Postgraduate studies

Jessop-West

Our Department participates in taught MA programmes and offers supervision for research degrees at masters (MPhil) and doctoral (PhD) level.

If you come to Sheffield as a postgraduate student you will be joining one of the strongest departments in the country. Our international reputation for research was recognised in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE): 70% of our research was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent - an accolade given to only two other departments.

Areas of expertise

Areas in which we have special expertise include: critical theory and the history of ideas, through our internationally known Bakhtin Centre; literary and film studies; history of art, visual culture and the aesthetics of everyday life in twentieth century Russia; and the linguistics of Slavonic languages, especially Russian, Czech, Polish and Serbian.

Please see our staff pages for more details.

Examples of how some of our current PhD students are funded:
Thomas Cubbin received a Wolfson studentship to study 1970s Soviet design. Grahame Morris holds an AHRC studentship and is working on Russian artist Oskar Rabin and the myth of dissidence. Alun Thomas also holds an AHRC studentship to work on Soviet Kazakhstan in the 1920s. Dario Lečić’s doctoral studies on the morphological system of Croatian are funded through a grant from the Leverhulme Trust. Elisa Camagni’s project on the Folklore of the Caucasus is funded through a generous private gift to the Department to support research in this area.

How to apply and fund your studies

The normal admission requirement for MPhil or PhD in Russian and Slavonic Studies is a good Honours degree (normally an upper 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. To be considered for funding, an MA is additionally required in almost all cases, although relevant experience may be taken into account. Overseas students will be expected to have equivalent qualifications. All applicants must also provide satisfactory academic references.

Competence in a Slavonic language is usually required, although this depends on the nature of the research to be pursued.

Non-native speakers of English should have an overall IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent. For other acceptable English language qualifications click here.

Admission for MPhil/PhD is normally on the basis of consideration of a research proposal of 400-500 words. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the department to discuss their proposal. Any enquiries regarding Postgraduate study in the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies should be addressed to Professor Susan E Reid.

For further details of how to apply see the University Research degrees pages.

A number of Scholarships are available on a competitive basis to fund your studies. Deadline for funding applications is in February/March for the next academic year. However, other opportunities may arise throughout the year (click here for current opportunities).

Facilities and support

Postgraduate students benefit from regular supervision and contact with staff members. In the Jessop West building, which the School of Languages and Cultures shares with History and English, each postgraduate research student has access to a dedicated workstation.

Departmental and School research seminar series and other postgraduate events enhance your intellectual and social experience. The Department forms part of a wider research community in the School of Languages and Cultures which is organised in thematic Research Clusters.

Through the University's Doctoral Development Programme, you are offered a range of research training opportunities.

Open Day

You have the opportunity to visit the University the Arts and Humanities Faculty at an Open Day.