Deadline for application: January 15, 2018
The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia welcomes applications for three graduate programs, the MA in Contemporary Russian Studies, the MA in Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the MA+PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures. The
MA in Contemporary Russian Studies offers courses in Russian literature, language, culture, history, politics, art history, religious studies, and sociology, as well as further study in advanced
Russian language. The MA and MA+PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures train scholars primarily in Russian literature and culture. At the PhD level students take secondary offerings in Polish language and Polish and Central European literature. Students may also take courses in related areas in other language departments, English, History, and Religious Studies, among many others.
Among the distinctive aspects of UVA’s graduate programs in Slavic is rigorous training to a high level of proficiency in Russian language. Students have regular Oral Proficiency Interviews. Students may attend regular Russian teas and a host of other events. The University makes funds available to support foreign-language study and dissertation research abroad.
A key strength of the UVA Slavic program is the opportunity to work closely with a distinguished faculty. Areas of faculty expertise include museum studies, prison-camp literature and gulag studies, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Nabokov, Russian philosophy and religion, and literary cartography. Students enjoy an effective faculty-student mentorship program and an excellent library collection.
UVA’s Slavic graduate students form an active community. They run a speaker series, host professionalization workshops, organize an annual conference, publish a newsletter, and have a variety of social gatherings.
Students accepted to pursue the MA+PhD track receive full funding for five years, including stipends of $18,000 plus $4000 in summer support, and are eligible to compete for further funding in the 6th year. We occasionally have partial funding and work opportunities for students pursuing the MA alone. Depending on their language proficiency, MA+PhD students typically gain experience teaching language at various levels, as well as assisting in teaching undergraduate literature and folklore courses. Other opportunities for support are available through related departments and programs.
The deadline for online applications is January 15, 2018.
For more information about Slavic programs and the application process, please visit the Slavic Department website or contact Director of Graduate Studies Edith W. Clowes at clowes@virginia.edu.