Admission Requirements

• Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Requirements

• Doctor of Philosophy

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: 20FS0302PHD
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 PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Concentrations are available in Lithuanian Literature, Slavic Literatures, and Slavic Linguistics. The Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Central and Eastern European Studies and the Interdepartmental Concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies are also available to students in the program. The department also offers a program leading to the MA in Slavic Studies; 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:

Doctor of Philosophy

• Prior Degrees Applicants must have a master’s degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent from a foreign institution. Students who enter with a master’s degree or the equivalent from an institution other than UIC or from another discipline may be granted limited standing until they pass a qualifying examination during the second term after admission as graduate students. Upon the recommendation of the examination committee, the examination may be retaken only once, and before the end of the third term.
• 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 area. The statement should summarize the applicant’s scholastic experience and career objectives.

Degree Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy

• Minimum Semester Hours Required: 64 from the master’s degree.
• Course Work At least 44 hours (11 courses) must be in the student’s major area, of which at least 28 hours (7 courses) must be at the 500-level. No more than 20 hours of SLAV 599 can be applied to the degree.
• Slavic Literatures: Doctoral students in Slavic literatures will major in one Slavic literature of their choice and minor in another from a different Slavic language family (e.g., Polish and Russian, Polish and Serbian, or Polish and Ukrainian), complementing their literary training with sound preparation in both languages.
• Slavic Linguistics: Doctoral students in Slavic linguistics will major in one Slavic language of their choice and minor in another from a different Slavic language family (e.g., Russian and Polish or Polish and Serbian), complementing their linguistic training with sound preparation in the literatures of both areas.
• Lithuanian Literature: Doctoral students in Lithuanian literature will major in Lithuanian literature and minor in a Slavic, Germanic, or Romance literature, complementing their literary training with sound preparation in the languages of both areas.
• Required Courses: Students in the Slavic literatures and Slavic linguistics tracks must take SLAV 505 (4 hours), and either POL 510, RUSS 510, SLAV 510, or SLAV 530 (depending on the student’s major). Students in the Lithuanian literature track must take LITH 510 (4 hours).
• Electives: In addition to the required courses, students must also take the following electives, which vary by concentration:
• Slavic Literatures—Six courses (24 hours) in the major literature; two courses (8 hours) in the minor literature; and one course (4 hours) in the major or minor language or Slavic linguistics.
• Slavic Linguistics—Four courses (16 hours) in the major language; two courses (8 hours) in the minor language; three courses (12 hours) in the major literature or two courses (8 hours) in the major literature and one course (4 hours) in the minor literature.
• Lithuanian Literature—Six courses (24 hours) in Lithuanian literature; two courses (8 hours) in the minor literature; two courses (8 hours) in Lithuanian language, general linguistics, and the minor language, of which at least one must be in the minor language.
• With the concurrence of their advisor and the approval of the departmental graduate committee, doctoral students may substitute up to two courses (8 hours) in their major or minor with course work in any academic discipline relevant to their specific career goals.
• Preliminary Examination Required. After at least one semester in residence, students select a major advisor from the departmental graduate faculty in their area. When students have completed their course work and passed the reading proficiency test in French or German, the advisor and four additional members of the graduate faculty (at least four of whom must hold full membership in the Graduate College) will be appointed by the dean of the Graduate College on the recommendation of the departmental director of graduate studies to serve as a preliminary doctoral examination committee. The committee will ordinarily be chaired by the student’s major advisor.
• With the exception of the Lithuanian program, no more than two faculty members from outside the graduate faculty of the department may be invited to serve on an examining committee. The outside members must be distinguished scholars who currently hold tenured appointments and have graduate standing in a department with a PhD program. All invitations must be approved by the departmental graduate committee composed of all the graduate faculty members in the department. The examining committee must be formally proposed by the student to the director of graduate studies no less than five weeks before the date planned for the preliminary examination.
• Dissertation Required. No more than 20 hours of SLAV 599 can be applied to the degree. Students who have passed the preliminary exam and been admitted to doctoral candidacy must prepare and defend a doctoral dissertation produced under the guidance of a member of the department’s graduate faculty, chosen by the candidate and approved by the director of graduate studies. The completed dissertation will be defended in an oral examination before a committee of at least five persons, of whom at least four must be full members of the graduate faculty. This committee (which will include the candidate’s dissertation advisor) will be appointed by the dean of the Graduate College on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies and will ordinarily be chaired by the student’s dissertation advisor.
• Other Requirements All doctoral students must demonstrate an adequate reading knowledge of either French or German before they attempt their written preliminary doctoral examination. Students in Lithuanian studies may elect Russian or Spanish instead of French or German.

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 advisor. 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.