Graduate Programs

M.A. and Ph.D. Program Requirements

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures. The M.A. degree is intended only as a transitional degree in the process of completing requirements for the Ph.D. The following are the basic course requirements for the two degrees. For application requirements and procedures, see "How to Apply."

Master of Arts in Slavic Languages and Literatures

A student must complete 30 units in Russian, three units of which may be taken in a related department. Students who lack undergraduate preparation in any given area may be required to take appropriate courses at the 400 level before enrolling in 500-level courses. Command of spoken and written Russian must be demonstrated; a proficiency examination must be taken at the beginning of the first semester of study and again before the completion of the degree to demonstrate sufficient progress. Written and oral examinations or a thesis are required on completion of course work.

The thesis is an honors option; the departmental Graduate Committee will consider thesis requests on the basis of a student's performance in graduate courses, units completed, and individual background in Russian literature. The thesis may be taken in lieu of four units of course work.

Required Courses Units for the M. A.

SLL 500 Topics in Advanced Russian (2 units each semester to total 8 units)
SLL 501 Proseminar in Russian Literature (3 units)
SLL 516 Structure of Modern Russian: Morphology (3 units)
SLL 530 Early Russian Literature and Culture (11th-17th Centuries), or
SLL 532 18th Century Russian Literature (3 units)

Two courses in 19th century Russian literature and two courses in 20th century Russian literature (one course in Russian art or culture may be substituted for one course in either 19th or 20th century literature) are also required. One elective may be selected from relevant courses in any department with approval of the graduate advisor.

Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures

The course of study leading to the Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures requires 30 units of course work beyond the M.A. Requirements include: demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written Russian; reading knowledge of French and German (in exceptional cases a second Slavic language may substitute for either French or German. Note also that instruction in Slavic languages other than Russian is not scheduled on a regular basis); comprehensive examinations in primary and secondary fields of concentration; dissertation. Required courses are: SLL 510 or 512, 548, 584, 585; and two courses selected from SLL 650, 660, and 665.

Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics
With specialization in Slavic; see Linguistics.

Note on Transfer Credit

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School, and subject to its general regulations as set out in the current USC Catalogue. [LINK] All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School. Transfer credit applied toward the master's degree must have been earned no earlier than 10 years prior to the date of application.

Link to the USC Catalogue