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PhD in Russia

No colleges record, why study phd (doctor of philosophy) in russia.

1. Research Excellence: Russian universities have a long history of research excellence and have made significant contributions to various fields of study. Pursuing a PhD in Russia allows students to work with renowned professors and researchers, gaining exposure to cutting-edge research and academic excellence.

2. Diverse Research Opportunities: Russia offers a wide range of research opportunities across various disciplines. Whether you are interested in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, or arts, you can find research topics and programs that align with your academic interests.

3. Rich Cultural and Academic Heritage: Russia has a rich cultural and academic heritage, with a strong tradition in literature, science, and the arts. Studying in Russia can offer a unique cultural experience, exposure to different perspectives, and opportunities to explore its historical landmarks and artistic treasures.

4. Language of Instruction: While many PhD programs in Russia are taught in Russian, an increasing number of universities offer English-taught programs, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. This makes studying in Russia more accessible to international students.

5. Affordability: Compared to some other countries, the cost of pursuing a PhD in Russia can be relatively affordable, with lower tuition fees and living expenses. There are also scholarship opportunities available for international students to support their studies.

6. International Collaboration: Russia actively promotes international collaboration in research and academia. As a PhD student in Russia, you may have opportunities to collaborate with scholars from different countries and participate in international conferences and research projects.

7. Research Funding: Many research projects and initiatives in Russia receive significant government funding. As a PhD student, you may have access to funding opportunities that can support your research and academic pursuits.

8. Career Opportunities: Completing a PhD in Russia can enhance your career prospects. Graduates with a PhD are often sought after by academic institutions, research organizations, and industry, both in Russia and globally.

9. Research Facilities: Russian universities are equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities and laboratories, providing PhD students with the resources they need to conduct high-quality research.

10. Personal Growth: Pursuing a PhD is a significant academic journey that fosters personal growth, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Living and studying in a new country like Russia can also offer personal development and intercultural experiences.

Admission Intake for PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

1. Fall Intake: The fall intake is the most common intake for PhD programs in Russia. It usually begins in September or October. The application process for the fall intake typically starts several months before the start of the academic year, usually around January to April. Prospective students are required to submit their applications, including all necessary documents, during this period.

2. Spring Intake: Some universities may offer a spring intake for PhD programs, which starts in February or March. However, the spring intake is less common, and not all universities may have this option available. The application process for the spring intake usually takes place several months in advance, starting around September to November of the previous year.

Top 10 Universities in Russia for PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Cost of Studying PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

Eligibility for doing PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

1. Master's Degree: Applicants should generally hold a Master's degree (or its equivalent) in a relevant field of study. Some universities may consider candidates with exceptional academic records and a Bachelor's degree in specific cases, but a Master's degree is the standard requirement.

2. Academic Performance: Candidates should have an outstanding academic record in their previous studies, particularly in their Master's program. Good grades and research experience are often highly valued during the selection process.

3. Research Proposal: As part of the application process, applicants are typically required to submit a research proposal outlining their intended research topic and objectives for the PhD program. A well-defined and compelling research proposal can strengthen the application.

4. Language Proficiency: Proficiency in the language of instruction is essential. For programs taught in Russian, applicants may need to demonstrate their Russian language proficiency through standardized tests like TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). Some universities also offer PhD programs in English, so proficiency in English may be required for those programs.

5. Letters of Recommendation: Applicants are usually asked to provide letters of recommendation from professors or academic mentors who can vouch for their academic capabilities and research potential.

6. Entrance Examination or Interview: Some universities may conduct an entrance examination or interview to assess the candidate's knowledge, research aptitude, and suitability for the PhD program.

7. Funding and Scholarships: International students should ensure they meet any additional requirements for scholarships or funding opportunities, as funding eligibility may vary depending on the program and the university.

8. Other Requirements: Depending on the field of study and the specific program, there might be additional requirements such as submitting academic publications, research papers, or participating in an interview with the potential supervisor.

Documents Required for PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

1. Academic Transcripts: Official transcripts or academic records from all previous educational institutions, including Bachelor's and Master's degrees.

2. Diplomas and Degrees: Copies of Bachelor's and Master's degree diplomas or certificates.

3. Curriculum Vitae (CV): A detailed CV that includes information about academic achievements, research experience, publications (if any), and other relevant experiences.

4. Research Proposal: A well-defined research proposal outlining the research topic, objectives, methodology, and expected contributions to the field of study.

5. Letters of Recommendation: Usually, two or three letters of recommendation from professors or academic mentors who can speak about the applicant's academic and research potential.

6. Language Proficiency: If the program is taught in Russian, proof of Russian language proficiency is required, which may be demonstrated through standardized language tests such as TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). For programs taught in English, proof of English language proficiency (e.g., IELTS or TOEFL scores) may be necessary.

7. Passport Copy: A copy of the applicant's passport or other identification documents.

8. Passport-Sized Photographs: Passport-sized photographs as per the university's specifications.

9. Statement of Purpose (SOP): A statement of purpose or motivation letter explaining the applicant's interest in pursuing a PhD and the reasons for choosing the specific program and university.

10. Entrance Examination or Interview: Some universities may require applicants to take an entrance examination or participate in an interview to assess their research aptitude and suitability for the PhD program.

11. Additional Documents: Some universities may request additional documents, such as academic publications, research papers, or other materials relevant to the field of study.

Scholarships for PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

1. Russian Government Scholarships: The Russian government offers various scholarships for international students, including the "Russian Federation Government Scholarship" (also known as the "Open Doors Scholarship"). These scholarships cover tuition fees, accommodation, and a monthly stipend for living expenses.

2. Presidential Scholarships: These scholarships are awarded to talented Russian and international students pursuing doctoral studies in priority areas identified by the Russian government.

3. University Scholarships: Many Russian universities offer their own scholarships and grants to attract talented PhD students. These scholarships may be merit-based or need-based and can cover tuition fees or provide a stipend for living expenses.

4. Research Assistantships: Some PhD students may have the opportunity to work as research assistants under professors or research projects, which may include a stipend or a tuition fee waiver.

5. International Cooperation Programs: There are international cooperation programs between Russia and other countries that may offer funding opportunities for joint research projects or PhD studies.

6. Specialized Scholarships: Some scholarships are available for students pursuing research in specific fields such as science, technology, engineering, arts, humanities, and social sciences.

7. Corporate Scholarships: Some companies and organizations in Russia may offer scholarships to support students pursuing research in fields relevant to their industry.

8. Bilateral Agreements: Some countries have bilateral agreements with Russia that include provisions for scholarships and funding opportunities for students pursuing higher education in either country.

Jobs and Salary after PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Russia

1. Academic Research and Teaching: Many PhD graduates in Russia go on to pursue careers in academia as researchers and professors. They can work in universities, research institutions, and academic departments. Salaries for academic positions can vary widely depending on the institution and the academic rank, but an assistant professor may earn around $1,000 to $2,500 per month, while a full professor may earn $2,500 to $5,000 or more per month.

2. Industry Research and Development: PhD holders can work in research and development (R&D) departments of companies and industries related to their field of expertise. Salaries in the private sector can vary significantly depending on the industry, company size, and position. On average, R&D professionals with a PhD may earn around $1,500 to $3,500 per month.

3. Government and Public Sector: PhD graduates may find opportunities in government research organizations, policy-making institutions, and public sector agencies. Salaries in the government sector can vary based on the level of responsibility and the position. Senior government researchers may earn around $2,000 to $4,000 per month.

4. Consulting and Advisory Roles: Some PhD holders work as consultants or advisors, providing expertise and insights to businesses, NGOs, or government bodies. Salaries in consulting can vary significantly depending on the consultancy firm and the project's scope. Monthly earnings for consultants can range from $2,000 to $5,000 or more.

5. Entrepreneurship and Startups: Some PhD graduates may choose to start their own businesses based on their research findings or innovative ideas. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the success of the venture.

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Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

Graduate program, welcome to the graduate slavic program.

The Princeton Slavic Department offers the Ph.D. degree in Russian Literature and Culture. The program provides students with a firm foundation in their major area as well as the opportunity to explore related fields, for example: comparative literature, literary theory, and other Slavic languages and literatures.

Leonid Lazarev, Next to Pushkin (Moscow, 1957).

Program Size

Princeton's Ph.D. program is small: this enables us to offer graduate students accepted into the program a support package for the entire five years required to complete the degree. Princeton provides a scholarly, small-town atmosphere in close proximity to both New York City and Philadelphia.

Program Goals

The aim of our graduate program is to further interest, knowledge, and scholarship relating to Russia and Slavic Central Europe, primarily through the cultural humanities. To this end we urge our students to explore new intellectual paths and approaches, having first provided them with a strong background in the Russian literary tradition, an introduction to major schools of theory, and the opportunity to conduct research abroad.  (Please note that the program in Slavic Linguistics has been discontinued.) 

Our Students

Our students play a central role in the life of the Department in ways that hone their professional skills – teaching language and/or literature, helping select speakers, participating in the dissertation colloquium, and organizing conferences. They also take active part in the profession, presenting papers at national and international conferences and publishing in journals in the field.

Graduate Seminars

Proseminar and graduate seminars in our Department cover the development of literary movements, genres and styles; theoretical approaches to literature and culture, as well as specific authors; language pedagogy and academic Russian.

Cultural Periods, Aesthetic Movements and Trends

• 18 th Century Russian Culture
• Russian Sentimentalism and Romanticism (Karamzin, Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Gogol)
• Russian Realism (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Chekhov)
• Russian Modernism (Symbolism; Acmeism; Futurism; V. Ivanov, Khlebnikov, Tsvetaeva, Pasternak, Eisenstein, Vetrov, Rodchenko)
• Socialist Realism
• Underground/Uncensored Literature
• Soviet Literature and Culture
• Post-Soviet Literature and Culture
• Postmodernism 

Theory and Genre

• Russian Critical Tradition
• Russian Poetry and Poetics
• Russian Prose and Narratology
• History of Emotions
• Formalism and Constructivism
• Productivism
• Translation
• Literature and Science
• Documentary Genres
• Film and Media Theory
• Medical Humanities
• Russian Music (Tchaikovsky; Prokofiev) and Ballet
• Moscow-Tartu Semiotics
• Children’s Literature
• Language Pedagogy
• McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning

All Princeton graduate students have access to the resources of the  McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning , In our Department students who have passed their general examinations receive supervised training in undergraduate teaching and have the opportunity to gain classroom experience by teaching elementary or intermediate languages courses and precepting (leading discussion sections in) larger nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature survey courses. which offers workshops and training sessions related to all aspects of the academic career.

Kate Fischer Office Manager

Michael Wachtel Director of Graduate Studies

Graduate School

Visit 

We strongly encourage prospective students to contact the Department and if at all possible to come to campus to meet the faculty. 

To arrange a visit, please e-mail the Office Manager Ms.  Kate Fischer .

Princeton is a lovely small town conveniently situated approximately mid-way between New York City and Philadelphia. Information on housing, including graduate dorm rooms and apartments can be obtained from the  Housing Office .

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Ph.D. track available in the Departments of Comparative Literature and History: The Interdisciplinary Specialization in Russia (ISR) The Interdisciplinary Specialization in Russia is a Ph.D. track available in the Departments of Comparative Literature and History which allows students to take advantage of NYU’s strengths in Russian literature, history, and culture in a range of departments. Students are fully funded for five years of study. The ISR is designed to encourage innovative work made possible by disciplinary crossover while also providing strong grounding in students’ discipline of choice. The goal is a broad understanding of the field, taking account of the various contexts in which Russia can be studied. The curriculum makes use of intellectual resources across NYU, not only in the Departments of Russian and Slavic Studies, History, and Comparative Literature, but also in Anthropology, Music, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, and others. Drawing on faculty’s expertise in such areas as cross-cultural literary comparison, the multinational nature of the tsarist and Soviet empires, Eurasian studies, the role of ideology in the Russian experience, film and visual studies, cultural theory, and the very idea of “Eastern Europe,” the ISR fosters an expansive appreciation of Russian culture and a wide sense of geographic context. Admission and requirements for the ISR Ph.D. track

Candidates apply through either the  Department of Comparative Literature  or the  Department of History , depending on their main field; the applicant’s statement of purpose should clearly note his/her interest in the ISR. Specific requirements for admissions and degrees are those of the Ph.D.-granting department (Comparative Literature or History) in which the student enrolls (please see the links above for application requirements and deadlines). In addition to pursuing courses in their chosen department, students will take classes in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, including specially designed interdisciplinary seminars.

Please contact  Maya Vinokour  should you have any additional questions.

Slavic Studies

Ph.d. requirements.

The doctoral program in Slavic Studies focuses largely on modern Russian, Czech and Polish cultures. The doctoral program in these regions thereby covers a critical area of European and Eurasian studies at Brown.

About the Doctoral Program

The program's vigor derives from strong and dedicated faculty, including 7 full time Slavic Department faculty and 3 faculty with joint appointments in Slavic and related departments.

Our graduate students receive comprehensive training in Slavic literatures, film, cultures and languages. In addition, by encouraging our students to branch out to other disciplines, we prepare them for diverse career options. The doctoral program in Slavic Studies at Brown, therefore, distinguishes itself from traditional programs in Slavic that focus exclusively on literary studies. It allows for variable degrees of interdisciplinary and intercultural studies. Students work with departmental faculty as well as with faculty in related fields such as comparative literature, theater and performance studies, history, political science, international relations, religious studies, visual arts, MCM, women's studies and among others.

Another distinctive strength of our program is our emphasis on providing our students with extensive teaching experience both in language and literature. In addition to receiving training in related disciplines, the doctoral students amass experience and methodological training in teaching languages and literatures.

Mentoring in teaching occurs in various contexts: in language and literature courses, where they serve as teaching assistants, in the interdepartmental foreign language teaching methods course (and related practice), and in seminars at  The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning . Students will receive extensive advice on research strategies, conference presentations, and publication of their works. Additional information is available at the  Graduate School Program website .

Professional Options

Students in our program are prepared to become flexible and innovative scholars in their research and teaching, who address varying teaching and research needs in the future job market. Outstanding library holdings in West and South Slavic languages and cultures at Brown and courses through Brown-Harvard exchange program offer yet additional excellent resources for research.

Requirements

• A minimum of five 200-level graduate seminars
• Theory and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching
• Two to four courses in a related field (to be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Study)
• Teaching  (minimum 3 semesters).  An effort will be made to provide teaching experience not only in a Slavic language, but also in Russian literature, culture, and history.
• Reading knowledge of the second language closely related to the student's specialization. A standard of professional competence should be maintained within the area of likely specialization. Most students intending to specialize in Slavic cultural studies should demonstrate an appropriate language competence in Russian and one more Slavic language, normally Czech or Polish, and most students specializing in one Slavic culture need German or French for their research. This requirement may be satisfied through advanced course during the first year, or by placement evaluation. Fulfillment of the second language requirement with a language other than German or French must be approved by the graduate committee.
• Qualifying Examination (information available in the department office). Normally taken during the spring semester of the students' third year at the program.
• Dissertation and Defense (information available in the department office). Students should submit the doctoral thesis prospectus to the thesis director and the Director of Graduate Studies by October 1 of their fourth year. The prospectus should be approved by the dissertation committee.
• Students whose primary Slavic language competence requires them to take language courses below the 100 level may do so in consultation with the Director of Graduate Study, but those courses will not count toward the course requirements for the Ph.D.

