The Russian Program at the University of Manitoba offers a full complement of courses in Russian Studies leading to the major or minor in the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Russian Program is run by a committed and enthusiastic group of scholars and instructors who take pride in offering a variety of courses in the Russian language, culture, and literature. The faculty members support active student involvement in travel study programs (studying Russian in St. Petersburg or in Kyiv). Contact the Department of German and Slavic Studies to find out more about the Program.

Why Study Russian:

277 million people speak Russian. Russian is the 4th most spoken language in the world by total number of speakers and the 8th by number of native speakers. It is the largest native language in Europe, with 160 million native speakers in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Russian is the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages and the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia.

Knowing Russian opens up exciting career opportunities. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recruit candidates who can speak Russian to work in the Foreign Service. Russian is on the list of strategic languages with CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and CIA. Besides, there are thousands of foreign companies operating in Russia. Among them are Siemens, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Honda, Ford, Toyota, Shell, Starbucks, Michelin, Morgan Stanley, etc. As the number of such companies grows, there will be even a larger market for professionals who can speak Russian.

Russia offers so many things to be passionate about: history, ballet, music, fine arts, popular culture, and wonderful works of literature that will challenge your mind and sharpen your analytical skills. For students of Russian history, for example, knowledge of the language deepens the understanding of major historical events such as the 1917 Revolution, Stalinism, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Remember, most sources pertaining to Russian history are in Russian.

Russian is a language of science and technology. More than 28% of the world’s scientific literature is published in Russian. Some of the most vital information in the fields of physics, geophysics, meteorology, geology, biology, and engineering is in Russian.

Teaching members of the Russian section

• Dr. Myroslav Shkandrij, Professor (Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Soviet literature of the 1920s, Avant-Garde art, Postcolonial theory)
• Dr. Elena Baraban, Assistant Professor (Russian postmodernism, Russian poetry, Popular literature and culture)
• Iryna Konstantiuk, MA, Instructor (Russian language)

Programs offered

Undergraduate Studies

• General major (B.A.) in Russian
• Minor

Graduate Studies

• PreMA in Slavic Studies
• M.A.in Slavic Studies

Undergraduate Studies

General Major (B.A.) in Russian
For entry to the Major, the prerequisite is a grade of "C" or better in six credit hours from RUSN 1300  (or RUSN 1330), RUSN 2810 (or RUSN 2820) (the former RUSN 2620). For students who have taken additional courses toward the major, then a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 is required on all courses including the higher grade of repeated courses and excluding failed courses.
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all courses that comprise the Major is required to graduate including the higher grade of repeated courses and excluding failed courses.

Minor in Russian
For entry to the Minor, the prerequisite is a grade of "C" or better in six credit hours from RUSN 1300  (or RUSN 1330), RUSN 2810 (or RUSN 2820) (the former RUSN 2620).

Graduate Studies

Pre-Master's Year in Slavic Studies

Students without a four-year degree or without an undergraduate major in the discipline to be studied must complete a pre-Master’s year as approved by the chair of the appropriate graduate studies committee or his/her delegate before they can enter the Master’s program. This year is intended to bring the student’s standing to approximately the level of a four-year degree with a major in the appropriate discipline. It will normally consist of 24 credit hours of coursework, of which at least 12 are in the major discipline. At most, one grade of “C+” in a course of six credit hours, or two grades of “C+” in courses of three credit hours, will be permitted.

Master of Arts in Slavic Studies

Students fulfil the requirements for the Master’s degree by doing a combination of coursework and thesis. A minimum of 15 credit hours of course-work is required, including SLAV 7200 , SLAV 7210, and 3 other credit hours at the 700/7000 level in the student’s major discipline. The remaining 6 credit hours, designated as ancillary credit, may be taken at the 700/7000, 400/4000, 300/3000 (or in exceptional circumstances the 200/2000) level and may be in courses in the student’s major discipline, or in another program or department, at the discretion of the chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. A thesis prospectus must be submitted to the candidate’s M.A. advisor a minimum of two months before the thesis is submitted to the M.A. committee.

Expected time to graduation: Two Years; all requirements for the Degree of M.A. must be fulfilled within five years of the original date of entry into the program. Time extensions for completion of the program may be permitted on an individual basis.

The Department of German and Slavic Studies allows students to begin their program on either 1 September or 1 January. For admission for each of these start dates, Canadian/U.S. students should send their applications with complete supporting documentation to the Faculty of Graduate Studies no less than four (4) months prior to their intended start date. International students should send their applications with complete supporting documentation to the Faculty of Graduate Studies to arrive no later than seven (7) months prior to their intended start date.

Click here for further information on the Graduate Program.