Home

Russian Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

Explore Russian culture from different perspectives while learning Russian or improving your language skills. The Russian MA is a degree that enables you to specialise in your choice of modules, while gaining expertise sought after by a range of employers. Taught at the UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) – one of the largest UK centres for the study of the region – you’ll learn from renowned scholars in this field.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

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.

The English language level for this course is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

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. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


Russian culture is explored from a variety of perspectives. You can specialise in literature and culture, social sciences or history, or combine modules into an interdisciplinary programme. You are encouraged to develop your research skills, and can choose to learn Russian, or improve your command of Russian, through a language course.

Further details on structure and modules can be found in the Programme Handbook.

Who this course is for

Our programme is designed for students who have little or no prior experience of the study of Russia as well as those who have undertaken Russian studies at BA level, who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of Russia from a multidisciplinary perspective. Those with a first degree in humanities, languages or social sciences are particularly encouraged to apply. No knowledge of Russian language is required. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

SSEES is one the largest national centres in the UK for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia. Because of the breadth of expertise within the school, you will benefit from a wide range of module choices and can tailor the degree to your interests.

Our location on the edge of Bloomsbury offers you access to the British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres, which are all close by.

Our unique specialist library which contains over 400,000 books, volumes and journals with relation to the region, and central London location provide an ideal environment for research, while our close contacts with employers, policymakers, embassies and alumni afford you excellent opportunities for networking and career development.

Students can specialise in a track of their choice; literature; history; or politics. 

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Popular career paths for SSEES Language and Culture graduates include Policy and Government; Publishing, Journalism and Translation; Teaching; Academic Research; Performance and Creative Arts; Banking and Investment, and Charities and International Development. Some graduates advise the Russian, Polish, American, and other governments, and the European Commission.

Employers of our graduates include the Agricultural Bank of China; Ar Department for Transport; European Exchange; French Government; Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Higher Rights; INTO University Partnerships; Zurich Insurance.

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.

Employability

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 academia. You will acquire transferable skills such as critical reasoning, independent thinking and application of theoretical concepts which strongly place you to find employment in international organisations, and particularly careers which cross international boundaries and value  linguistic and cultural knowledge.

Networking

Our London location and links with cultural institutions, such as Pushkin House; think-tanks such as Chatham House and proximity to Embassies of the region, mean we attract a wide range of external and influential speakers at our events.

The SSEES Employers Evening hosts a range of employers with relevant job opportunities for SSEES students, enabling networking with key organisations to help further your career.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and private study. The third term is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project. 

A 15-credit module is equivalent to 150 hours of study and a 30-credit module equivalent to 300 hours. This includes contact time, private study and the undertaking of coursework assignments.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, film viewings, tutorials and specialist language courses. You will be assessed through unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the research dissertation.

For a full-time postgraduate course, we recommend around 20-25 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will have approximately 8-10 contact hours each week during term time, spent in lectures and seminars.

For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week.

Those undertaking language modules may have additional contact hours. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

Modules

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

You will take a compulsory methodology module and a choice of optional modules in aspects of Russian literature and culture, social sciences or history, and a dissertation, including a compulsory dissertation preparation programme.

Subject to approval, optional modules up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from another SSEES MA programme or from another MA programme within UCL (examples include Anthropology, History, European Studies, Comparative Literature etc.).

Further details on structure and modules can be found in the Programme Handbook.

The MA Russian Studies can be taken part-time, across two years. Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

In Year 1, you will take a compulsory methodology modules, designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and to provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and for the dissertation. You will also choose optional modules in aspects of Russian language, literature and culture, social sciences or history,

In Year 2, you will take optional modules to develop your broader understanding and develop key concepts learnt in Year 1. You will also continue to formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your supervisor

Compulsory modules




Optional modules
























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 are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

You will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Russian Studies.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: SSEES Languages, Literature and Culture

We are excited to announce the return of the SSEES Graduate Open Series, commencing on Monday 27th October for two weeks, with a focussed session on each of our subject areas: Economics and Business; Politics and Sociology; Languages, Literature and Culture; History; and IMESS. Our virtual Zoom event series promises an invaluable experience for prospective Master’s students as they explore a diverse range of postgraduate master's opportunities.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, or conference registration fees and associated travel costs.

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

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 course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Russian Studies at graduate level
  • why you want to study Russian Studies at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your personal, academic background and training meets the demands of a challenging programme
  • where you would like to go subsequently 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.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

School of Slavonic and East European Studies
School of Slavonic and East European Studies

tjmsmaa@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.