Regional Studies–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

Last Updated

July 01, 2026

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The Regional Studies–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (REECA) program only offers a master of arts (AM) degree; it does not offer a PhD. 

To receive the master of arts in Regional Studies–REECA, students must satisfy the requirements established by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) for all master’s degree students, as well as those established by the Committee on Regional Studies–REECA.

All REECA students must comply with the policies outlined in the Harvard Griffin GSAS Handbook for Students. All work completed to fulfill REECA degree requirements must adhere to the standards of academic integrity outlined in Harvard Griffin GSAS policies and the REECA master’s thesis guidelines and policies.

Course Requirements

Students must complete 16 term-long courses (64 units), distributed as follows:

Six approved area studies courses (24 units) taken for graduate credit. With approval from the REECA director of graduate studies (DGS), two 2-unit courses may replace one 4-unit course, for a total of five 4-unit courses and two 2-unit courses.
A sequence of courses (8 units) that introduces the field and guides students through the thesis project: RSRA 250, RSRA 299A–RSRA 299B, or approved equivalent courses.
Coursework that fulfills the regional language proficiency requirement (typically 8–16 units).
Approved electives to bring the total to 64 units. Typical choices include relevant area studies; theory or methodology courses that do not directly address the region; additional language study; or professional school courses related to future career plans.

All course selections must be made in consultation with the REECA DGS.

Students must maintain at least a B average to remain in good standing.

Regional Language Proficiency Requirement

REECA students must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in an approved regional language and must complete a minimum of two language courses (8 credits). There are three ways to meet this requirement:

Complete two fourth-year (advanced) level courses in an approved regional language with a grade of A- or higher in both.
Pass the qualifying exam in Russian and complete 2 courses in an approved research language with a grade of B+ or higher in both.
Demonstrate completion of secondary education in a school where the language of instruction was an approved regional language and complete 2 courses in an approved research language with a grade of B+ or higher in both.

Approved regional languages are those regularly offered by the Slavic Department. In most years, they include Czech, Georgian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. Courses in other regional languages, such as BCS, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, and Uzbek, can be taken pending availability of instructors and approval by the

REECA DGS and the Director of the Slavic Language Program (DLP).

Research languages include all approved regional languages as well as the languages of key sources needed for thesis and course-related research (for example: Turkish, Chinese, German, French). Selection of such courses to count toward the language requirement requires approval of the DGS.

In special circumstances, a student may design an alternate path to meeting the language requirement in consultation with, and with the approval of, the DLP.

Policy on Incompletes

Students are prohibited from having more than two outstanding Incompletes at any time. Students with more than two incompletes may be placed in “Grace” or “Unsatisfactory” status, with potential consequences ranging from loss of financial aid to withdrawal from the program. See Harvard Griffin GSAS Handbook for details.

Teaching

There are no provisions for students in the REECA program to teach. However, on rare occasions, second-year students have been able to arrange a teaching fellowship.

Advising

Academic advising in the REECA program is done on a regular basis by the REECA DGS. Individual faculty members are also available for consultation.

Before their first term in the program, first-year students draft a plan of study, which they review with the DGS before making final course selections.

Prior to registration for each subsequent term, all students meet with the DGS to review course selections and to discuss any necessary or desired modifications in their plan of study.

Master of Arts (AM) Thesis

The AM thesis normally takes the form of a traditional academic work and must comply with the REECA AM Thesis Guidelines. It should demonstrate original research and be based, to a significant extent, on sources in one or more languages of the region. The thesis should demonstrate the student’s familiarity with previous scholarship related to the topic. Thesis work is reflected on the transcript as the course sequence RSRA 299A-RSRA 299B.

Thesis Adviser

As a rule, the thesis adviser should be a member of the Standing Committee on the AM in Regional Studies, a faculty associate of the Davis Center, or another member of the Harvard faculty. The choice of an adviser who is not a member of the Harvard faculty must be approved by the DGS. While the DGS is available to assist in identifying potential thesis advisers, students are responsible for making arrangements with the adviser and for seeking advice and assistance as necessary.

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