Funding and Time Table for Completion of the Ph.D. in Slavic Studies

Normally course work and the preliminary examinations are completed by the end of the third year, submission of the doctoral thesis proposal during the fourth, and one or two years of work to complete the doctoral thesis. We expect our students to be supported by scholarships during their first year, by  teaching fellowships/assistantships  during their second to fourth years, and by a dissertation fellowship during their fifth year.

Slavic Studies Graduate Student Handbook

See the handbook for requirements, guidelines, and timetables.

Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies

About the program.

The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) at Georgetown University offers one of the nation’s most distinguished and influential master’s degree programs in Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies, and hosts a rich outreach program of events and conferences. Founded in 1959 to prepare scholars, policymakers and practitioners who understood the Soviet Union and could analyze its secretive system, CERES has evolved in the wake of the Soviet Union’s demise and today incorporates a variety of scholarly disciplines for the study of this culturally rich region. The Master of Arts in Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (MAERES) degree provides students with a solid grounding in the languages and cultures of the region and multidisciplinary depth in the social sciences. Students in the program will achieve:

• knowledge of the region from broad disciplinary perspectives and using a variety of methodologies;
• the ability to integrate theoretical with practical knowledge of regional affairs;
• a thematically focused-curriculum that develops expertise;
• proficiency in at least one regional language;
• original research utilizing the student’s language of proficiency; and
• effective oral presentation and critical writing skills.

Connect with Us

Program Contact: Lisa Gordinier – [email protected]

Begin your application today!

Degrees Offered

Accelerated programs (georgetown students only), joint programs.

• M.A./Ph.D. (Government)

Admissions Requirements

For general graduate admissions requirements, visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page. Review the  program’s website  for additional information on program application requirements. Application Materials required:

• Application Form
• Non-Refundable Application Fee
• Academic Statement of Purpose (see program website for specific information)
• Optional: Statement on Diversity, Personal Background & Contributions
• Writing Sample
• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• Transcripts – Applicants are required to upload to the application system copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page for additional details and FAQs.
• TOEFL = 100 minimum
• IELTS = 7.5 minimum
• Language Skills: All applicants must include evidence that they have completed the equivalent of at least three years of college-level study of a language of the region relevant to their proposed course of study. Students may satisfy the CERES language requirement with an appropriate language of the region other than Russian. CERES places a strong emphasis on language proficiency and requires a portion of the degree credits to be taken in advanced language courses.

Application Deadlines

• January 15 (priority/scholarship)
• April 1 (final)

Degree Requirements

The M.A. degree curriculum is designed to take 4 semesters to complete. It requires:  

• 36 credit hours of course work, including two core courses (Introduction to Area Studies and the Capstone Seminar) and two advanced language courses;
• a presentation of the student’s research before CERES faculty and students prior to graduation.

Slavic Languages and Literatures

Ph.d. requirements.

Ph.D. Requirements in Slavic and Eurasian Literatures and Cultures

Contact the Slavic Director of Graduate Studies with any questions about the Ph.D. requirements. More detailed information can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook .

Language Competency and Expectations

All entering students are expected to have sufficient knowledge of Russian to allow for satisfactory work at the graduate level and are required to pass a departmental proficiency examination in Russian. If needed, students are expected to augment their language proficiency with summer study, undergraduate classes, or individualized tutorials.

Students must also demonstrate competence in a second foreign language, as soon as possible or by the beginning of the fifth term of study. Students may choose to pursue proficiency in a second Slavic language; in a language useful for broader access to scholarship (often German or French in past years); in another relevant Eastern European or Eurasian language; or in any language relevant for well-motivated comparative work.

Course Requirements

All graduate students are required to take sixteen courses in their first two years of graduate study. Students are strongly encouraged to take ownership over their individualized programs of study and to explore diverse options both within and outside the Slavic Department.

All graduate students pursuing the Ph.D. in Russian Literature and Culture must take “Proseminar: Theory and Methods” (RUSS 851). In addition to this one mandatory course, all students must fulfill the following distributional requirements through graduate-level coursework:

Minimum of one course on Slavic literature or culture before the eighteenth century

Minimum of one course on eighteenth-century Slavic literature or culture

Minimum of two courses on nineteenth-century Slavic literature or culture

Minimum of two courses on twentieth-century Slavic literature or culture

Minimum of one course on twenty-first-century Slavic literature or culture

Minimum of two (but no more than four out of the required sixteen) courses outside the Slavic Department. 

Teaching Fellowships

Since the faculty consider teaching to be an integral part of graduate training, all graduate students are expected to teach for a total of four semesters (typically in the third and fourth years of study). Students are usually assigned two semesters of language teaching, during which time they are mentored and trained by a lead language lector, and two semesters of literature/culture teaching, for which they either run discussion sections for large-enrollment lecture courses, or serve as instructor-apprentices in small undergraduate seminars.

Minor Field Portfolio

As part of their program of study, students are responsible for developing a minor field of specialization in one of the following: (1) a second language or literature; (2) visual culture or one of the other arts; (3) a topic in intellectual history or a specific interdisciplinary approach; or (4) another discipline relevant to their primary interests. The minor field requirement is intended to offer students the opportunity to develop a meaningful expertise beyond their primary specializations in Russian literature and culture and often entails acquiring a familiarity with the driving questions and methodologies of another discipline.

Qualifying Paper

Students must submit a qualifying paper no later than September 1st of their third year. The paper, which in many cases will be a revised version of a seminar paper, should be developed in consultation with a faculty adviser. The paper should highlight original research and an ambitious conceptualization, possess a logical structure, and be clearly written.

The Comprehensive Examination and the Departmental Reading List

In early October of their third year, students will take a comprehensive examination on Russian literature and culture from the nineteenth century to the present. The comprehensive is split into two 6-hour take-home exams. This exam is meant to test the students’ knowledge of the broad scope of Russian literature and culture, as well as their ability to analyze various kinds of cultural products and position specific works within their historical, cultural, and critical contexts.

Students should use the   departmental reading list as a guide in preparing for this exam, but they are also welcome to draw from beyond the list in their answers. The reading list, which is periodically revised with faculty and student input, serves as the foundation for well-rounded erudition in Russian literature.  Students are expected to build on it based on their academic interests and research needs. We do not include other media or literary traditions in the reading list, and instead encourage students with serious interests (in film or in Polish literature, for example) to develop rigorous independent lists in consultation with specializing faculty. We provide opportunities to do so through minor field requirements and specialized qualifying exam reading lists.

The Qualifying Examination

In early December of their third year, students will take a qualifying examination based on two specialized reading lists. This exam is a one-hour oral exam with twenty-five minutes allotted to each list. The exam is meant to test the student’s knowledge of two specific areas of study, which often serve as important preparation for the development of a dissertation topic. For example, a student planning to write a dissertation on the nineteenth-century Russian realist novel might create a specialized list on the French and English realist novels or realism in music; or a student planning to write on post-Soviet drama might create a list on theories of performance in Russia and elsewhere.

The Pre-Prospectus Colloquium

In early February, after the successful completion of the comprehensive and qualifying examinations, students will present a preliminary version of their dissertation prospectus to a colloquium attended by all Slavic ladder faculty.

The Prospectus Presentation

In early April, students will present the final version of their dissertation prospectus to all students and faculty in the department. The prospectus presentation will take one hour, beginning with a ten-minute introduction by the student and followed by forty-five minutes of questions and suggestions from everyone in attendance. The point of including all faculty and students is to provide the student with as much feedback as possible, to give rising students a sense of what awaits them, and to foster collegiality in the department by making everyone aware of what others are working on.   

Admission to Candidacy and the M.Phil. Degree

To be admitted to candidacy, students must fulfill all of the graduate school and department pre-dissertation requirements described above and must be in good academic standing with the department. 

Students may petition the Graduate School to receive an en route M.Phil. degree. This can be done in the semester the student expects to complete all pre-dissertation requirements.

