Our M.A. Programs in International Studies

NEW M.A. – European, Russian & Eurasian Studies

The M.A. degree in European, Russian & Eurasian Studies (EREAS) 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 European, Russian and Eurasian regions. 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.

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Visit The Ellison Center for the latest information, news and events on Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies in the Pacific Northwest.

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2026-2027 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.

  1. General Advising
  2. M.A. Degree Requirements
  3. Course of Study
  4. Capstone Research Paper(s) and Oral Exam
  5. Prerequisites and Language Proficiency
  6. 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:

  1. Concurrent Degrees
  2. Graduate Certificates
  3. Tuition & Funding
  4. UW Academic Policies
  5. Graduation Processes
  6. 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 European, Russian and Eurasian 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

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M.A. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students receive the M.A. degree when they have fulfilled the following requirements:

  1. Complete curriculum requirements, including thirty-six (36) 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;
  2. Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above;
  3. Achieve second-year proficiency in research language;
  4. Complete and submit a thesis;
  5. Pass the oral exam; and
  6. 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.

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COURSE OF STUDY

A summary of the curriculum is provided below.

  • 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 EREAS covered region including Russia, Western, Central or Eastern 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 EREAS 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.

Elective: Students can take one elective class not related to their major, minor, or geographical focus as part of the 31 credits mentioned above.

* If you decide to write a thesis, you must add nine (9) extra 700-level credits to the minimum 36 graduate credits you need to accumulate to finish the degree.

** 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 36 graduate credits you have to accumulate for your M.A. degree.

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CAPSTONE RESEARCH PAPER(S) AND ORAL EXAM

Students can complete either a thesis or two separate research papers. Each student must form a supervisory committee to advise them during their work and assess their completed work. You should consult what option you would like to select with the GPC initially and then regularly with your supervisory committee members for guidance in research and writing.

Thesis

This option is designed for students who wish to undertake a major research project that involves extensive use of primary sources. The thesis can be an expanded version of a seminar paper or an Independent Study project.

A thesis is typically about 20,000 words long.

You must register for at least nine JSIS 700: Master’s Thesis credits to complete this option. Your supervisory committee chair generally supervises and submits grades for these credits. You can take them all in one quarter or spread out over several quarters.

Two papers

Students pursuing this path do not need to take JSIS 700 credits.

If the two-paper option is selected, then one of the papers must be an original empirical analysis that is either aimed towards a scholarly audience or a policy audience. The second paper for the degree is also an original research paper that makes an argument and substantiates it with evidence.

Each research paper is typically about 8,000 words long.

Concurrent degree students may submit the written paper required through their professional degree program as their second paper. These papers must have sufficient international substance to qualify, as determined by the GPC.

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.

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PREREQUISITES & LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Language study is an essential part of the program. Students must demonstrate the equivalent of two years of proficiency in their primary research language either by exam or successful completion of coursework.

Students do not have to be proficient prior to entering the program and can complete the requirement during the M.A. program.

Courses in EREAS languages and literatures are offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature, the Department of Scandinavian Studies, the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Literature, French and Italian Studies, Spanish and Portuguese Studies, and the Department of German Studies. The Jackson School offers Modern Greek too.

If you already have some language proficiency in your chosen languages but are uncertain about what level to take, contact the department offering the language for advice. Language taken at other institutions can be used to fulfill language requirements, provided it is recorded on a transcript. 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 proficiency exam through the appropriate department. Do this early before you start your first quarter in the program; if your exam results do not show the required proficiency, you will need time to take the appropriate coursework.

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MODEL TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING IN THREE QUARTERS

This timeline is for students who have 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 does not include JSIS 700 credits, required for students writing a thesis.

  • Autumn (15 graduate credits):
    •  JSIS A 504 (5 cr)
    • Major Seminar (5 cr)
    • Major Seminar (5 cr)
  • Winter (10 graduate credits):
    • Major Seminar (5 cr)
    • Minor Seminar (5 cr)
  • Spring (11-15 graduate credits):
    • Major Seminar (5 cr)
    • Minor Seminar (5 cr)
    • Minor Seminar (1-5 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.

MODEL TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING DEGREE IN SIX QUARTERS

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.

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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