University College London (UCL)
Russian and East European Literature and Culture MA
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
The program in Russian and East European Literature and Culture offers students a chance to explore literature, history, and culture from Russia and Eastern Europe. It covers a wide range of topics, including Russian literature, cinema, and cultural history, providing students with a thorough understanding of the region's diverse cultural landscape. The curriculum combines historical context with literary analysis, helping students develop critical skills while engaging deeply with texts and cultural expressions from different periods and genres.
The program encourages independent research and critical thinking, supporting students to explore their own interests within the region’s culture. It includes modules that focus on key themes and issues like identity, politics, and societal change. Students will also have opportunities to enhance their language skills and engage with primary sources that bring the region’s literature and culture to life. Whether you’re aiming to further a career in academia, arts, journalism, or cultural sectors, this program provides a solid foundation for understanding the complexities and richness of Russian and Eastern European cultural heritage.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and private study. The third term is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project.
A 15-credit module is equivalent to 150 hours of study and a 30-credit module equivalent to 300 hours. This includes contact time, private study and the undertaking of coursework assignments.
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, film viewings, tutorials and specialist language courses. You will be assessed through unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the research dissertation.
For a full-time postgraduate course, we recommend around 20-25 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will have approximately 8-10 contact hours each week during term time, spent in lectures and seminars.
For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week.
Those undertaking language modules may have additional contact hours. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.
Modules
Full-time
The taught modules comprise a methodology course and a choice from a range of options. In addition all students must undertake a free-standing dissertation worth 60 credits and a Dissertation Preparation module. Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
Subject to approval, optional courses up to the value of 30 credits may be taken from another SSEES MA programme or from another MA programme within UCL (Anthropology, History, European Studies, Comparative Literature etc.).
Part-time
The MA Russian and East European Literature and Culture can be taken part-time, across two years. Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
In Year 1, you will take a compulsory methodology module, designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and to provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and for the dissertation. You will also choose optional modules in aspects of language, literature and culture, or history,
In Year 2, you will take optional modules to develop your broader understanding and develop key concepts learnt in Year 1. You will also continue to formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your supervisor
Compulsory Modules
- SSEES MA Dissertation Preparation
- Literary and Cultural Theory
- M.A. Dissertation
Optional Modules
- Contemporary Art and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia
- Qualitative Methods
- The Jews in Polish Culture: Beyond Stereotypes
- Languages in Contact Along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Gender and Sexuality in Russian, Ukrainian and Soviet Cultures
- Literatures of Rupture: Modernism in Russia and Eastern Europe
- Introduction to Hermeneutics: How to Read and Interpret Texts
- Crossroads of Culture: The Literatures of Ukraine from Crimea to the Shtetls
- Discourses of Empire and Identity: The Nineteenth-Century Novel in Russian
- New Language: Russian
- Intermediate Language: Russian
- New Language: Czech
- New Language: Czech
- New Language: Serbian and Croatian
- Intermediate Language: Romanian
The UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) is one of the largest national centres in the UK for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia.
The degree will allow you to combine methodology modules with literature and culture, as well as choose from a language should you wish.
SSEES' location on the edge of Bloomsbury offers you access to the British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres, who regularly collaborate with SSEES, giving students access to a range of cultural and political events, exhibitions and insights outside of the classroom.
Our unique specialist library which contains over 400,000 books, volumes and journals with relation to the region, and central London location provide an ideal environment for research, while our close contacts with employers, policymakers, embassies and alumni afford you excellent opportunities for networking and career development.
The foundation of your career
Students who have successfully completed the programme have progressed to further academic research on the region, or have obtained employment in such organisations as the European Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, as well as roles in business, think tanks, NGOs, or similar, both in Britain and abroad. Internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region as well as suite of leading events and research seminars complement your studies.
Employability
With their specialist knowledge and language skills, SSEES Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, charities, diplomacy, international security organisations, the law, and academe. Some of our graduates advise the Russian, Polish, American, and other governments, and the European Commission.
Networking
Our London location and links with cultural institutions, such as Pushkin House; think-tanks such as Chatham House and proximity to Embassies of the region, mean we attract a wide range of external and influential speakers at our events.
The SSEES Employers Evening hosts a range of employers with relevant job opportunities for SSEES students, enabling networking with key organisations to help further your career.