Degrees & Certificates
M.A. – REECAS M.A. Program
The M.A. degree in Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies (REECAS) involves interdisciplinary study which allows students a great deal of flexibility in designing a course of study to meet career goals calling for area expertise.
Each student’s program combines instruction in at least one language with interdisciplinary training. The Master of Arts Degree program ordinarily lasts two years and is designed to either provide a terminal degree for students preparing for careers in government and non-governmental organizations, journalism, business, teaching at the pre-college level or to provide area training for students wishing to pursue the Ph.D. degree in a discipline.
The curriculum, which is especially strong in the social sciences, history, and regional cultures, encompasses courses in a wide range of departments, including Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Cinema and Media, Communications, Economics, Geography, History, International Studies, Linguistics, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, Political Science, Scandinavian Studies, Slavic Languages and Literature and Sociology; as well as in the Schools of Art, Business Administration, Drama, Law, Marine Affairs and Public Affairs; and in the College of Education. Independent study may be arranged to do work in other fields where there may be no regularly offered area courses.
Language instruction is offered on a regular basis in Russian through the advanced level, all three Baltic languages, and in most major modern languages of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Often it is possible to arrange independent study in relevant languages that are not offered regularly. Intensive programs offer the opportunity to do a full year’s language work during summer quarter.
–Guntis Šmidchens, Ellison Center Director
HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted by January 31 for admittance to the autumn quarter cohort. We only accept students into the M.A. program during autumn quarter.
You can find information about the application requirements and process on our website.
2025-2026 HANDBOOK
Our handbook serves as a compilation of UW and Jackson School resources for students and a reference guide containing the school’s academic requirements, deadlines, policies, and procedures. You are responsible for knowing and adhering to the contents of this handbook. Any questions about this handbook can be directed to the appropriate adviser as listed in the general advising section.
We encourage you to seek out and take full advantage of the opportunities all over the UW campus as well.
Information about advising, M.A. degree requirements, curriculum requirements, language requirement, capstone research paper(s), and a timeline to finish the degree is included below.
- General Advising
- M.A. Degree Requirements
- Course of Study
- Capstone Research Paper(s) and Oral Exam
- Prerequisites and Language Proficiency
- Model Timeline for Completing the Degree
In addition, you will find more information about policies, procedures and other resources related to the program on the following webpages:
- Concurrent Degrees
- Graduate Certificates
- Tuition & Funding
- UW Academic Policies
- Graduation Processes
- Other Resources
GENERAL ADVISING
The Jackson School staff and faculty offer a variety of support and guidance to prospective and current students.
Professor Guntis Šmidchens is the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) for our M.A. in Russian, East European, and Central Asia Studies. As the GPC, Dr. Šmidchens serves as the academic adviser for the program. Please meet with him at least once per year to review your course of study and request any necessary approvals required. After you have formed your supervisory committee in your second year, your committee chair also advises you. Please see the section titled supervisory committee for more information on your committee’s role, duties, and your responsibility to it.
Jesús Hidalgo is the Graduate Program Adviser (GPA) for for all our graduate programs. He will advise you regarding degree requirements, academic planning, policies and procedures, and graduation. Please meet with him at least once per year to ensure you are on track to graduate. >
The adviser-student relationship implies mutual responsibility. Faculty and staff advisers have office hours over Zoom and in person, where you can drop by to talk, and they may also be available by appointment at other times. Students are responsible for seeking out faculty and staff either during office hours or by making appointments. Please be proactive about your advising and ask early for the assistance that you need.
If you find yourself struggling academically, meet with the GPC or GPA to discuss your options.
