Undergraduate study | Russian

• You’ll complete a four-year MA (Honours) degree. You can take Russian Studies as a single honours degree, or jointly with one of a range of other subjects. 
• It doesn't matter whether you’re starting from scratch, or have some existing knowledge of Russian.  Over the course of your four years, ​​​alongside the written and spoken language, you'll acquire a good knowledge of the Russian-speaking world, past and present, through cultural study.

Years 1 & 2

• The first two years will provide a solid foundation in the Russian language (both written and spoken), with classes streamed in the first year according to how much Russian you already know. You'll also study Russian culture.
• Whether you’re doing single or joint honours, you’ll do the same amount of Russian in these pre-honours years. You’ll gain the rest of your credits from partner subject courses, if you are doing a joint degree, and outside courses, of which single honours students take more. This choice and flexibility may enable you to change the focus of your degree going into your final two (honours) years, which is when you start to specialise.

Years 3 & 4

• Your third year will typically be spent abroad, turning classroom learning into living engagement with other cultures. Our graduates have told us how much the Year Abroad has benefitted their broader life experience and skills, as well as their understanding of Russian.
• If Russian is the only language you are studying, your Year Abroad will be spent studying in a country where Russian is spoken, either at a university or a language centre. If you’re doing a joint degree with another language, you’ll divide your time and travel plans between your two languages. Although we are not currently sending our Year 3 students to Russia and Ukraine, we are still able to fully support them to spend the year studying abroad. This year, for example, we have students at Tallinn University in Estonia, and at universities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

• As well as developing advanced language skills in these years, you will learn how to undertake your own research to the level of completing a dissertation or long essay in your final year. This is your chance to focus on a topic, period or discipline that’s of particular interest to you. We have an extensive range of honours courses to choose from.

  Going on a year abroad looks great on your CV. Most of the graduate schemes based abroad require a minimum of a year’s experience living in a foreign country. Such skills as adaptability and great communication are always a plus, and chatting about your year abroad will definitely help you stand out amongst other applicants.

Teaching and learning

• Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question driven to help you gain skills for life after university.
• Across your courses, you’ll typically be taught in a combination of lectures, tutorials (including language classes) and seminars. On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years.
• You will also be expected to study independently and in small groups, and to read widely.

Assessment and support

• You’ll be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams. 
• Coursework may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills. 
• Exams will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.
• Depending on where you go and what you do on your Year Abroad, Year 3 may include being assessed, in part, by a host university.
• As well as the teaching and other staff you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development and Edinburgh University Students' Association.

In the 2025 to 2026 academic year, you can take Russian Studies as a single honours degree, or study any of the following joint honours degree combinations...

If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. 

The UCAS site will show you if any of our Russian Studies degree programmes remain open for application for 2025 entry.

Search the UCAS website for our Russian programmes

If you have applied to start studying Russian with us in September 2025, check out our applicant website for 2025 entry.

Visit the applicant website for Russian

Keen to get a head start for 2026?

There’s lots of information about our undergraduate Russian Studies programmes on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. 

For example, you can find out about:

• the courses you will take each year
• how you will be taught and assessed
• the support we offer
• entrance requirements
• English language requirements
• fees and funding opportunities
• student societies and living in Edinburgh

Browse our Russian Studies programmes on Degree Finder 2026

Applications for 2026 entry open in September 2025.

Skills and experience

Studying one or more languages to degree level demonstrates that you are a good communicator, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas - what employers value as intercultural competence.

Beyond the language skills you'll develop on our programmes, and the nuanced understanding you will gain of other cultures and societies, graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers when you graduate include the ability to:

• understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
• manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
• work independently and as part of a group

Opportunities across sectors

Our programmes are an excellent primer for a range of careers, especially those that place a premium on thinking that is both disciplined and imaginative.

Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, previous graduates have gone on to work in:

• business, finance, commerce and tech
• communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
• education, outreach, advocacy and training
• journalism, broadcasting and media
• leisure, tourism and travel
• politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
• publishing, culture, heritage and the arts
• research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration
• translating and interpreting

Local and global opportunities

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates in Scotland, the UK and abroad.

Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to communicate in another major language, and to understand the cultures to which it opens doors, will make you stand out.

If you are keen to work abroad, it’s good to know that around 150 million people in the world speak Russian, which is widely used in global cultural and political contexts. It is the official language of four countries and is commonly understood throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

There are also large communities of Russian speakers in China, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Israel and the UK.

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level. 

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer a Masters by Research degree in Russian Studies and interdisciplinary taught masters programmes in:

• Comparative Literature 
• Intermediality

My office works closely with Russia to reduce the amount of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium in civilian use worldwide. Despite other difficulties in the U.S.-Russian relationship, our cooperation remains strong in this area. My studies in LLC, including my year in Russia, have allowed me to support work, negotiations, and other engagement with our Russian-speaking partners around the world.

Ian Kapuza, Foreign Affairs Specialist at the United States’ National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Find out more about LLC alumni and futures

Read our full interview with Ian Kapuza