Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Coursework Requirements

At least 38 hours of graduate credit are required as follows:

  1. REES 550: Seminar in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies — 4 hours
  2. IS 461: Information Needs of Particular Communities: REEES Bibliography and Research Methods — 4 hours
  3. 30 hours that meet the following conditions:
    • Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian studies (4 hours at the 500 level, exclusive of REES 599), including coursework from the approved class list maintained by REEEC and earned in at least three different disciplines outside REEES. For students pursuing the thesis option (below), up to 8 hours of Thesis Research (REES 599) may be counted toward the 24 hour core.
    • Electives, at least one at the 500-level — 6 hours
      1. Electives outside REEES should complement the student’s core curriculum, research, and professional interests.
  4. Language Requirement: Third-year competency in Russian or another language of the region is required.

Language courses cannot count toward the 24 hour core, but those taken beyond the third-year requirement can serve as electives with advisor approval.

Approved language courses that focus on literature (see the list maintained by REEEC) may meet the core or elective requirement. Consult your advisor for confirmation.

The MA course requirements are flexible and allow students to tailor the graduate experience to their specific objectives. While many courses appearing on the approved list are offered regularly, the catalog changes each semester depending on departmental needs, instructor availability, and the development of new courses. Additionally, REEEC regularly offers innovative special topics courses on a range of subjects. Students are therefore advised to also consult the Selected List of Courses in REEES that is posted to the REEEC website home page each semester for further approved course options. Every student identifies and selects their own individualized program in close consultation with the REEEC director, who serves as Director of Graduate Studies. Please review the REEEC Student Course Profiles to see sample coursework plans.

While all students are required to complete either a MA Thesis or capstone Research Paper (below), there are no comprehensive MA examinations.

Grade Point Average: Students must maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.25 (A=4.0).

Research Requirement:  MA Thesis or Major Research Paper

MA Thesis Requirements
A thesis is a work of scholarship and/or interpretation involving significant research with primary and secondary sources or documents; the use of primary source materials in the language used to meet the foreign language requirement is required. Students choose a REEEC-affiliated faculty advisor to mentor their project, and the final thesis must be approved by the advisor and the REEEC director. No defense of the thesis is required. The thesis must be formatted according to Graduate College guidelines and submitted for deposit by Graduate College deadlines. For additional details, see the REEEC Thesis Guidelines. Up to 8 hours of Thesis Research (REES 599) can be counted toward the 24 hours of area courses.

MA Research Paper Requirements
The MA paper should contain original research and/or analysis; it should be of a length similar to a typical article in a scholarly journal; it may be a revision of a paper written for a graduate course. Students choose a REEEC-affiliated faculty advisor to mentor and evaluate the paper; this is often the professor for whom the initial paper was originally written. The completed paper must be approved by the advisor and the REEEC director; there is no defense. Primary sources in the language used to meet the foreign language requirement are required. Research papers need not be submitted to the Graduate College for deposit, but a final version of the paper, in both electronic and paper form, must be submitted to the REEEC director. For additional details, see the REEEC Thesis Guidelines. To assist in preparing or writing their MA papers, students may elect to register for REES 590: Individual Study or Research with their supervising mentor; these credit hours may be counted toward the 24 hour core.

 

Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies/Master of Science in Library and Information Science

Coursework Requirements
At least 56 hours of graduate credit are required as follows:

  1. REES 550: Seminar in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies — 4 hours
  2. IS 505: Information Organization and Access — 4 hours
  3. IS 510: Libraries, Information, and Society —  2 or 4 hours
  4. IS 461: Information Needs of Particular Communities: REEES Bibliography and Research Methods — 2 or 4 hours
  5. Core courses in Russian, East European, or Eurasian Studies — 24 hours

These courses must be selected from an approved list maintained by REEEC and include credits earned in at least three different disciplines outside REEES, with at least one course at the 500-level in addition to the thesis. Hours for the thesis, REES 599, may be included up to a maximum of 8; these hours cannot be counted towards the IS electives described below.

  1. Elective IS courses, at least 12 hours of which must be at the 500-level — 16 to 18 hours

These credits should be selected in consultation with an advisor who is a member of the iSchool faculty. Electives may include:

IS 582 IL: International Librarianship
IS 549: Practicum
IS 589: Independent Study

  1. Language Requirement: Third-year competency in Russian or another language of the region is required. 

Credit hours earned in language courses may not count toward the degree. However, approved language courses that focus on literature (see the list maintained by REEEC) may meet the 24 hour REEES core requirement.

Grade Point Average
Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.25 (A=4.0)

Research Requirement
MA Thesis or Major Research Paper (see description above)

 

For more information, please visit the program’s page at catalog.illinois.edu.