Other advisers
- Rita Bashaw (FLAS Manager): rbasha@uw.edu; THO 124. Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
- Michael Biggins (REECAS Librarian): mbiggins@uw.edu; Suzzallo Library. International Studies collections; Research
- TBD (Ellison Center Managing Director): Language Programs, Fellowships Opportunities
- TBD (Assistant Director of Student Services): jsisjobs@uw.edu or jsisalum@uw.edu; THO 111A. Career Services; JSIS 497 Internship Course; Alumni Relations
- Office of Academic Services: jsisoas@uw.edu for Course Registration & General Inquiries; & Additional Advising contact: jsisadv@uw.edu (THO 111)
M.A. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students receive the M.A. degree when they have fulfilled the following requirements:
- Complete curriculum requirements, including forty-five (45) credits of graduate level work (400-level classes and above, of which eighteen credits must be 500-level and above), not including language classes or thesis credits – nine (9) of these 45 graduate credits should be JSIS 700 (Master’s Thesis) credits;
- Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above;
- Achieve fourth-year proficiency in one REECAS language or second-year proficiency in a REECAS language otherthan a student’s incoming, qualifying language, and complete a language proficiency exam to that effect;
- Complete and submit a thesis;
- Present thesis at the REECAS Northwest Conference;
- Pass the oral exam; and
- Comply with the rules and regulations of the UW Graduate School.
All degree requirements must be met within six years of the start of your program. This time limit includes leaves of absence. Under extraordinary circumstances, your GPC and GPA may agree to extend this limit.
COURSE OF STUDY
A summary of the curriculum is provided below. A detailed description of the entire program curriculum, policies and procedures can be found in the REECAS handbook.
- JSIS A 504 Survey of Eurasia (5 credits) An introduction to scholarly approaches to studying the REECAS region, methods, library resources, and analytical writing and should be taken in autumn quarter of the first year.
You should focus on a REECAS covered region including Russia, East Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Baltic States. A geographical focus should inform your coursework in your major and minor.
Major and minor disciplines (31 credits): You must take 20 credits in your major discipline and 11 credits in your minor discipline. Majors and minors can include history, economics, geography, political science, literature and culture, and others. Courses may be from any discipline as long as it is relevant to the REECAS region. You must discuss your major and minor selection with the GPC.
Relevant coursework may be found in multiple disciplines, even though students choose a single discipline for their major or minor. For example, a student interested in business, may find relevant courses in the economics department ,law school, and business school. It is possible to apply JSIS 600: Graduate Independent Study to these credits, but JSIS 700: Master’s Thesis credits do not count.
The purpose of the minor is to provide students an interdisciplinary perspective on their geographical focus. Students should use these courses as an opportunity to expand their understanding of their region from a different perspective.
Students can find UW faculty members across campus teaching courses on REECAS through the Ellison Center webpage.
Elective: Students can take one elective class not related to their major, minor, or geographical focus.
Nine (9) JSIS 700 (Master’s Thesis) credits in your second year.
CAPSTONE RESEARCH PAPER(S) AND ORAL EXAM
Capstone Research Project:
You must complete a thesis under the guidance of your Masters Supervisory Committee.
In order to graduate, students must present their thesis-in-progress at the annual REECAS Northwest conference in spring of their second year. This conference is organized by the Ellison Center and usually held in Seattle. Calls for papers are sent out several months before the conference.
THESIS
The thesis is a fifty- to sixty-page (~20,000 words) research paper that involves extensive use of primary sources and is of publishable quality. Copies of previous REECAS theses are available online through the Ellison Center’s Digital Library or in hard copy at Suzzallo Library and the Ellison Center.
You must register for at least nine JSIS 700: Master’s Thesis credits. Your supervisory committee chair supervises and submits grades for these credits. You can take them all in one quarter or spread out over several quarters.
ORAL EXAM
The final oral exam is based on the thesis, any implications of your topic, and its relevance to global trends. You may be asked questions related to your major and minor disciplines. All exams are different and you should ask your committee about your exam specifically. Below is an example of how the exam may be structured.
At the start of the exam, students are asked to step out of the exam room, while the committee members deliberate about the student’s candidacy and the line of questioning they will pursue. Students are expected to prepare a brief, ten- to twenty-minute presentation about their research projects. Following these deliberations, committee members will ask the student questions for about forty-five to sixty minutes. The student will then leave the room while the committee deliberates on the results of the oral exam. Following their second deliberation, the chair will invite the student back to the exam room to inform them of the results of their exam.
You will take your oral exam with your supervisory committee during the quarter you intend to graduate. You maymake arrangements with your committee to complete your exam remotely.
Committee members may award distinction to students with outstanding performance in their written work (essay or two papers) as well as in their oral exam. The following two categories of distinction will be awarded to students for their overall body of work and with unanimous consent of all committee members.
