A&S—Slavic Languages and Literatures
The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy along with an area of concentration in Russian literature and culture. Students may combine work for the MA and PhD degrees with a program of regional specialization leading to a certificate in Russian and East European studies, cultural studies, film studies, or women’s studies.
Contact Information
- Department Chair: David J. Birnbaum
- Main Office: 1417 Cathedral of Learning
- 412-624-5906
- Fax: 412-624-9714
- E-mail: slavic@pitt.edu
- www.pitt.edu/~slavic
Additional information concerning the department’s graduate program may be obtained from the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Graduate Secretary, 1417 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Phone: 412-624-5906. Fax: 412-624-9714. E-mail: slavic@pitt.edu.
Applicants for admission must submit transcripts of all college-level
work, three letters of recommendation, a career statement, and scores
on the verbal, quantitative, and writing assessment-analytical sections
of the Graduate Record Examination. International applicants whose
first language is not English are required to submit either the
TOEFL administered by the Educational Testing Service with a minimum
score of 550 (paper-based test)/213 (computer-based test) or the
IELTS administered by the University of Cambridge, Local Examinations
Syndicate with a minimum score of 6.5 (taking the academic writing
and reading modules). Applications will be accepted for fall term
admission until April 15. For awards consideration, applications
must be completed by January 15. The department admits students
only for the fall term.
If there are adequate funds, graduate students receiving a fellowship or teaching assistantship/teaching fellowship who have demonstrated high-quality graduate work can expect to have financial aid renewed for a total of four years. If they have successfully passed the PhD comprehensive examinations at the outset of the fifth year, additional financial aid from the department will be contingent upon a yearly review indicating that they are making substantial progress toward completing the dissertation. A graduate student who has not passed the PhD comprehensive examinations in September of the fifth year of graduate work ordinarily is not eligible for additional financial assistance until these examinations are passed.
Requirements for the MA
For the MA, students must earn 36 hours of graduate credit with a B average or better in courses numbered 1000 or above. At least half of these credits must be carried in courses numbered 2000 or above. All MA students are required to complete Proseminar I and II (RUSS 2110, 2120), Structure of Russian (RUSS 2210), and Russian Historical Linguistics. The remainder of student coursework is used to develop competence in Russian literature and culture. MA candidates must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of either French or German before taking the MA comprehensive exam. The MA comprehensive exam covers material from a reading list. For examination procedures see www.pitt.edu/~slavic/graduate.html#exams.
Credit Requirement: 72 graduate credits (36 beyond the MA), of which 12 may be dissertation credits; at least 60 credits must be completed by the end of the semester in which the examination is to be taken.
Approved Second Area: Nine–15 credits outside the department (but in the 72-credit total) in an approved second area (e.g., Russian and East European studies, cultural studies, film studies, or women’s studies, or European literature).
Research Languages: A reading knowledge of both French and German is required before taking the PhD comprehensive exam. PhD Qualifying Examinations: The MA comprehensive exam also serves as the PhD qualifying exam for those students who wish to pursue graduate work at the PhD level.
Supervised Teaching Experience: Supervised teaching experience is an integral part of the doctoral program. All PhD candidates have the opportunity to teach courses in language, literature, and culture, initially by assisting other instructors, and, at a more advanced stage, in stand-alone courses.
Comprehensive Examination: Students take a PhD comprehensive examination after approximately two years of coursework beyond the MA. For examination procedures visit www.pitt.edu/~slavic/graduate.html#exams.
Dissertation Overview: Following successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the student files an application for admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy. At this stage the student presents a proposed topic for doctoral research and a research design for its execution to be reviewed by the dissertation committee. Dissertation Defense: The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee and is open to the University community.
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