Admission Requirements

• Master of Arts

Degree Requirements

• Master of Arts

Mailing Address:
Department of Slavic and Baltic Languages and Literatures (MC 315)
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7117

Campus Location:  UH 1729
Program Code: 20FS1684MA
Telephone: (312) 996-5218
E-mail: mexotic@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.uic.edu/depts/slav/
Head of the Department: Michal Markowski
Director of Graduate Studies: Michal Markowski

The Department of Slavic and Baltic Languages and Literatures offers work leading to the MA in Slavic Studies with specializations in Lithuanian language and literature, Polish language and literature, Russian language and literature, Serbian language and literature, Slavic linguistics, and Ukrainian language and literature. Students who desire to prepare for high school teaching but have not earned state certification during their undergraduate program can, in conjunction with their advisers, elect a program in either languages or literatures that would also include the additional course work required for certification. The Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies and the Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies are available to students in this program. The department also offers work leading to the PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures; consult the appropriate section of the catalog for more information.

Admission Requirements

Note: As of Spring 2008, no new students are being admitted to this program. Contact the program directly to see if this situation has changed.

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

Master of Arts

• Baccalaureate Field No restrictions. Applicants without a substantial background in Slavic or Baltic languages and literatures will be considered for admission on limited status only and required to remedy their deficiencies within a reasonable length of time before being granted full standing in the graduate program. Ordinarily an adequate background should include at least 9 semester (12 quarter) hours of upper-division undergraduate work broadly pertinent to the applicant’s intended graduate concentration and the level of fluency in the relevant Slavic or Baltic language equivalent to that attained in advanced conversation and composition courses offered by the department.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study and for all graduate work.
• Tests Required GRE General.
• Minimum English Competency Test Score
• TOEFL 550 (paper-based); 213 (computer-based); 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Internet-based), OR,
• IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores.
• Letters of Recommendation Three required.
• Personal Statement Required; 300 words, in the language of the applicant’s intended specialization. The statement should summarize the applicant’s scholastic experience and career objectives.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 36.
• Course Work Required Courses: Students in all areas of specialization are required to take the course on the structure of the language in their area (LITH 410, POL 410, RUSS 410, SLAV 410, or SLAV 530). Students who have taken such a course prior to enrolling in the MA program must substitute the appropriate 515 course.
• Electives: In addition to the required course, students must take 8 electives in their area of specialization, of which at least 3 must be at the 500-level. For literature majors, 6 courses (24 hours) must be in literature and 2 courses (8 hours) must be in linguistics. For language majors, 5 courses (20 hours) must be in linguistics and 3 courses (12 hours) must be in literature.
• Comprehensive Examination Required; written and oral.
• Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.
• Other Requirements Course work required for certification in high school teaching is in addition to the above departmental MA requirements.

Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies after consulting with their graduate adviser. See Gender and Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.

Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in the Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies after consulting with their graduate advisor. See Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for more information.