The Dissertation The dissertation is the culmination of the student’s work in the doctoral program and an important emblem of professional competence, intellectual rigor, and academic potential. As such, it should demonstrate mastery of a defined field of research and should articulate an original and substantive contribution to knowledge. While all dissertations should have clearly defined empirical and theoretical stakes and be grounded in appropriate methodological choices, each project will approach its central questions in necessarily distinct ways: some based more heavily in archival research, others shaped more profoundly by theoretical discussions, and still others determined by entirely different disciplinary or interdisciplinary demands. While working on their dissertation, students should remain attuned to questions of writerly craft and should strive for clarity and liveliness of their academic prose.

The First Chapter Talk

During the spring semester of the fourth year, students will deliver a forty-five-minute talk on their first chapter to the entire Slavic Department. This event is intended to serve not only as an early dissertation benchmark, but also as an opportunity for students to gain essential experience writing and delivering a long lecture.

Professional Development

The Yale Slavic Department is equally supportive of students who hope to follow a traditional academic path, students who embark on non-academic or hybrid careers, and students who change their minds throughout their course of study. Support for academic careers typically involves the faculty advisers’ intensive review of application materials (cover letters, CVs, research and teaching statements), mock interviews with faculty, mock job talks with the whole department, and assistance in negotiating offers. Departmental support for non-academic careers is more variable, but might involve writing letters of recommendation or assistance identifying potential mentors.

It is also important to note that in the Yale Slavic Department professional advising does not end with the student’s graduation. Former advisers and advisees are encouraged to remain in contact after graduation, so that the department can support alumni who are moving through postdoctoral fellowships or visiting positions, navigating a switch from one kind of employment to another, or in search of a permanent or more favorable position.

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Russian Studies PhD/ MA by Research (On-Campus or by Distance Learning)

Annual tuition fee 2024 entry: UK: £4,786 full-time, £2,393 part-time International: £21,840 full-time; £10,920 part-time (distance learning only) More detail .

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Russian Studies researchers at Birmingham are part of a stimulating research culture within the Department of Modern Languages, benefitting from special links to the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies (CREES).

Between us we are able to offer a wide range of expertise with a particular focus on Russian literature, culture and translation. 

Researchers have the opportunity to explore how the study of languages, discourses, and cultures challenges how we understand and experience the world.

The Department of Modern Languages boasts a  vibrant and diverse postgraduate community  and provides a range of support for its research students. 

Virtual Open Day: Postgraduate opportunities in Modern Languages - 27 April 2020, 10:00-11:00

Join us online to watch a range of staff and student videos, and take part in our online chat where Emma Tyler and Lorraine Ryan will be answering your questions about postgraduate study.

Find out more and register

Wolfson Scholarships available

The College of Arts and Law has been awarded a number of prestigious Wolfson Scholarships, available to doctoral research students in Modern Languages. Each scholarship provides for fees, a maintenance grant, and some research and training costs. Applications are now open.

Find out more and apply now

AHRC funding for PhD students

The University of Birmingham is part of the Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership (M4C), offering Arts and Humanities Research Council PhD studentships for campus-based programmes. These include a number of Collaborative Doctoral Award opportunities. Each studentship includes research fees, a substantial maintenance grant and additional research training support. Applications are open until 12:00 (noon), 13 January 2021.

Find out more

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

We offer two postgraduate research-only programmes, whether you are looking to complete your academic studies with a PhD or pursue your research at Masters level. Find out more about what to expect from a PhD and MA by Research .

Birmingham has an excellent academic reputation with leading experts in the field which makes it the perfect choice to carry out research in this field. There is a vibrant research community with lots of opportunities to meet other colleagues at workshops, seminars and conferences organised by the Department. Balsam

Why study this course?

• World-leading research : The University of Birmingham is ranked equal 10th in the UK amongst Russell Group universities in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 according to the Times Higher Education
• Excellent facilities : Postgraduate students in Modern Languages are fully supported to achieve their goals. They have access to excellent training facilities and opportunities to participate in research seminars and other activities as a means of developing a broad range skills and knowledge.
• Employability skills : Birmingham’s Modern Languages postgraduates develop excellent communication skills, whilst cultural awareness and foreign language skills are highly sought after by employers. Postgraduates in Modern Languages also have a range of transferable skills including the ability to gather and interpret information, organisational skills and the ability to work well with others.
• Interdisciplinary research : We have particular strengths in studying the interface and interactions between culture and the socio-political contexts in which they were/are produced. We also encourage and enable interdisciplinary research, and have a successful history of joint supervisions with other departments and schools, in particular with Social Sciences and Geography.

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces, to careers support and funding opportunities. Learn more about your postgraduate experience .

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024 entry are as follows:

• UK: £4,786 full-time; £2,393 part-time *
• International: £21,840 full-time; £10,920 part-time (distance learning only)

The same fees apply to both campus-based and distance learning study. The distance learning programme also includes one fully-funded visit to campus in the first year of study.

The above fees quoted are for one year only; for those studying over two or more years, tuition fees will also be payable in subsequent years of your programme.

* For UK postgraduate research students the University fee level is set at Research Council rates and as such is subject to change. The final fee will be announced by Research Councils UK in spring 2024.

Eligibility for UK or international fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students .

Paying your fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding .

How To Apply

Application deadlines.

Postgraduate research can start at any time during the year, but it is important to allow time for us to review your application and communicate a decision. If you wish to start in September 2024, we would recommend that you aim to submit your application and supporting documents by 1 June 2024.

If the programme has a Distance learning option then students will usually attend a residential visit in September or January, and those students wishing to attend the September residential are also encouraged to apply by 1 June 2024. The visit will take place at the end of September/beginning of October and you will receive further details once you have accepted your offer.

Six steps to apply for our Postgraduate Research courses

Do you have an idea for an interesting research project? You can follow our six easy steps to apply to study for our postgraduate research courses . These include guidance on identifying funding opportunities and writing your research proposal .

Please also see our additional guidance for  applicants to the PhD Distance Learning study mode .

Please note: While our PhD programmes are normally studied in three years full-time or six years part-time, and Masters-level research programmes one year full-time or two years part-time, many programmes have a longer length listed in course or funding applications. This is because the course length is defined as the maximum period of registration, which includes a period of supervised study plus a thesis awaited period. The maximum period of registration for a full-time PhD is four years (three years supervision plus one year thesis awaited). For a full-time Masters-level research programme, it is two years (one year supervision plus one year thesis awaited). For part-time programmes, the periods are double the full-time equivalent.

• How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page . Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Our Standard Requirements

Our requirements for postgraduate research are dependent on the type of programme you are applying for:

• For MRes and MA by Research programmes, entry to our programmes usually requires a good (normally a 2:1 or above) Honours degree, or an equivalent qualification if you were educated outside the UK, usually in a relevant area.
• Applicants for a PhD will also need to hold a Masters qualification at Merit level or above (or its international equivalent), usually in a relevant area.

Any academic and professional qualifications or relevant professional experience you may have are normally taken into account, and in some cases, form an integral part of the entrance requirements.

If you are applying for distance learning research programmes, you will also be required to demonstrate that you have the time, commitment, facilities and experience to study by distance learning.

If your qualifications are non-standard or different from the entry requirements stated here, please contact the admissions tutor.

International students

IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band is equivalent to:

• TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 21 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 59 in all four skills
• Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Learn more about international entry requirements

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Bachiller, Licenciado, or Título Profesional with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

The Department fosters an interconnected vision of Modern Languages and our research explores how the study of languages, discourses, and cultures challenges how we understand and experience the world. 

We have particular strengths in the following research areas where leading academics, who have extensive experience in supervising students, produce cutting-edge research.

Our research streams, and areas of supervision within these, can be found below. Please contact a staff member working in your area of interest in the first instance.

• Russian Studies

Forging Links

• Colonial and Postcolonial Studies
• Exile and Migration
• Memory Studies

(Trans)forming Knowledge

• Digital Humanities in Modern Languages
• Linguistics
• Medieval Studies
• Nineteenth Century Studies

Intersecting Identities

• Sexuality and Gender Studies

We also have expertise in  Translation Studies  and  audio-visual  research.

The University of Birmingham is the top choice for the UK's major employers searching for graduate recruits, according to The Graduate Market 2024 report .

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network  provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated  careers and employability team  who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

• Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
• Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
• Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
• Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation.

Postgraduate employability: Modern Languages

Our Modern Languages postgraduates develop excellent communication skills, cultural awareness and foreign language skills - all highly sought after by employers at home or abroad. Postgraduates in Modern Languages also have a range of transferable skills including the ability to gather and interpret information, organisational skills and the ability to work well with others.

Many of our graduates enter roles for which their programme prepared them, such as language teaching oe translation. Others use their transferable skills in a wide range of occupations including publishing, executive research and project management. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include Language Connect, RWS Group, TransPerfect Global Business Solutions, University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford.

The department has an excellent employability record, and the majority of graduates go on to successful careers. Find out about how our alumni, have used the skills they developed studying Modern Languages at postgraduate level within their careers.

• Online chat events
• Ask our students

• Schools & departments

Russian PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Russian

Introduction to Postgraduate Study at the University of Edinburgh

Join us online on 25 September to learn more about Scotland, the city of Edinburgh and postgraduate study at the University.

Find out more and register

Research profile

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to make an original, positive contribution to research in Russian Studies.

Join our interdisciplinary community and undertake your PhD under the guidance of our experienced and well-published supervisors.

The first lecture in Russian was given at the University in 1919, and Russian Studies was introduced as a degree programme in 1949, the first of its kind in Scotland.

Research excellence

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), our research in Russian Studies was submitted in Modern Languages and Linguistics (Panel D - Arts and Humanities; Unit of Assessment 26).

The results reaffirm Edinburgh’s position as one of the UK’s leading research universities - third in the UK.

As published in Times Higher Education's REF power ratings, this result is based on the quality and breadth of our research in the unit of assessment.

Our staff have received many prestigious research awards including the AHRC-awarded projects ‘Global Russians: Transnational Russophone Networks in the UK’ (2016-2021) and ‘Reconfiguring the Canon of Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry, 1991-2008’ (2010-2013).

Our expertise covers a wide range of areas, including:

• social, political and cultural perspectives on Russian language
• transnational Russian culture
• Russian literature
• film studies
• theatre studies
• comparative literature

Explore our range of research centres, networks and projects in Russian Studies

Across the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) and the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between languages and/or disciplines, including:

• linguistics
• translation studies

Be inspired by the range of PhD research in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Over the course of your PhD, you will be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words.

You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge.

Read our pre-application guidance on writing a PhD research proposal

Go beyond the books

Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen.

Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.

Browse Beyond the Books episodes and hear our research community talk about their work

Programme structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses.

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Training and support

Between the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the Careers Service and the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), you will find a range of programmes and resources to help you develop your postgraduate skills.

You will also have access to the University’s fantastic libraries, collections and worldwide strategic partnerships.

As part of our research community, you will be immersed in a world of knowledge exchange, with lots of opportunities to share ideas, learning and creative work.

Activities include:

• a regular seminar series in European Languages and Cultures, with talks by staff, research students and visiting speakers
• film screenings
• national and international conferences

Our graduates tell us that they value LLC’s friendliness, the connections they make here and the in-depth guidance they receive from our staff, who are published experts in their field.

The Main University Library holds academic books, journals and databases, including around 14,400 titles in the Russian language. E-resources include Russian newspapers, TV and radio channels.

The Library is also the home of the University's Centre for Research Collections which brings together:

• more than 400,000 rare books
• six kilometres of archives and manuscripts
• thousands of works of art, historical musical instruments and other objects

Many of our Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

• Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

In the city

As a PhD candidate at Edinburgh, you’ll be based in a world-leading festival city with fantastic cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, and collections.

Many of them are located close to the University's Central Area, making them very easy to access when you are on campus.

The National Library of Scotland is less than one km from our School, for example. It has outstanding Russian-language holdings.

• Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance will also give you practical advice for writing your research proposal – one of the most important parts of your application.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree and a masters degree, or their international equivalents, in a related subject. We may also consider your application if you have equivalent qualifications or experience; please check with the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) before you apply.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

• Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• 50 George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Russian
• School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Russian - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd russian - 6 years (part-time), application deadlines.

We strongly recommend you submit your completed application as early as possible, particularly if you are also applying for funding or will require a visa. We may consider late applications if we have places available.

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

The future of Russia and Ukraine

Political scientist Kathryn Stoner is the Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford and an authority on Russian/Ukrainian politics.

She says views on the current war depend on which side someone is on: Many Russians and their leader Vladimir Putin say Ukrainians are Russians and have been since the 10th century. Ukrainians strongly disagree, likening the two nations to the U.S. and Great Britain. How the present conflict is resolved has important implications for other former Soviet states and the future of the European Union, as Stoner tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

Listen on your favorite podcast platform:

Related : Kathryn Stoner , director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL)

[00:00:00] Kathryn Stoner: So it's Putin's generation that's made their peace with being cut from the West and they are not isolated from the rest of the world. But the younger generation isn't necessarily happy or contented with that. And so I think that's the hopeful thing.

[00:00:20] Russ Altman: This is Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything and I'm your host Russ Altman. If you're enjoying the show or if it's helped you in any way please consider rating and reviewing. We especially like fives, if we deserve them. Your input is extremely important for spreading the news and getting the algorithms to love us, as much as I know you do.

[00:00:39] Today, Kathryn Stoner from Stanford University will tell us what we need to understand about the history of Russia and the history of Ukraine in order to understand the terrible conflict that's ongoing now. It's the future of Russia. 

[00:00:53] Before we get started, a quick reminder to rate and review The Future of Everything podcast on whatever app you're following it in.

[00:01:07] There's a terrible conflict happening between Russia and Ukraine, and it's created turmoil in that region and globally. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost and there's been economic, political, and cultural implications of this conflict. Well, in order to understand this conflict, you need to understand the perspective of the Russians and Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. You have to understand the Ukrainian perspective on their own history. And you need to understand the role that these two countries play in the world and the impacts they have on places like the United States of America. 

[00:01:41] Well, Kathryn Stoner is a senior fellow at the Spogli Freeman Institute for International Studies. And she's the director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. She's an expert on Russia, and she's an expert on the Russian Ukrainian conflict. She'll help us understand the roots of this conflict. And in the end, give us some hope for how this may end well for everybody involved. 

[00:02:09] Kathryn, thanks for being here. You're an expert in Russian affairs. How should we understand the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the context of Russian history and politics? 

[00:02:19] Kathryn Stoner: That's a big opening question, Russ, but okay, um, uh, I'll take a hit at that. How you understand the history kind of depends on, uh, whose side you're on. So, um, on the one hand, if we look at, uh, Vladimir Putin's perspective, and he's now been president or prime minister of Russia. But anyway, in charge for the last twenty-four years and he's got another twelve to go, potentially. Ukraine, from his perspective, and he wrote this historical missive a few years ago, two or three years ago, basically explaining the unity of the Ukrainian and Russian people.

[00:02:58] And so he sees them as a single community that was originally united. He goes back all the way, um, to Kievan Rus' uh, and, um, and the tenth century and, um, the taking on of, uh, Russian Orthodox religion by Prince Vladimir. And he sees this as the founding, uh, of Russia. And Kievan Rus' obviously starts in Kiev. And so he then takes Russian history from there. So let's remember, he's not a professional historian. 

[00:03:30] Russ Altman: Right, right.

[00:03:31] Kathryn Stoner: Um, but, um, he thinks he is, right? 

[00:03:33] Russ Altman: And this is a convenient narrative for him, obviously. 

