISSERTATION

Each doctoral candidate must write and defend a dissertation which makes an original contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the field.

For information on beginning the dissertation writing process, candidates should speak with their graduate student advisor.

Some helpful websites:

• University Graduate School Academic Bulletin
• University Graduate School Thesis Guide    
• IU Dissertation Submission Site