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Contact information
- Miss Lisa Walters
- Senior Admissions Officer
- ugadmissions@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
- +44 (0)20 7679 8830
Russian with an East European Language BA
If you are inspired by language learning and enjoy exploring the similarities and differences between languages, this degree programme offers you the opportunity to study Russian and an east European language in a major/minor combination. You can choose from Bulgarian, Czech/Slovak, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian/Croatian or Ukrainian.
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
- UCAS code
- R715
- Duration
-
Full-time: 4 years
- Application deadline
- 15 January 2020
- Location
- London, Bloomsbury
Entry requirements
A Levels
- Grades
- ABB
- Subjects
- No specific subjects.
- At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
- GCSEs
- English Language and a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) at grade B or 6, plus Mathematics at grade C or 5.
Contextual offer
- Grades
- BBB (more about contextual offers)
- Subjects
- No specific subjects.
- GCSEs
- English Language and a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) at grade B or 6, plus Mathematics at grade C or 5.
IB Diploma
- Points
- 34
- Subjects
- A score of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no score lower than 5.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 32 (more about contextual offers)
- Subjects
- A score of 15 points in three higher level subjects, with no score lower than 5.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.
Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 28 credits awarded with Merit in the Level 3 units.
D3,M1,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects
ABB at Advanced Highers (or AB at Advanced Higher and BBB at Higher)
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A-Levels at grades ABB.
International applications
In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.
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. Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Degree benefits
This programme is designed both for students with little or no previous knowledge of Russian (Mode One), and for students with Russian A level or equivalent (Mode Two).
Russian at UCL offers unrivalled opportunities, with academic expertise in language, literature, film, history, politics and an exceptional range of cultural options.
You will spend your third year studying in Russia. If you are starting this degree programme with no prior knowledge of Russian, your first year will also involve a month in Russia.
The UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) is the largest national centre in the UK for the study of Central, Eastern and South-East Europe and Russia. The SSEES Library contains over 400,000 books, journals and film resources.
Degree structure
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Compulsory Russian language modules form part of years one, two and four for all students. You will choose a minor language (which counts for 25% of your study time) from Bulgarian, Czech/Slovak, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian/Croatian or Ukrainian.
Your third year is spent in Russia. The department can offer a choice of options not only in Moscow and St Petersburg but also in other cities. Immersing yourself in the language and culture of Russia will significantly improve your depth of understanding and fluency.
Covid-19 study abroad updates
For this academic year, if you were due to study abroad, you should have been contacted by your department with more information. Further guidance can be found on FAQs for 20/21 Study Abroad students about coronavirus (COVID-19).
If you are planning to study abroad in 2021/22, UCL and your department will be in contact with you at the start of the upcoming academic year with information on the application process.
If you plan to study abroad in future years, UCL and your department will provide relevant information and guidance nearer to the time.
Modules
An indicative guide to the structure of this programme, year by year.
Core or compulsory module(s)
30 credits of Russian language modules
30 credits in East European langauge modules
15 credits from Russian Short Fiction from Romanticism to Postmodernism
30 credits from:
The Making of Modern Russian Culture
Representations of Russia
Russian Cinema: History, Ideology and Society
Optional modules
Detailed module information
Core or compulsory module(s)
30 credits Russian language
30 credits East European language
Plus:
Identites in Nineteenth Century Russian Literature
OR
The Petersburg 'Text' in Russian Literature and Culture: from Romanticism to Modernism
Optional modules
75 credits of optional credits from literature and culture modules
Detailed module information
Year abroad
You will spend your third year abroad in Russia, at a partner university.
Detailed module information
Core or compulsory module(s)
Use of Russian (Year 4)
Comprehension of Russian (Year 4)
East European Language
Optional modules
You will select 60 credits from all year four optional Russian modules, which may include:
SERS0031 - The Person Love & Utopia in Russian Thought
SERS0041 - Essay in Russian
SERS0043 - Russian Literature in Revolution: Experiments with Form, 1917-1953
SERS0079 - Pushkin
SERS0045 Russian Cinema: Innovation and Experiment
SERS0051- Russian Literature from the Death of Stalin to the Present: Dissent and Discovery
Detailed module information
Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study.
These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only. The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August. From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system.
There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available
Your learning
You will follow an integrated language programme including classes in written and spoken Russian and your chosen East European language. In both language and content courses, we offer lively and varied teaching methods including lectures, seminars and small classes in which the focus is on active student participation.
Covid-19 face-to-face teaching updates
Due to social distancing requirements, all your core teaching will take place online. However, programmes will be able to offer some face-to-face educational activities, subject to government guidance. These are summarised for this programme below:
All lectures and seminars in Term 1 will be undertaken online. Learning will be supplemented by face to face academic activities including personal tutoring, study groups, book discussion groups, and small group work. However, if you are unable to join on campus in Term 1, you will be able to fully carry out your studies remotely wherever you are in the world.
Your department will keep you updated on face-to-face activities and any changes will be communicated to you as soon as they are available.
Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully.
In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching.
UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.
SSEES will continue to publish specific information as to how teaching and other aspects of your education and support will be delivered. A dedicated set of FAQs for SSEES will be made available online shortly.
Assessment
You will be assessed by written, oral and aural examinations, presentations and coursework essays. Some elements of assessment throughout the programme count towards your final degree while others are used to monitor your progress and provide you with advice on how to improve.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.
If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.
Careers
Graduates will be equipped with Russian language skills and an understanding of the political, economic and cultural factors involved in Russian society. These attributes are sought after by governmental and non-governmental organisations, consultancies, as well as commercial, finance and media organisations (particularly those with cross-border practices or activities).
Leading figures from government and business regularly stress the need for well-qualified Russianists. Our students are capable of taking on employment in a variety of fields where use of Russian is key. A degree with Russian can lead to a career in journalism, in the Civil Service, as well as in cross-border businesses and financial organisations.
Jobs that our graduates have found include: documentary film-making in Russia, organising Russian trade exhibitions, working for international companies in Moscow, and teaching or charity work in Russia.
UCL is commited to helping you get the best start after graduation. Read more about how UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise can help you find employment or learn about entrepreneurship.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2020/21 academic year. The UK/EU fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2020/21 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
- UK/EU students
- £9,250 (2020/21)
- Overseas students
- £21,260 (2020/21)
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
Additional costs
If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc. on this programme, please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Departmental scholarships
Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme.
Modern European Languages Scholarship
- Value
- £2,500 per year
- Eligibility
- UK, EU
- Criteria
- Based on academic merit
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Application and next steps
Your application
In addition to meeting the academic criteria, you are likely to enjoy and be successful at studying Russian if you have an interest in and aptitude for studying languages, a sustained interest in literary, historical and cultural studies, and are keen to take advantage of the social and linguistic opportunities on offer while living in Russia as part of your degree.
How to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Application deadline: 15 January 2020
Selection
We will assess your application and then decide whether to make you an offer. If you are offered a place on the programme and live in the UK, you will be invited to an applicant open day.
The applicant open day will include talks from staff about the programme, available language options, and student life at SSEES. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, and will take a tour of UCL led by current students.
For further information on UCL's selection process see: Selection of students.
Page last modified on 12 March 2020