[00:03:37] Kathryn Stoner: Absolutely. Absolutely. And he draws on history and, uh, um, and so, you know, Ukraine is kind of sacred Russian imperial territory. Now, from the Ukrainian perspective, they pick up the story, that any way you argue it, they say, look, we're an independent country. And you could almost think of it, um, like the United States and Great Britain, um, in some ways, right? Um, Putin says that, look, um, religiously, we're the same. It was a historical accident that we gave, uh, Ukraine away. That, you know, that was the fault of Vladimir Lenin and the communists. 

[00:04:14] It's an artificial construct. Uh, the language is the same, blah, blah, blah. The Ukrainians say, look, this is a little bit like, you know, the United States and its revolution against, uh, the Empire. Either way you slice it, even if you go back to 989 as he does, um, and, uh, and Kievan Rus', it's Kievan Rus', right? So there was a Kiev before there was a, as a Russia. 

[00:04:38] Um, but in 1991, December, Soviet Union breaks up and we have fifteen independent countries. And one of them is Ukraine and another one is Russia. And they are independent and different. Um, and I could keep going, but, uh Putin's predecessor as president of Russia, uh, Boris Yeltsin, um, signed a document acknowledging that, you know, they, this was an independent country and several other documents that, uh, later that in exchange for nuclear weapons, Russia would respect Ukrainian territory and Ukrainian borders. Um, and so those are pretty different perspectives, right? Ukraine, no matter how you slice it, we're our own place. And just because we speak a language that's similar, but not the same as Russian, doesn't mean we want to be governed by Russia again. And Putin and many people in Russia see it completely the opposite.

[00:05:38] Russ Altman: So given that they have this entrenched different, let's now take the United States perspective and there's a strategic aspect to this. And I know this is one of the things you study very closely. So putting that aside, and maybe we have opinions about that we being, you know, as if we're all a single voice. Maybe the United States has an opinion on that argument. But there's also strategic and lots of other implications of this conflict for the United States. So kind of the same question, how do we look at this? And to the extent that we are a we. 

[00:06:07] Kathryn Stoner: Right. And there's how we did and how we do. Um, right. And so, well, so the U.S. signed an agreement with, uh, France and with Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and Kazakhstan in 1994. The, um, Budapest memorandum, that, um, was, uh, all about basically moving, um, heritage nuclear, or legacy nuclear weapons from those four former republics. Uh, or three former republics of the Soviet Union into the fourth Russia, so that Russia would take over nuclear weapons.

[00:06:43] And so we were particularly concerned about that, uh, coming out of the Cold War at that time. And so that was an agreement we also signed. And we said in return for this, we will provide security for Ukraine. Now, we didn't say we guarantee, uh, NATO, that came later under George W. Bush at a NATO meeting in 2004.

[00:07:10] But, uh, we did, you know, I think a lot of people forget and Putin conveniently doesn't ever mention this, um, that his predecessor signed this agreement. So you, you know, our perspective is that Ukraine, just like the other fourteen former republics of the Soviet Union, are independent states, um, until their people decide otherwise.

[00:07:33] And there was a referendum in December of 1991, and it was resoundingly in favor of Ukraine becoming a, uh, an independent country. So our perspective is, um, there are rules in the international system governed by international law. And because, uh, there are not mechanisms like, you know, that are in terms of enforcing them, um, other than us all having a moral responsibility to do so or war, right?

[00:08:01] Um, and, um, so we not only feel we have this responsibility because we signed this security, um, guarantee. Um, but we also, or security assurance, I shouldn't say guarantee because it was kind of weak, to be honest. Um, we also view it as this is, uh, an aggressive war that was unprovoked on Ukraine. Um, Russia attacked a peaceful country and the reasons for that were, we think, uh, are because Mr. Putin saw, um, the possibility of Ukraine becoming a democracy and also joining the European Union. So not so much NATO, but the European Union and therefore pulling Ukraine away, um, from sort of Russian hegemony in that region. 

[00:08:49] Russ Altman: So, and I believe you've written about and talked about how, is this a test case? Is this something that we should, we United States should be very careful about? Because as you've said now a couple of times, there's thirteen other, uh, former Soviet, uh, republics and they are at perhaps a similar risk. And how real is that risk? And how do you assess that? Because then we're starting, they're not, uh, those are people my age start thinking about similar arguments that were made about Southeast Asia in the fifties, sixties, and seventies. And we went, we know that that didn't go very well. So, and I don't want to bring that in kind of spuriously and I'm not a historian. But tell me about this domino effect, kind of the obvious, kind of maybe overly simplistic domino effect argument. 

[00:09:34] Kathryn Stoner: Yeah. So, I mean, the, so the argument would be, and I think there are, um, some reasonable, uh, data points that would affirm this argument, would be that, uh, as you mentioned, so fifteen former republics that made up the Soviet Union. 

[00:09:49] Russ Altman: Right.

[00:09:49] Kathryn Stoner: Russia and, and Ukraine are two, and then there are thirteen more. Um, the Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, they have joined the European Union. They have also joined NATO. Russia has given up on them, basically, for the most part, right? Although, you know, they may interfere from time to time. And in one of my books, I talk about this a fair amount. Russia has a lot of different levers of control over all of these other fourteen republics including Ukraine. So the two I'd say that are, or three, that are most at risk. And one could argue if you're in Kazakhstan, four, um, are Georgia. Um, which is in the sort of South Caucasus region, above Armenia and Azerbaijan.

[00:10:31] Moldova, which is to the west of Ukraine. Also kind of a struggling quasi democracy, liberalizing and then Belarus. Now, Kazakhstan has a huge border, um, in Central Asia. Um, with Russia, it has a huge Russian population, but there's an important difference, I think, between Kazakhstan and let's say Ukraine or Georgia or Moldova, um, and that is that, um, it has an authoritarian government. 

[00:10:58] Um, and it is a softer form of authoritarianism than Russia has become. But it is, uh, it is maybe more of a fellow traveler, its leadership, um, and governing system closer to Russia's and so therefore less of a threat. They also have China, um, sitting there as well. So different kind of dynamic then with the republics that are more to the west of Russia's borders. 

[00:11:25] So the worry in Georgia, for example, this little weak country that very few of us probably think about, um, except here in Palo Alto, you know, that we have a Georgian restaurant. 

[00:11:33] Russ Altman: Yes.

[00:11:34] Kathryn Stoner: Um, there's another one, another branch of that restaurant in Los Altos. Um, Georgia is a really fascinating country. I've been there a bunch of times. Um, and it had been, uh, democratizing, liberalizing, really gunning to join the EU and NATO. And now they've had a change of government, and that government just recently tried to, and actually succeeded in introducing a law, um, that was very similar to one of the first laws Putin introduced to crack down on civil society and NGOs.

[00:12:05] So, um, some of these places are valuable to Russia because there are pipelines that run through them. And so Georgia has, uh, has that pipeline issue. Um, but also, again, you know, this is an issue of falling out of Russia's orbit potentially and providing an example to Russians who may be not so happy with Mr. Putin, uh, of a different way of governing. And so that's also, we think, one of the biggest threats that, that he sees. If they had one of these color revolutions, as did Ukraine, that as the Georgians did. So this is a political risk. 

[00:12:43] Russ Altman: Yeah. So you said that Georgia was kind of pretty gung ho about democracy and it seems like having democratic values is kind of a prerequisite for NATO and EU. But how, and I know you've written about this, this is one of your expertise areas. How democracy ready are these countries? And I say that very naively, not even knowing what that means. But, um, you know, I, we've all heard things about the nature of these democracies. They're nascent, democracy is hard.

[00:13:12] I think we're living that right now. So anybody who thought it was easy was wrong. Um, uh, and, um, and how should we think about those democratic movements under extreme pressure, uh, and with these neighbors, this big neighbor who has big time problems with democracy. Uh, but although I know you also study whatever the internal Russian interests and instincts for democracy are. So maybe a little primer on democracy in that part of the world. 

