Certificate in Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the Graduate Level

The graduate/professional certificate in REECAS provides graduate students with a general background in the areas of anthropology, economics, foreign policy, geography, government and politics, history, language and literature, law, and sociology. It also provides specific knowledge about one of these areas. With its emphasis on interdisciplinary study, a REECAS certificate enhances the training of Ph.D. candidates who wish to teach and do research at the college level, and serves the needs of M.A. and Ph.D. students who wish to make a career in broadcasting, government service, journalism, library work, or other professions requiring a well-rounded acquaintance with this diverse and highly important area.

Candidates for the Graduate Certificate in REECAS must take at least two years of language study (or the equivalent) in one of the regions languages. At UW-Madison, Czech, Finnish, Kazakh, Persian, Polish, Russian, and Turkish/Azeri are offered regularly during the academic year. Other regional languages may be available during the summer session (e.g. languages of Central Eurasia through CESSI).

1. Regional expertise: advanced knowledge of the societies and cultures of the region through in-depth understanding of the principal historical, social, political, cultural and scientific forces and conditions that have given rise to the unity and diversity in the region today.
2. Multi-disciplinarity: analyzing contemporary political, economic, and cultural realities in the region from at least two disciplinary perspectives, ideally including humanities, social sciences and sometimes natural science approaches.
3. Depth of knowledge: advanced knowledge of particular facets of life in the region by taking courses on particular sub-regions or countries, by studying a regional language, or by taking at least two courses on the region in one discipline
4. Research and methods: Students must demonstrate the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research that shows knowledge of research methodologies, demonstrates analytical skills, and the ability to articulate and elaborate research findings.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: