Slavic languages and literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is a national leader of doctoral programs in the field, and welcomes students with a BA/BS or MA who are interested in all areas of Russian and comparative Slavic prose, poetry, drama, and philosophy. The curriculum offers breadth and depth in a variety of areas of Slavic philology, literature, and culture, and is known for offering a balanced approach to training in teaching, writing, and research.
The program is fortunate to count among its faculty specialists in Czech, Polish, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian languages, literature, and culture, award-winning authors and teachers, and members of editorial boards of leading journals and publication series. Information regarding faculty biographical sketches is available on the program website. In addition to their excellence in teaching and research, professors are unparalleled mentors to graduate students. Students work closely with faculty members on writing, teaching, and publishing. Graduate students are expected to produce publishable articles during their graduate careers, and are provided the guidance and feedback to do so.
The department places high expectations on graduate students to achieve and maintain professional-level proficiency in the Russian language in all four modalities: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. All students who are not native speakers of Russian will be tested in those modalities—plus Russian grammar—when they enter the program, and periodically throughout their tenure. Appropriate competency must be demonstrated before receiving a teaching assistantship and before passing from MA to PhD candidacy.
Graduate students in the program receive exceptional training in teaching both language and literature. The department has a thriving undergraduate program in Slavic languages with strong enrollments in language, literature, and culture, providing many opportunities for teaching experience, working closely with master teachers among the faculty and academic staff. In addition to teaching assignments in first- through fourth-semester Russian language (and occasionally in other Slavic languages), as well as in the two-semester undergraduate survey of Russian literature course, the department has also instituted an apprenticeship program for adequately prepared graduate students in the teaching of advanced literature and language classes. The program's graduate teaching assistants regularly win prestigious campus awards for their excellence in the classroom.
Admissions
Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.
| Fall Deadline | January 2 |
| Spring Deadline | This program does not admit in the spring. |
| Summer Deadline | This program does not admit in the summer. |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) | Not required but may be considered if available. |
| English Proficiency Test | Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241. |
| Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) | n/a |
| Letters of Recommendation Required | 3 |
For admission to the graduate program, the Slavic department requires the equivalent of a BA degree in Russian and a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants who have carried out graduate work at another institution must have a graduate GPA of 3.25. International degree-seeking applicants must prove English proficiency using the Graduate School's requirements.
Applicants who have spent at least a semester studying in Russia are best prepared to continue graduate-level study in Russian. Admitted applicants with deficiencies, especially in Russian, are required to make up such deficiencies.
Applications for admission to the graduate program are accepted at any time, but only complete applications received by the deadline will be considered for fellowships and other forms of funding for the following fall semester. More information regarding graduate program admission may be found on the program website.
If an applicant chooses to submit GRE scores, these should be sent electronically from ETS (use institution code 1846).
Reentry applicants must contact the program before applying for admission.
Note that we do not admit applicants seeking a terminal MA. Prospective students who are interested in a terminal master’s degree are encouraged to consider the interdisciplinary master’s degree in Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies (REECAS) through the Center for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CREECA).
Funding
Graduate School Resources
Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Program Resources
Most students receive funding for multiple years in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships or project assistantships. These positions include a stipend as well as tuition remission and a generous health plan. Additional hourly employment is also often available.
Students are typically admitted with four- to five-year funding guarantees contingent on satisfactory progress and ability to perform assigned responsibilities well. Funding packages combine fellowships, teaching assistantships and project assistantships at the level of at least 33.3%. All such positions include a stipend as well as tuition remission and a generous health plan. Funding beyond the initial guarantee period is often available for one or two years.
See the program website and the Graduate School's funding information page for more information.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
Mode of Instruction
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No |
Mode of Instruction Definitions
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information.
Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 51 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 51 credits 36 credits (excluding dissertator credits) for students who completed their MA degree at another institution and who confirmed their MA degree in the department by passing a qualifying examination during their first semester of study. |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 34 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244. |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.6 GPA required |
| Other Grade Requirements | n/a |
| Assessments and Examinations | Students must earn passing grades (no lower than B) on all six written Foundation examinations in the history of Russian literature by the end of the sixth semester of coursework This includes those passed as an MA student. For students admitted with MA degree, the same requirements need to be fulfilled by the end of their fourth semester. Students must pass all five Russian language proficiency examinations (including those passed as an MA student) by the end of the sixth semester (end of the fourth semester for students admitted with MA degree). Students must complete a review of a capstone dossier (all six Foundation examinations and two major seminar papers) by the graduate faculty in the beginning of the seventh semester in the program (fifth semester for students admitted with MA degree). Students must pass an oral examination (defense of a dissertation proposal) by the end of the seventh semester in the program (fifth semester for students admitted with MA degree). Defense of PhD dissertation. |
| Language Requirements | For Russian language proficiency requirements see "Assessments and Examinations". Students must demonstrate proficiency of language through coursework or placement test/examination. Knowledge equivalent to two years of college-level study of either:
In well-grounded cases, when a different language is necessary for student’s research, it may be applied towards fulfillment of the language requirement. A student will submit a respective petition to DGS, which will be discussed and decided upon by all Slavic graduate faculty. |
| Graduate School Breadth Requirement | All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200. |
Required Courses
Note that the minimum credit and residence credit requirement includes master's credits but excludes dissertator credits.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Students must complete the following courses. | ||
| SLAVIC 800 | Proseminar-Slavic Literature and Culture | 1 |
| SLAVIC 803 | Introduction to Old Church Slavonic and the History of Russian Literary Language | 2 |
| SLAVIC 801 | Slavic Critical Theory and Practice | 3 |
| SLAVIC 802 | The Structure of Russian | 2 |
| SLAVIC 804 | Methods of Teaching Slavic Languages | 2 |
| Seminar | ||
| Students must complete the following course. | ||
| SLAVIC 900 | Seminar: Slavic Literature and Culture (taken three times for 3 credits each) | 9 |
| Breadth | 9 | |
| Electives | 23 | |
| Students must complete additional courses to meet the minimum credit requirement, chosen in consultation with advisor. Additional enrollments of SLAVIC 900 may be applied to satisfy this requirement. | ||
| Total Credits | 51 | |
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Major-Specific Policies
Prior Coursework
Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions
Students are generally not allowed to transfer credits earned at other institutions to fulfill degree requirements. Exceptions are students who are admitted to pursue a PhD degree after completing their MA degree at another institution, and who confirmed their MA degree in the department by passing a qualifying examination. Students may transfer up to 15 credits of MA coursework to satisfy PhD degree requirements. Up to 9 credits of prior graduate coursework may be applied towards the breadth requirement (Option B -- Distributed Minor). Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison
With program approval, up to 7 credits numbered 700 and above taken in the Slavic department while pursuing a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to transfer. Undergraduate coursework from other institutions is not allowed. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison
With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Probation
A semester GPA below 3.25 will result in the student being placed on academic probation. If a semester GPA of 3.25 is not attained during the subsequent semester of full time enrollment the student may be dismissed from the program.
Advisor / Committee
Prior to being admitted to candidacy, all students meet with graduate advisor once a semester (in November and April) to discuss their progress and to plan their coursework for the subsequent semester.
No later than by the end of their sixth semester students choose their dissertation advisor.
After being admitted to candidacy, all students are required to submit brief written yearly progress reports to their thesis committee by the end of January.
Credits Per Term Allowed
15 credits
Time Limits
Students must fulfill all coursework requirements and pass oral examination by the end of the seventh semester in the program (fifth semester for students admitted with MA degree).
Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.
Grievances and Appeals
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
Students should contact the department chair or program director with questions about grievances. They may also contact the L&S Academic Divisional Associate Deans, the L&S Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration, or the L&S Director of Human Resources.
Other
n/a
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
Learning Outcomes
- (Critical Thinking and Writing Skills) Demonstrate: analytic, interpretative, and critical thinking skills; knowledge of research protocols; and understanding of the specificity of the literary object as well as its historical and cultural context.
- (Literature) Develop comprehensive knowledge of Russian literary history, the major writers and movements, from the origins to the present day. Demonstrate this knowledge in relation to the following periods and movements: Old Russian Literature; 18th-Century Russian Literature; Romanticism (ca. 1790s to 1840s); Realism (ca. 1840s to 1890s); Modernism (ca. 1890s to 1920s); Soviet, Emigre, and Post-Soviet Periods (ca. 1930s to the present).
- (Language proficiency) Demonstrate Advanced Russian language proficiency on the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) scale across all modalities (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the structure of contemporary Russian. Develop, at minimum, reading proficiency in languages essential for research in the field, including a second Slavic language and either French or German.
- (Ph.D. Minor) Demonstrate intellectual breadth and the ability to synthesize cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives through the completion of a doctoral minor.
- (Ph.D. Dissertation) A successful Ph.D. candidate will have written a dissertation that synthesizes knowledge of relevant disciplines and develops it to create an original contribution to scholarship. The candidate will be able to present the results of her or his research both to experts in the field as well as to a wider public.
- (Teacher-Trainer) Demonstrate, both in theory and through instructional practice, foundational knowledge of second-language teaching, including the concepts of proficiency-oriented instruction and communicative language teaching; principles behind the design, integration, and delivery of classroom instruction and appropriate assessment instruments for all four modalities (speaking, listening, reading, writing), structure, and culture.
- Recognize, apply, and foster principles of ethical and professional conduct in the context of Slavic studies.