[00:13:42] Kathryn Stoner: Sure. So, I mean, yes, you are right, Russ. Democracy is really hard, um, and it's problematic. And, um, but it's the, you know, uh, it's the worst of all systems except for all the alternatives. 

[00:13:53] Russ Altman: Right. 

[00:13:54] Kathryn Stoner: And so there are, is a generation that is over, over fifty basically in, um, that all of the former republics of the Soviet Union that lived under something even worse, which was communism. 

[00:14:06] Um, and they lived under communism falling apart, which was also particularly difficult. And in different places, varying degrees of market reform, which was very painful, right? Because the Soviet system was, um, you know, if you'd like a small state, it's, it wouldn't have been the place for you because the state decided everything. And it's actually a really sort of fun to describe this to, um, Stanford undergraduates who have no idea who Gorbachev was. Or, you know, or Brezhnev or any of these, uh, sort of blast from the past names that you might remember. Um, 

[00:14:41] Russ Altman: I have home videos of Gorbachev from his visit to Stanford, which I cherish. But that's a whole different thing. 

[00:14:48] Kathryn Stoner: Yeah. Yeah. He just died a year before last. So, um, they have kind of a different perspective and a conflation even of democracy and market reform. And so if you ever want to descend in this podcast or another time into the sort of public opinion details and is there legitimate support for Putin within Russia, we can do that. But the short answer is, yeah, there is actually. 

[00:15:11] So for many of these countries, the experience of democracy, or liberalization. Because none of them ever, except for the Baltics, really get to be consolidated democracies, including Russia. Although they do have some competitive elections in the 1990s, others just in Central Asia with the slight exception of Kyrgyzstan, there's just really no effort.

[00:15:32] But Ukraine is, and Georgia, were a little different, um, in terms of their experiences. And one of the big differences between them and Russia, or even, um, Belarus. But I would say Russian, uh, in particular, is that they have very active civil societies. So, um, you know, Russia, we do see people take to the streets and we have seen people take to the streets en masse. And we certainly saw that in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union was falling apart and we saw it in the nineties, we even saw it in 2020. Um, when, uh, and 2021 before the war when Alexei Navalny, for example, returned, um, and then even after the, uh, in initial invasion in 2022 in February, we saw some demonstrations. 

[00:16:21] But that's the end in Russia. And that's largely because, um, Putin has just really cracked down his regime. But in Ukraine, we saw, as I mentioned, this color revolution. Um, and we also see one in Georgia in the early 2000s. And that is people taking to the streets over elections that they felt were corrupt. Um, and in fact were corrupt, and overturning the result and, um, sort of deepening their democracy. They have all had problems with corruption and basically stealing from the state and, um, uh, 'cause that's where a lot of the corruption comes from. Georgia for a while did well attacking petty corruption. Um, Ukraine has done well. Um, it, I think, gets a very bad reputation, um, for corruption. And certainly that was true before this Euromaidan, um, which was the sort of second Georgian, uh, pardon me, Ukrainian revolution in 2014. Um, and Putin responds to that by seizing Crimea and then starting a low boil war uh, in Eastern Ukraine.

[00:17:29] And, um, and so that's really, I think what has caused this, is that, this conflict, is that, as we said at the beginning, um, you know, there is a difference in historical opinion about, um, Ukraine and Russia. And there is, you know, I think a fundamental difference in, within Ukrainian society. Uh, of where, um, most Ukrainians would, like, uh, the future of Ukraine, and that is in Europe. And NATO. And Putin concerned that there is a demonstration effect in that. 

[00:18:02] Russ Altman: This is The Future of Everything with Russ Altman. More with Kathryn Stoner, next.

[00:18:17] Welcome back to The Future of Everything. I'm Russ Altman and I'm speaking with Kathryn Stoner from Stanford University. 

[00:18:23] In the last segment, Kathryn gave us a great groundwork of the history of Russia. A little bit of the history of the Ukraine, how they think about their relationship with one another, and how this war serves the interests of Vladimir Putin and some Russians.

[00:18:39] In the next segment, she'll tell us why this war has not gone the way the Russians expected. Or really the way anybody expected with the possible exception of the Ukrainians. She'll also give us hope for how this might go in the end and why there are still reasons to think that there will be a better future for Russia.

[00:18:59] So Kathryn, in the last segment you gave us a really good set of background, the history, going even back to like 1000 AD. But now fast forwarding, this war has not gone the way I think anybody expected. Maybe the Ukrainians, but I think many here in America, certainly the Russians with their reputation for a huge, well-run army. This, we're now, you know, well past a year or two. What happened and how should we understand why this war has not been a big success for Russia? 

[00:19:32] Kathryn Stoner: Yeah. So we're past two years, as you mentioned. Um, well, so basically we're at a stalemate. There are some incremental changes, um, along the, um, southeastern border, uh, you know, moving the line of conflict, um, even a little further west. 

[00:19:51] Um, I think the big surprise here for Putin is, and, uh, certainly, you know, we can relate, um, when we think about our own experience with the Iraq war under the Bush administration. Um, is that, um, Ukrainians didn't want to be liberated, um, from, uh, what he tried to describe to them as, you know, an illegitimate regime. Um, they, um, they didn't want Russian tanks coming in. They didn't want to be part of Russia. 

[00:20:22] And I, and so I think he had some bad intelligence. Um, that is the Russian military had bad intelligence. Putin himself had bad intelligence. Um, I think this is, uh, can be a problem with, uh, autocracies. Heck, I used the example of the, um, of the Iraq war because of course that was a problem in a democracy in that case as well. You might remember we were, uh, you know, assured that, uh, the Iraqis would be throwing rose petals, I think, at American tanks as they entered. And in fact, that was not the case as it turned out. And, um, Putin was evidently assured of the same thing. And in fact, Russ, they were so certain, um, the Russian military, that they were going to get this all over within a week that, um, dress uniforms were discovered in the tanks. 

[00:21:08] Russ Altman: Wow.

[00:21:08] Kathryn Stoner: That were approaching Kiev, um, in preparation for, yeah, the parades and celebrations that were, um, supposed to ensue. 

[00:21:18] Russ Altman: So that was a major, major failure of intelligence. 

[00:21:23] Kathryn Stoner: Yes. 

[00:21:23] Russ Altman: And so instead, of course, the Ukrainians mounted an incredibly spirited grassroots defense, I guess.

[00:21:31] Kathryn Stoner: Yeah. Yeah, even without having all of the weaponry that we've now given them and, um, our European partners have given them, um, they were able to do that. And so I think that brings us to the second reason it hasn't gone so well. Um, you'll remember in 2014, um, Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and still occupies that. 

[00:21:53] Russ Altman: Yes.

[00:21:54] Kathryn Stoner: Um, well, they did that pretty easily, um, there was limited bloodshed. Um, but since then, um, the Ukrainian military retrained. Um, and so Russia saw some of that in, um, Donetsk and Luhansk, those eastern provinces of Ukraine where a low boil war continued between 2014 and the re invasion in 2022, and the Ukrainian military in those eight years was getting training from outside, more money was put into it, and they got better. Um, so I think that was the second major failure, um, in intelligence, um, with Putin, assuming that what they were going to face was what they faced in 2014. And it wasn't. It was a professionalized Ukrainian military.

[00:22:39] Russ Altman: The thing that shocks so many of us is that Putin has not been held to this by the, it doesn't appear that Russian public opinion has turned on him with the deaths of all of these Russian troops. My understanding is that during the Afghanistan, during the Russian Afghanistan kind of debacle, um, there was a ton of domestic unhappiness, uh, and that this contributed to lots of things. Um, what is going on and why aren't the Russians, um, furious about this? And why aren't they holding it against Putin? 

[00:23:14] Kathryn Stoner: Well, so, some are furious, um, but not the majority. Um, but, uh, yeah, so just to give you some context, right? In terms of Afghanistan, we didn't exactly see people out in the streets protesting, right?

