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Russian Language and Literature (in Universities) Schools and Programs in The United States

45 schools in The United States teach Russian Language and Literature (in Universities).

  • Stetson University

    University DeLand, The United States In an official register

    Stetson University is an independent institution of higher learning, established in 1883, operating four colleges and schools across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. The Center for International…

Russian Language and Literature (in Universities) Studies in The United States

Russian language and literature is taught at US universities as part of Slavic studies: students learn the language from the alphabet up and read Russian literature from the nineteenth-century classics to contemporary writers, alongside film, culture and history. Most programmes sit in a department of Slavic, East European or Eurasian languages and cultures, which often also teaches Ukrainian, Polish or other languages of the region.

The schools on this page are mostly research universities and liberal arts colleges that teach Russian at bachelor's level, and in some cases at master's and doctoral level.

How the degrees are organised

A US bachelor's degree takes four or five years, according to EducationUSA, and combines general "core" courses with courses in the "major". Russian can be studied as:

  • a major in Russian language and literature, or a broader major in Russian, East European or Eurasian studies
  • a minor alongside another major, for example in Russian language or in Russian and Slavic literatures
  • a Master of Arts (MA), usually two years
  • a PhD in Slavic languages and literatures, five to eight years of research training
  • intensive summer programmes and study abroad

Examples from the departments' own pages: the University of Washington in Seattle offers a BA in Russian Language, Literature & Culture, minors in Russian language and in Russian and Slavic literatures, and MA and doctoral programmes. UCLA's Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures, founded in 1948, teaches the languages, literatures, cultures and history of Russia, Eastern and Central Europe and Eurasia. Dartmouth College offers majors in Russian Language and in East European, Eurasian and Russian Studies, with courses in Russian and Ukrainian, literature, history, linguistics, culture and media. At the University of Texas at Austin, Russian is part of the Department of European and Eurasian Studies, supported by a Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

Study abroad and immersion

Immersion is a standard part of Russian programmes, and US universities also send students to other Russian-speaking countries: UCLA, for instance, runs a summer Russian programme in Kazakhstan in 2027 through UCEAP and American Councils. Within the United States, Concordia Language Villages runs Lesnoe Ozero, a Russian language village in Minnesota for school-age learners; a two-week high school credit session in July 2027 costs $3,395.

Admission and visa

No previous knowledge of Russian is needed for a bachelor's degree: departments offer first-year courses, and students who already speak some Russian take a placement test, as at Dartmouth. Admission to the university follows the general rules, with school records, test scores that may be required to show academic ability and English proficiency, essays and recommendations. Graduate programmes expect a strong background in Russian and literature. International students study on an F-1 student visa at an accredited college or university.

Costs and funding

Undergraduate tuition depends on the institution, so students should check each university's own cost pages. In graduate study, EducationUSA notes that teaching or research assistantships with a tuition waiver and/or a stipend are very common at PhD level.

Where to study Russian in the United States

Russian is taught across the country, with several schools in Baltimore (Johns Hopkins University and UMBC) and Philadelphia (the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University), and others at the University of Washington in Seattle, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Drew University in New Jersey. Other examples are the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Ohio State University, Penn State, Purdue University, the University of Chicago, Duke University, Vanderbilt University and the University of California campuses at Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine and Davis. Liberal arts colleges include Middlebury College, Bryn Mawr College, Wellesley College and Colorado College.

Careers

Graduates work in translation and interpreting, international business, journalism, government and diplomacy, research, publishing and teaching. Many combine Russian with a second major such as international relations, economics or history. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators typically need at least a bachelor's degree; their median annual wage was $60,170 in May 2025, and employment is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know Russian before starting a degree?

No. Departments teach Russian from the beginning; students with previous knowledge or heritage speakers take a placement test.

Can I study Russian literature without majoring in it?

Yes. Many universities offer minors, such as the University of Washington's minor in Russian and Slavic literatures, that can be combined with another major.

Where do US students go to practise Russian abroad?

Programmes also use other Russian-speaking countries; UCLA's 2027 summer programme, for example, takes place in Kazakhstan.