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This MA is one of the most wide-ranging programmes of its kind, offering a rich variety of modules on the region, ranging from the premodern period to the 21st century, from Russia and Poland to the Czech Republic and Croatia, and from film and philosophy to literature and cultural studies.
Covid-19 programme updates
Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.
Key information
Programme starts
September 2020
Modes and duration
Application dates
Tuition fees (2020/21)
Note on fees:
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website.
Entry requirements
Normally an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with a good lower second-class Bachelor's degree (pass of 55% or better) or equivalent may also be considered on their individual merits.
English language requirements
If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
International students
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.
Select your country:
About this degree
Students develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of aspects of Russian and/or east European literature and culture, including art, film, philosophy, and linguistics. They gain key research skills, enabling them to solve problems of conflicting sources or interpretations, locate primary and secondary materials, and use research aids and resources effectively.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of one core module (30 credits), optional modules (90 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).
Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MA in Russian and East European Literature and Culture.
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.
Compulsory module
- Literary and Cultural Theory
Optional modules
Students take up to 90 credits of optional modules. Subject to approval, elective modules up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from other SSEES MA Programmes or from other UCL MA Programmes. Options may include:
- All Quiet on the Eastern Front: Culture, Politics and Everyday Life in Central and Eastern Europe
- Beyond Stereotypes: The Jews in Polish Culture
- Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts
- Contemporary Cultural Studies: Between Post-Communism & Post-Modernism
- Contemporary Art and Politics in Russia and Eastern Europe
- How to Read/Interpret Texts: Introduction to Hermeneutics
- Literatures of Rupture: Modernism in Russia and Eastern Europe
- The 19th-Century Russian Novel
- The Reflecting Screen: Russian and Soviet Cinema in its Cultural Context, 1896 to the Present
- Language Modules
- Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas, 1498-1917
- Comparative Literary Studies
- Translation Studies
- Nabokov and Russian Émigré Literature
- Crossroads of Culture: Language & Identity in Literatures of Ukraine - Crimea to the Shtetls
- Languages in Contact Along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Russian Monarchy: Court Ritual and Political Ideas
- Linguistic Methods
- Nations, Identity and Power in Central and Eastern Europe
- Further information about these modules is available on the department website.
Dissertation/report
All MA students undertake an independent research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000–12,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, film viewings and private study. Students are assessed by a variety of methods, including unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the research dissertation.
Each 15-credit module is equivalent to 150 hours of study and a 30 credit module equivalent to 300 hours of study. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will approximately have 8-10 hours of contact hours each week during term time.
Additional costs
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.
Detailed module information
Funding
AHRC Scholarships may be available.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Careers
With their specialist knowledge and language skills, SSEES Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, charities, diplomacy, international security organisations, the law, and academe. Some of our graduates advise the Russian, Polish, American, and other governments, and the European Commission.
Employability
Students who have successfully completed the programme have progressed to further academic research on the region, or have obtained employment in such organisations as the European Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, as well as roles in business, think tanks, NGOs, or similar, both in Britain and abroad. Internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region as well as suite of leading events and research seminars complement your studies.
Why study this degree at UCL?
The UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) is one of the largest national centres in the UK for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia.
Located on the edge of Bloomsbury, SSEES offers an ideal location for scholars. The British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres are all close by.
The SSEES Library is unequalled in Britain for the depth and breadth of its collections, the majority of which are on open access in the SSEES building.
Department: SSEES - School of Slavonic & East European Studies
What our students and staff say
"UCL is an energetic place that is clearly on an upward trajectory, bustling with original thinkers doing cutting-edge work and incredibly talented students from all over the world. Definitely the place to study and do research at the beginning of the 21st century."
Professor Jan Kubik
UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies
Application and next steps
Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.
There is an application processing fee for this programme of £80 for online applications and £105 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.
Who can apply?
Our students come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have degrees in the study of the region; others have no acquaintance with central and Eastern Europe and Russia. We welcome students with one or more of the area's languages, and encourage those without a language to take one up.
Application deadlines
- All applicants
- 11 August 2020
For more information see our Applications page.
Apply nowWhat are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Russian and East European Literature and Culture at graduate level
- why you want to study Russian and East European Literature and Culture at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
- how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging and truly international academic environment
- where you would like to go professionally with your degree
Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.
UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.
Page last modified on 13 August 2020
