Russian and East European Studies MPhil

The MPhil in Russian and East European Studies is a two-year programme for graduates who are interested in gaining a deeper knowledge and understanding of Russia and Eastern Europe through the study of the region across a range of disciplines including history, economics, politics, international relations and sociology.

In the first year of the programme you will study the following three core courses, along with Research Methods for Area Studies and Russian Language:

History of Russia, the USSR and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century
Contemporary Russian and East European Studies Part 1: Politics and international relations. Covering topics in the politics, security and international relations of Russia and Eastern Europe.
Contemporary Russian and East European Studies Part 2: Sociology and economics. Covering topics in the economics and sociology of Russia and Eastern Europe.

The specific provision of subject teaching in Contemporary Russian and East European Studies Parts 1 and 2 is dependent on teaching availability.

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures and classes. You will be required to submit essays and make class presentations. Through the research methods course, you will receive training in relevant qualitative and quantitative methodologies to enable you to carry out research and writing for your 30,000-word thesis, while the Russian language course will deepen your connection with the region.

In the second year you will be able to specialise your knowledge through the choice of two special subject courses chosen from a list of options available for that academic year.

Russian language tuition will continue and you will work on completing your thesis which must be submitted by Monday in Week 4 of Trinity term.

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the equivalent of the following UK qualifications: a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours. The qualification above should be achieved in one of the following subject areas oras a minimum, in history, politics, economics, international relations or Slavic languages. Students with degrees in other subjects are eligible to apply. For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.6 out of 4.0.