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Russian and Comparative Literature

B. RICHARD PAGE, Associate Professor of German and Linguistics; Head, Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
427 Burrowes Building
814-865-5481

CAROLINE D. ECKHARDT, Head, Department of Comparative Literature
427 Burrowes Building
814-863-0589

Degree Conferred:

M.A. in Russian and Comparative Literature

The Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Department of Comparative Literature offer a joint master's degree in Russian and Comparative Literature. The program enables students to concentrate in Russian literature at the graduate level while having the advantages of a comparative context. Students completing this M.A. will acquire an in-depth understanding of Russian literature and culture and will be proficient in Russian and one other foreign language. Graduates should be prepared for service with the U.S. government or an international corporation, or to continue graduate study either in Russian or comparative literature.

Admission Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to the general Graduate School requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin. Students with appropriate course backgrounds and a 3.00 junior/senior average (on a 4.00 scale) will be considered for admission. Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. It is expected that students entering this degree program will have proficiency in Russian language and will have completed the B.A. in Russian or Comparative Literature. Students in other humanistic fields such as philosophy or history who have studied some literature and are proficient in Russian are welcome to apply.

Master's Degree Requirements

Candidates for the M.A. degree must earn a minimum of 33 credits of which at least 18 must be at the 500 level. Required courses in Russian include RUS 530 (Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature), RUS 525 (Pushkin), and RUS 560 (History of the Russian Language) or RUS 542 (Seminar in Russian Literature in the Twentieth Century) plus an additional 6 credits. Required courses in comparative literature include CMLIT 501 plus an additional 12 credits in comparative literature. Also required are an additional 3 credits in Russian, comparative literature, or another approved area; passing of a proficiency examination in Russian; demonstration of reading knowledge of one other foreign language; and the completion of an acceptable M.A. paper.

Student Aid

A number of teaching assistantships are available in the Departments of Comparative Literature and Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures for students taking advanced degrees in these disciplines. There is also a graduate assistant position for an editorial assistant. See also the fellowships, graduate assistantships, and other forms of financial aid described in the STUDENT AID section of the Graduate Bulletin.

DATE LAST REVIEWED BY GRADUATE SCHOOL: 5/25/04

Last updated by Publications: 8/20/09

This is the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. Programmatic expectations for General Education are those in effect at the time of admission to degree candidacy, and college and major requirements are those in effect at the time of entry to college and major. These are accurately indicated in each student's degree audit.

The University reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations listed here and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education. Nothing in this material should be considered a guarantee that completion of a program and graduation from the University will result in employment.

The University Faculty Senate has responsibility for and authority over all academic information contained in the Undergraduate Bulletin.