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Studies & Degrees in Russian Language and Literature (in Universities)

Russian language and literature is a university subject that combines learning Russian to an advanced level with the study of the literature, history and culture of Russia and of the wider Russian-speaking world. The Pennsylvania State University, for example, describes its B.A. in Russian as giving students a command of spoken and written Russian and a general knowledge of Russian literature and culture. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students of the Russian major read Russian literature in both Russian and English and also study film, the visual arts, theatre and music.

Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, together with Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. It uses the Cyrillic alphabet and has a case system, so it takes English and Spanish speakers longer to learn than a Romance language. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in the United States, for instance, teaches Russian in 48-week courses, against 36 weeks for French or Spanish.

Qualifications and levels

Most students take Russian as a bachelor's degree, alone or combined with a second subject.

  • United States. Russian is a major inside a four-year bachelor's degree. Penn State and the University of Wisconsin-Madison both require a minimum of 120 credits for the degree, of which only part belongs to the major; the rest is general education and electives.
  • United Kingdom. The University of Glasgow teaches Russian as a four-year honours degree in which the third year is spent abroad; applicants with exceptional grades may be considered for entry into the second year and finish in three years.
  • Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Check on each university's page whether Russian is taught as a main language, as a second language or only as an elective.
  • Language certificates and short courses. The Russian state test of Russian as a foreign language (known as TORFL, or TRKI in Russian) has six levels of general proficiency, according to the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Moscow. Summer immersion courses are an option before university: Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota runs a Russian village with one-, two- and four-week sessions for young people aged 7 to 18.

You do not normally need to know Russian before you start. At Glasgow, previous knowledge of Russian is not required in the first year, and the Russian Flagship Program at Wisconsin accepts undergraduates of all majors and at all levels of prior Russian. Students who already know some Russian take a placement test.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 87 active schools for Russian language and literature. More than half are in the United States (46), followed by the United Kingdom (7), Russia (5) and Canada (4); Germany, Armenia and Latvia have two each. Among the United States universities listed are The Ohio State University, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, The University of Chicago, the University of Washington, Duke University, Dartmouth College and the University of Florida.

Language classes are taught in Russian, while literature and culture courses are often offered in the language of the country. The University of Florida, for example, states that it offers courses conducted in both English and Russian. International applicants to a programme in the United States or the United Kingdom therefore also need to prove their level of English.

A period abroad is part of many programmes, and destinations vary: the University of Florida currently runs its summer Russian programme in Tbilisi, Georgia. Ask each school where its students spend the period abroad and whether it is compulsory.

Careers

A degree in Russian leads to work in which the language is one skill among several. Penn State reports that its graduates have found employment in international business, the United States government, education, publishing and the travel industry. The University of Florida lists international law, national security, journalism, the foreign service, tourism and teaching, as well as further study in the humanities or social sciences.

Translation and interpreting are the most direct language professions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators typically need at least a bachelor's degree, and employment in the occupation in the United States is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Russian before starting a degree in Russian?

Usually not. Many universities teach the language from beginner level; at the University of Glasgow, for example, previous knowledge of Russian is not required in the first year. Students with previous knowledge take a placement test and start at a higher level.

How long does a degree in Russian take?

A bachelor's degree in the United States takes four years and at least 120 credits at the universities cited here. In Scotland the honours degree normally takes four years, including a year abroad. An official Spanish bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits.

Is Russian difficult to learn?

It takes longer than French or Spanish for English speakers: the US Defense Language Institute plans 48 weeks for Russian and 36 weeks for those languages. The University of Florida describes the grammar as somewhat more challenging than Spanish, French or German.

Is there an official certificate of Russian as a foreign language?

Yes. The TORFL (TRKI) system has six levels of general proficiency, and the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute also runs its own tests from A1 to C2.