Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
Director of Graduate Studies: Richard Tempest
Graduate Advisor: Tracie Wilson
104 International Studies Building
910 South Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1244
Fax: (217) 333-1582
E-mail: reec@illinois.edu
Major: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Degrees offered: M.A.
Graduate Minors: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Balkan Studies
Graduate Degree Programs
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center offers a two-year program of language and area studies courses leading to an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree. The program is designed to meet the needs of students proceeding to disciplinary-based doctoral work and those planning non-academic professional careers with area expertise.
Admission
Prospective graduate students should have completed at least two years of Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Applicants must submit the Graduate College application for admission, certified transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, and written), three letters of reference, and a writing sample. International students must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. All applicants must meet the requirements of the Graduate College. Admission is ordinarily in the fall semester, but occasional exceptions are made for spring and summer admission.
Degree Requirements
*For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Programs and the Graduate College Handbook.
Master of Arts
| Required Courses: | Thesis option - Required Hours | Non-thesis option - Required Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REES 550 | 4 | 4 |
| LIS 530 | 4 | 4 |
| Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies, earned in at least three different disciplines outside of REEES, with at least one at the 500 level. | 24 | 24 |
| Electives, at least one must be at the 500 level | 6 | 6 |
| Language Requirement: third-year competency in Russian or another language of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Language courses can not count toward the 24 hour core requirement, but can count toward the degree total. | ||
| Elective hours | 8 | |
| Thesis Hours Required– REES 599 (min/max applied toward degree): | max 8 | |
| Total Hours | 38 | 38 |
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: |
12 | 12 |
| Other Requirements:* | ||
| Minimum GPA: | 3.25 | 3.25 |
Electives outside of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies should complement the student's core courses, research, and professional interests. A master's thesis or major research paper is required, to be based on research using primary sources, including sources in the language used to meet the competency requirement.
Graduate Minors
Students within the REEES M.A. program cannot also pursue a graduate minor in the same field. *For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate Programs and the Graduate College Handbook.
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies graduate minor is designed for M.A. or Ph.D. students in other disciplines who desire to complement their degree program with interdisciplinary study of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. A program of study can be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student in consultation with Center staff; for admission to the program contact the Center.
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| LIS 530 | 4 |
| Electives (8 hours at the 500 level) that relate to Russia, Eastern Europe, or Eurasia, 12 of which must be taken outside the student's enrolling department. | 16 |
| Language Requirement: must have a minimum of two years of college-level study of a language of the region | |
| Total Hours | 20 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| Students must also submit a research paper primarily on the region. |
Balkan Studies
The Balkan Studies graduate minor is designed for M.A. or Ph.D. students in other disciplines who desire to complement their degree program with interdisciplinary study of the Balkans.
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| LIS 530 | 4 |
| Electives (8 hours at the 500 level) that relate to Russia, Eastern Europe, or Eurasia, 12 of which must be taken outside the student's enrolling department. | 16 |
| Language Requirement: must have a minimum of two years of college-level study of a language of the region | |
| Total Hours | 20 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| Students must also submit a research paper primarily on the region. |
A program of study can be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student in consultation with Center staff; for admission to the program contact the Center.
Faculty Research Interests
The faculty affiliated with the Center represent a broad range of interests and methodological approaches in the social sciences and the humanities, as well as the professional schools.
Facilities and Resources
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center was founded in 1959 and designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education. It serves as an intellectual and institutional hub for the university community and the public through conferences, lectures, colloquia, visiting scholars, study groups, exhibits, films, and other activities.
The annual Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia features special workshops, seminars, lectures, films, and other events, most of which are free and open to the public.
The Slavic and East European Library at the University of Illinois has one of the country's three outstanding Slavic library collections. The Slavic Reference Service serves all faculty and students with expert bibliographers.
Language training is provided by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature in: Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian or Croatian, Ukrainian, and Old Church Slavonic.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is awarded on an academic year basis. All fellowships and assistantships include a stipend plus tuition and service fee waiver. Qualified incoming students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are proposed for U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships.
Qualified students may also be eligible to compete for other fellowships at the campus level. A limited number of graduate assistantships, which include a tuition and fee waiver, are also available to outstanding students. The Center offers a 50 percent graduate assistantship in the area of outreach; research assistantships are sometimes available through the Slavic and East European Library. Information on need-based financial aid may be obtained from the Graduate College Fellowships Office.