[00:23:27] Russ Altman: Right. 

[00:23:28] Kathryn Stoner: Um, we just saw people kind tuning out. Um, of politics and not believing in the Soviet system. And frankly, they just couldn't afford to keep going in Afghanistan. Right? And so Gorbachev gets them out of that in 1989, after ten years there. What's happened here is in fact, even more men have died in this conflict in just over two years in Ukraine than in Afghanistan and all of the Soviet Union's post.

[00:23:57] Russ Altman: I did not know that. 

[00:23:58] Kathryn Stoner: Yes, post Cold War, I mean, post war conflicts. So, all of them combined, already in Ukraine, more Russian troops have died. Um, I saw yesterday a statistic which I'm not, I will throw out but tell you that it's not completely confirmed that roughly two percent of Russian men aged twenty to fifty, um, have either been killed or severely wounded, uh, in Ukraine since the start of the war.

[00:24:27] Um, there is a study by Meduza, uh, and, uh, which is, um, this behind me is, uh, is from them, Meduza, which is, uh, um, an internet, um, newspaper. And media zone, uh, with the BBC that estimates, um, at least a hundred and twenty thousand dead, uh, Russians. Um, but it may be as high as a hundred and forty thousand, and somewhere around, that's dead. And three hundred and fifty thousand in total counting dead, and those so badly injured that they cannot go back to war. So this is huge, right? 

[00:24:59] Russ Altman: This is really huge. 

[00:25:00] Kathryn Stoner: So why aren't more people upset about this? Well, first of all, we think about two million have left the country, um, completely. Um, either because they had to, well, or they wanted to. Um, then, that's one. So some of the people you might see out on the streets are openly protesting may have, in fact, left.

[00:25:21] Second, since the beginning of the war, Russia's autocracy has gotten even harder. So if for us, you were on the Moscow Metro and you are just sitting there minding your own business, but happened to be wearing a yellow scarf. You, uh, would likely be reported by someone on that train, um, to the police. And that's a significant fine of, you know, five thousand rubles, which may be about half your monthly salary.

[00:25:46] Um, and, um, you know, depending on who you happen to encounter, it could also be jail time. So Russian jails is, uh, um, a friend of mine whose husband happens to still be in jail said, uh, to me in November, when I asked this exact question to her, um, it's the wife of, uh, of, uh, Kara-Murza, who's still in jail and ill, unfortunately. Um, she said, you know, Russian jails are really awful. Um, and that is a disincentive to protest. You don't know what's going to happen to you. 

[00:26:17] Russ Altman: Right.

[00:26:17] Kathryn Stoner: Um, if you end up in jail there, because this is not a country that has rule of laws. We see with Evan Gershkovich, um, who's, uh, the Wall Street Journal reporter.

[00:26:26] Russ Altman: Yes. 

[00:26:28] Kathryn Stoner: Being used as a political tool there. Um, so that's another thing. Um, and then even, you know, if you do things, um, like, um, for example, there's a case of a woman who, um, was putting messages on price tags, um, about how many people were dying in Ukraine, in, in, uh, Moscow. She's been, you know, arrested. Um, and, you know, she's gone to jail. Um, she had a kid, um, but you know, students will lose their places in universities. Um, you can lose your job. I mean, the knock on effects are long. And then ultimately, um, you can be sent to the front. 

[00:27:06] Russ Altman: Right, which is the worst. 

[00:27:08] Kathryn Stoner: Yeah, which is kind of an old Soviet era tactic, by the way, right, is what's your worst nightmare? It's worse than jail. You're gonna go fight for a regime you don't believe in and a war you don't believe in. So what is interesting though is, and it's very dangerous, obviously, to answer, you know, there's a lot of what we call preference falsification in surveys, right? So if someone comes to your door and says, and you're in, again, imaginary Russ in Moscow. Hey, um, I'm, you know, I'm a stranger. I'm either calling you or coming to your door and saying, do you support President Putin? Now in the current environment, knowing what I just told you about the scarf on the train,

[00:27:45] Russ Altman: That's an easy one. That's an easy one. 

[00:27:47] Kathryn Stoner: What are you going to say Russ? 

[00:27:49] Russ Altman: Yes, sir. Go, go Putin. 

[00:27:52] Kathryn Stoner: Right. I sure do. Um, but so if you, but if you look at, um, asking that question less directly. Um, and so we have some things called list experiments where, you know, we have a list of names, um, of former Russian or Soviet leaders, um, without Putin, and then we add Putin to the list. You can see, you subtract one from the other and you can see that, okay, maybe it's not as much. Also, if you ask people about happiness, general happiness and their own well-being, it's much lower. Um, if you, um, ask them, and there's another organization called, um, Russian, uh, Field, um, has asked if you could go back in time and, uh, and not start this war, um, would you? And we're getting increasingly close to fifty percent saying they wouldn't have started it, um, to do it all again. 

[00:28:46] Russ Altman: So let me, in the last minute, let me just ask, is there a source of hope for Russia, for Russians, and even for non-Russians like Ukrainians and Americans who are watching all this? Is there a reason to be optimistic? 

[00:29:02] Kathryn Stoner: In the end, I think there is. I mean, until this war ends and all wars end in a negotiation, we're going to be stuck probably with Putin. Um, he can stay in office. Um, he just was re-elected 

[00:29:14] Russ Altman: Yeah. 

[00:29:14] Kathryn Stoner: Until 2030 this term and then constitutionally, he can say until 2036. He'll be in his eighties at that point. It's going to be problematic. However, autocracies tend to be a little fragile at the top. And you know, there, I think there's a limit to how much more time Russian business will go on this way. Right now, they're, they have short time horizons and opportunistically, they're making some money. But I think the real hope for Russia, and this comes through even in the dangerous question of, um, do you support the president? Do you support the war? Is really in people under thirty-five in Russia. 

[00:29:50] And there we see the highest number of people, even in those circumstances, right? Of, of, uh, consequences being really grave, indicating that no, I don't. And these are people, after all, if you're born after 2000, you've never known another president other than Putin. And you, um, are the YouTube generation, you're the internet generation, Instagram. You know, they're about to cut off YouTube in Russia. They've cut off everything else. These are people who've studied abroad, um, and who want opportunities, right? And who were benefiting from Russia being integrated. So it's Putin's generation that's made their peace with being cut from the West and they are not isolated from the rest of the world, but the younger generation, isn't necessarily happy or contented with that. And so I think that's the hopeful thing. Um, and, uh, in the end, Russians are, are well educated people. 

[00:30:38] Russ Altman: Yes. And you mentioned, I think you said, uh, two million people have left the country and do they want to go back? 

[00:30:47] Kathryn Stoner: Some do, some don't. Um, you know, most people do. I'm, I should confess here, I was born in Canada, and I came to this country when I was twenty-two. And, you know, even as easy a transition as that is, my children are constantly making fun of my immigrant experience because it wasn't very hard, certainly compared to others. It's still, it's not your country for a while, right? And so when you throw on top of that, as we well know, you have to speak another language, or if your country is a pariah, as Russia is in much of the West, it's even harder, I think.

[00:31:18] So, you know, most people, I think if they could, would want to go back to their own country. And I think that's definitely true, uh, of a generation that's moved. It's also the smartest of Russians that have moved. And, you know, that is our gain. As we've seen from, uh, you know, people like Sergey Brin and others who've come and started wonderful companies here in the United States.

[00:31:40] Russ Altman: Thanks to Kathryn Stoner. That was the future of Russia. 

[00:31:43] Thanks for tuning into this episode. With over 250 episodes in our archive. You have instant access to a huge array of discussions on the future of pretty much everything. If you're enjoying the show, a reminder to please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues.

[00:32:00] Personal recommendations are the best way for us to grow the show. You can connect with me on X or Twitter @RBAltman, and you can connect with Stanford Engineering @StanfordENG.

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