Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university, and with a main field of study within the Social Sciences or Arts.

Language requirements

All applicants need to verify English language proficiency that corresponds to English studies at upper secondary (high school) level in Sweden ("English 6"). This can be done in a number of ways, including through an internationally recognised test such as TOEFL or IELTS, or through previous upper secondary (high school) or university studies.

The minimum test scores are:

• IELTS: an overall mark of 6.5 and no section below 5.5
• TOEFL: Paper-based: Score of 4.5 (scale 1–6) in written test and a total score of 575. Internet-based: Score of 20 (scale 0–30) in written test and a total score of 90
• Cambridge: CAE, CPE

Aims

The aim of the programme is to give the student the theoretical and empirical knowledge and the methodological skills required to be able to independently and critically analyse, understand and explain social developments in Russia and the post-Soviet area on a scientific basis.

The programme has a distinctly multidisciplinary character and includes the study of the history, culture, economics, politics and society of Russia and Eurasia from various theoretical perspectives. Alongside these courses students are offered intensive Russian language training. The programme provides the possibility of in-depth study of various parts of the subject, such as history, international relations and economics. The student is also expected to write a master’s thesis (15 or 30 credits) of high quality that is anchored clearly in the state of research and contributes new knowledge to Russian and Eurasian studies.

The programme prepares students for a professional career as area specialists in public administration, government agencies, organisations, media and companies at both national and international level. The knowledge and skills acquired also form a basis for doctoral education in the disciplinary domain of humanities and social sciences.

Learning outcomes

After completing the programme students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate in-depth empirical and theoretical knowledge and understanding of the post-Soviet area
• demonstrate a basic knowledge of the Russian language
• show an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of multidisciplinary research
• give an account of and demonstrate an in-depth ability to analyse and apply various subject-specific concepts and theories.

Competence and skills

• identify, formulate and solve advanced research problems in the area of Russian and Eurasian studies with a high degree of independence
• interpret, analyse and explain post-Soviet politics, economics, society and culture with the aid of relevant scientific theories and methods
• write and present advanced research reports on relevant problems in Russian and Eurasian studies
• make scientifically relevant, independent oral presentations
• lead and participate actively and independently in seminar discussions and provide advanced and problematising comments.
• after language studies at beginner level demonstrate basic practical proficiency in Russian with good oral and written proficiency
• after language studies at advanced level independently absorb technical texts, draft business letters, contract texts and reports in Russian and demonstrate deep practical proficiency in Russian with very good oral and written proficiency
• apply multidisciplinary skills and be able to present well-informed and independently framed knowledge overviews and give an account of the state of research in a specific subject area in Russian and Eurasian studies
• identify and define the scope of empirically relevant material in Russian and Eurasian studies and work on it analytically in an in-depth research task (thesis)
• communicate complex issues concerning political, economic, social and legal processes to people without special knowledge of the area.

Judgement and approach

• critically and independently judge and assess concepts, theories and issues of relevance for the subject
• make assessments taking account of scientific, social and ethical aspects and show awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work in Russian and Eurasian studies
• identify and analyse issues of central importance for Russian and Eurasian studies
• critically judge, examine and analyse developments in Russia and the post-Soviet area on a scientific basis
• judge and apply relevant scientific methods

Layout of the programme

The programme consists of 120 credits over two years.

Semester 1 consists of a compulsory subject course in the history, culture and society of Russia and the Soviet Union (10 credits), which introduces the subject, presents the geographical area and communicates fundamental theoretical and thematic perspectives, a compulsory methods course (5 credits) and a compulsory course in Russian at either beginner or advanced level depending on prior knowledge (15 credits).

In Semester 2 students take two compulsory subject courses each of 10 credits. One focuses on economic, legal and social developments, while the other deals with politics, media and communication and with international relations. The courses are thematic specialisations that problematise central issues concerning developments in the area on a theoretical basis. During the semester students also take a compulsory course in Russian at beginner or advanced level (10 credits).

Students who want to complete their studies with a 60-credit master's degree choose one of the subject courses given in this term, take a shorter course in Russian (5 credits) and write an independent 15-credit paper (master's thesis).

Semester 3 contains a compulsory 10-credit methodology course and a 5-credit course in Russian. During this semester students are offered the possibility of doing a placement in Sweden or abroad (15 credits) or engaging in language studies abroad (15 credits) or taking an in-depth course in one of the subject areas from semesters 1 and 2 (15 credits). The students also have the possibility of taking a course from another master programme (15 credits).

Semester 4 is devoted to the degree thesis (30 credits). Subject specific knowledge of methods is acquired through supervision and seminar discussions.

Instruction

Knowledge is communicated and acquired through instruction, seminar discussions, self-study, oral presentations, written reports and supervision. The instruction is mainly conducted in English. Throughout the programme great weight is attached to both written and oral presentations. The student is expected to take increasing responsibility for their learning during the programme and to gradually acquire both professionally relevant and research-based knowledge and skills. The studies assume that a student admitted to the programme has acquired fundamental methodological knowledge as part of the programme that gave them eligibility.

The programme builds on a scientific foundation and is clearly anchored in research, which enables the student to continually develop their methodological/analytical skills and scientific approach. Studies on the programme are intended to lead to a higher degree of intellectual maturity and to deeper insights into the complexity of the subject. This is presented along with the ability to integrate knowledge and skills and to independently formulate and solve problems in a concluding thesis. The student is encouraged to establish and develop both national and international contacts.

Degree

The programme leads to a degree of master of science (120 credits) with Eurasian studies as the main field of studies. After one year of study it is possible to take a degree of master of science (60 credits).