- High Pass: A High Pass will be awarded to students who (1) showed overall mastery of material in their thesis or, whose two papers exhibit a close to publishable quality; and (2) delivered an impressive performance during their oral exam that showed substantial theoretical and empirical knowledge of their fields of study.
- Honors: Honors will be awarded to students who (1) showed excellent mastery of material in their thesis or, whose two papers are of publishable quality; and (2) delivered an outstanding performance during their oral exam that showed excellent and broadly situated theoretical as well as empirical knowledge of their respective fields of study in the context of international affairs.
PREREQUISITES & LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Language study is an essential part of the program. Courses in REECAS languages and literatures are offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature, the Department of Scandinavian Studies, and the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Literature. Incoming students are required to have completed at least two years of a relevant REECAS language before they begin the program. They are then required to complete an additional two years of language while enrolled in the program. Students should choose to study a language(s) that is relevant to their geographical focus area and should be approved by the GPC.
International REECAS MA students must take two years of language classes in a language different than your native language.
Language proficiency exam: Students are required to complete a language(s) proficiency exam in order to complete their degree. Language exams are organized by the Ellison Center and administered by the Language Learning Center. If you continue your incoming language study, you must pass a fourth-year proficiency exam. If you choose to study a different language than your incoming language at UW, you must take a proficiency exam in that language during your final quarter.
Language proficiency exams are offered on a single date and time in the beginning of fall quarter and at the end ofspring quarter. Students may only take the exam a limited number of times and must provide a written recommendation of readiness from their language instructor if they seek to take the exam before their final quarter.
If you believe you are at or beyond the required language level but do not have a transcript to show this, you should arrange to take a language placement exam with the relevant language department in order to determine your preparedness for the UW graduating language proficiency exam. Do this early; if your exam results do not show the required proficiency, you will need time to take the appropriate course work. Contact the relevant department toarrange a placement exam and then contact the Ellison Center Managing Director immediately. We encourage students to increase their language abilities by studying another language during their program.
MODEL TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING DEGREE IN TWO YEARS
This timeline is for students who have no prior training in a language. It is intended to be a guideline and model for courses taken as a full-time M.A. student, not a required path for all students. It is also different than the path concurrent students will take. This model includes JSIS 700 credits, required for students writing a thesis. If you are not writing a thesis, please fill these spots with other credits.
YEAR 1
- Autumn (15 credits: 10 graduate cr + 5 language cr):
- Language Year 101 (5 cr)
- JSIS A 504 (5 cr)
- Major Seminar (5 cr)
- Winter (15 credits: 10 graduate cr + 5 language cr):
- Language Year 102 (5 cr)
- Major Seminar (5 cr)
- Minor Seminar (5 cr)
- Spring (15 credits: 10 graduate cr + 5 language cr):
- Language Year 103 (5 cr)
- Major Seminar (5 cr)
- Minor Seminar (5 cr)
YEAR 2:
- Autumn (15 credits: 10 graduate cr + 5 language cr):
- Language Year 201 (5 cr)
- Major Seminar (5 cr)
- Minor Seminar (5 cr)
- Winter (14 credits: 5 graduate cr + 5 language cr + 4 thesis cr):
- Language Year 202 (5 cr)
- Major Seminar / Minor Seminar (5 cr)
- JSIS 700 (4 cr)
- Spring (10 credits: 5 language cr + 5 thesis cr):
- Language Year 203 (5 cr)
- JSIS 700 (5 cr)
* If approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator, up to five (5) 400-level credits taken at the Jackson School as an undergraduate student can be counted towards the 38 graduate credits you have to accumulate for your M.A. degree.
HANDBOOKS
M.A. in REECAS Handbook 2023-24
M.A. in REECAS Handbook 2022-23
AFFILIATED CENTERS
The Jackson School houses 14 outreach centers. These centers provide opportunities for educators, students, and the community to learn about the world. Some of them have specific scholarship opportunities and other resources that may be useful. Here are those you might find particularly useful:
ELLISON CENTER CENTER FOR WEST EUROPEAN STUDIES STROUM CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES