MPhil in Russian and East European Studies

This course explores several overlapping forces which shaped late Tsarist Russia, the USSR, and Eastern Europe during the twentieth century. The course focuses on the role of revolutions, economic transformations, wars, attempts to reform socialism after the death of Stalin, and political instability in the making of modern ‘Eurasia’. The course aims to highlight how the twentieth century both bound and divided the territories covered by the REES MSc/MPhil. The overarching aim is to reflect on the uses and limits of area studies, as well as to convey how historians work and use different methodologies (such as source criticism, oral history, archival research, and micro-history) to assess and study the past.

This social sciences course evaluates major analytical perspectives on developments in the FSU and Eastern Europe since the end of Communism. The course covers political science and international relations disciplinary approaches and their applications. The course provides students with a solid grounding in theories on the domestic political and international dimensions of transition of the region and sufficient empirical knowledge to test the arguments associated with different approaches. By the end of the course students will have developed a critical understanding of the key disciplinary and interdisciplinary concepts informing the study of post-communist societies. They will also have acquired sound empirical knowledge about the scope and limitations of these concepts in the context of the Former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe.

This core course examines the economies and societies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Former Soviet Union (FSU), combining economic and sociological approaches with insights from related disciplines such as Social Policy, Geography, Political Economy, Social Anthropology and Public Health. It builds on Part 1 of “Contemporary Russian and East European Studies” by exploring the challenges of post-communist transition, the region’s subsequent development, people’s lived experiences, and the emergence of political and economic institutions shaping current outcomes. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with sociological and economic approaches to post-communist transformation, have examined regional processes of restructuring and reform through diverse social and cultural lenses, and gained experience identifying data, theories, and methods for analysing economy, society, and culture in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The ARDC core course will develop your appreciation of the interrelation between the micro level of multimodal (textual, acoustic, visual units) and language content and the macro level of actors in a society and culture, including the historical perspectives. You will gain knowledge of the theory and methods of discourse analysis, particularly as applied to Russian-language (multimodal) discourses and communication. This knowledge will further advance the regional knowledge that you will acquire in other components of the REES MPhil.

To accommodate the different Russian language proficiencies of students, the department offers four ARDC papers, each with specific language requirements. The learning goals for all papers are the same. The assessments (essays) will evaluate students' knowledge of the theories and methods of discourse analysis as applied to Russian discourse and communication. They will not assess overall language proficiency, except for students’ comprehension of Russian appropriate to the level required by each ARDC paper, as outlined in the marking criteria.

During the research methods course you will receive training in relevant qualitative and quantitative methodologies to enable you to carry out research and writing for your 30,000-word thesis.

You will write a 30,000 word thesis that will be submitted in Trinity term.

In the second year you will take two option courses, chosen from the following list:

• Central Asia and the South Caucasus: International Relations and Foreign Policy
• Ideology and Popular Culture
• Islam in the USSR
• Russian International Relations and Foreign Policy
• South East Europe Politics and European Intervention
• The Political Economy of Transition in Russian and China

The Bodleian Social Science Library (SSL) is the main library for Russian and East European Studies. The SSL is housed on the ground floor of the Manor Road Building, and is open seven days a week during term-time with reduced hours during vacation. The library offers a variety of study spaces including graduate study rooms, individual study carrels, and group discussion rooms.

The Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre Library at St Antony’s College comprises approximately 24,000 volumes in Russian on Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet history, literature, politics, and economics. The holdings also include a number of Russian newspapers and periodicals covering a similar range of subjects.

Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) IT Services runs courses on various computer programmes and can offer help and guidance.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA).

In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to the course in acquiring a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

Most students have the opportunity to meet with their supervisor at least two to three times per term. It is the student's responsibility to set up supervision sessions as and when they need them.

In order to receive the MPhil degree, students must obtain pass marks in two, 3-hour written examinations (CREES 1, CREES 2), three extended essays (one for History and two for ARDC), plus two option courses (methods of assessment vary). Students must also obtain a pass mark for their MPhil thesis.

In addition, students must satisfy on a pass/fail basis each section of the Research Methods requirement (qualitative and quantitative). Whilst students must pass the Research Methods components of the degree, any marks obtained are not part of the determination of the overall results and classification but are only recorded as pass/fail grades on the transcript. The skills learnt during the Research Methods training will be used in the development of the students’ thesis work.

The MPhil may be regarded as a qualification in its own right, or as preparation for a doctoral degree. A significant proportion of REES graduates proceed to further research and to careers in academia. Recent MPhil in REES graduates have gone on to undertake DPhil courses in politics, political economy, history, and Area Studies at OSGA.

Graduates have also gone on to successful careers in many different countries in diverse areas of employment such as international organisations, the media, government, business and finance, diplomacy and teaching.

