BA in Russian

For further information on what
you can do with a major in Russian
or career planning, please visit CLA
Career Services.

Besides a thorough grounding in the Russian language, students in the Russian major become familiar with the enormous wealth of Russian cultural heritage in literature, visual art, theater, and music. In particular, Russia has produced one of the world's most vibrant and exciting literary traditions—including the poetry of Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok, Akhmatova, and Tsvetaeva and the stories, novels, and plays of Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Russian literary culture remains vibrant today, and not all of this fascinating contemporary work is available in translation.

The Russian major requires two advanced Russian language courses, three courses in culture and literature, four electives, and a major project.

Many of our students combine the Russian major along with a major in another program. Common second majors in the College of Liberal Arts include:

  • global studies
  • linguistics
  • sociology
  • history
  • political science
  • English
  • Spanish & Portuguese studies
  • economics
  • philosophy
  • psychology

Second majors for students in other University of Minnesota colleges have included:

  • applied economics (College of Food, Agricultural, & Natural Resource Sciences)
  • food science (College of Food, Agricultural, & Natural Resource Sciences)
  • finance (Carlson School of Management)
  • international business (Carlson School of Management)
  • marketing (Carlson School of Management)
  • neuroscience (College of Biological Sciences)
  • genetics, cell biology, & development (College of Biological Sciences)