This course is offered by the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA)

• Course page on the school's website
• Funding information from the school
• Russian and East European Studies
• Russian and East European Studies staff
• Russian and East European Studies research
• Social Sciences Division
• Contact details

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2023-24 to 2025-26)

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours.

The qualification above should be achieved in one of the following subject areas or disciplines:

• politics
• economics
• international relations
• history
• sociology
• Slavic languages

Students with degrees in other subjects are eligible to apply.

For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0. However, selection of candidates also depends on other factors in your application and most successful applicants have achieved higher GPA scores. 

Russian language proficiency

This course requires a minimum proficiency in Russian at A1 level, completed in TRKI / TORFL (ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному; in English TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). А1 is the elementary level: equivalent to GCSE lower grades in the UK academic setting. +/- 110 hours are needed to achieve A1.

The certificates specified below which confirm applicants’ Russian language proficiency must be no more than 24 months old. Please submit a copy of your test certificate with your application.

If you have not completed the test within the last 24 months, the following will also be accepted as alternative evidence of Russian language proficiency when submitted with your application:

• GSCE Russian language exam certificate (must be no more than 24 months old);
• A-Level Russian language exam certificate (must be no more than 24 months old);
• IB Russian language exam certificate (must be no more than 24 months old); or
• Undergraduate or masters degree certificate/diploma, with a Russian-language course (at least a basic/foundation course) listed on the academic transcript, or where the university degree programme is taught in Russian (the date of the Russian-language exam must be no more than 24 months old). 

However, if you are made a formal offer of a place, you will still be required to take the specified Test of Russian as Foreign Language (TORFL), achieve the required level, and present the certificate as a formal condition of your offer. A1 level of Russian language proficiency is sufficient to enter ARDC Paper 1, as specified below. If your proficiency is higher than A1, you are required to take the TORFL test at your actual level (A2, B1, B2, C1, or C2) to meet the entry requirements for ARDC Papers 2, 3, and 4, as specified below.

As described in the Course components section, the paper that each student will take on the Analysing Russian Discourse and Communication (ARDC) core course is dependent on their Russian language proficiency. The requirement for each paper is outlined below:

ARDC Paper 1: A1 completed in TRKI / TORFL (ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному; in English TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). Elementary Level (TEL / A1) - Successful performance at the Test at Elementary Level represents a standard of initial competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their elementary communicative needs in a limited number of everyday situations.

ARDC Paper 2: A2 completed in TRKI / TORFL. А2 is the basic level: equivalent to GCSE higher grades in the UK academic setting. +/- 250 hours are needed to achieve A2; equivalent to FCO ‘survival’ level. Basic Level (TBL / A2) - Successful performance at the Test at Basic Level represents a standard competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their basic communicative needs in a limited number of situations in everyday and cultural spheres.

ARDC Paper 3: B1 completed in TRKI / TORFL. B1 is the 1st certification level: equivalent to A-level in the UK academic setting. +/- 600 hours are needed to achieve B1. The First Certification Level (TORFL-I / B1) - Successful performance at the 1st level certificate indicates an intermediate level of language competence, which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their main communicative needs in everyday, cultural, educational, and professional spheres.

ARDC Paper 4: A minimum of B2 completed in TRKI / TORFL. 2nd certification level: equivalent to bachelors university degree in Russian in the UK academic setting. +/- 1100 hours are needed to achieve B2. The 2nd level certificate (TORFL-II / B2) - Successful performance at the 2nd level certificate indicates a high level of competence in Russian which demonstrates a candidate can satisfy their communicative needs in a wide range of situations in cultural, educational and professional spheres.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Publications are not required.

Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the school's website. 

The following colleges accept students on this course:

• Blackfriars
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Exeter College
• Jesus College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
• New College
• Pembroke College
• Regent's Park College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Edmund Hall
• University College
• Wadham College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

You are not expected to contact a potential supervisor before you apply. However, in addition to the standard contact details provided on this page, you may address any questions to the REES Administrator.

References should generally be academic, though if you have been out of higher education for a number of years then one professional reference is acceptable.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, ability to work in a group.

Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant educational, work, and volunteering experience, and the specific research areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in.

This will be assessed for:

• interesting research ideas
• interest in the subject matter
• knowledge of the MPhil in Russian and East European Studies and its components
• any experience in the region

An academic essay or other writing sample from your most recent qualification, written in English, is required. An extract of the requisite length from longer work is also permissible. 

It is desirable though not essential that the written work relates to the proposed area of study. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

This course requires proficiency in the Russian language at a minimum of A1 level completed in TRKI / TORFL (ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному; in English TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language).

Please refer to the Entry requirements section of this page for further information. 

Please upload your certificate(s) to your application as a transcript. Certificates must be no more than 24 months old.

This will be assessed for evidence of your Russian language proficiency.

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0)1865 274694