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–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (REECA), a student must satisfy the requirements established by Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) for all master’s degree candidates, as well as the requirements established by the Committee on Regional Studies–REECA. All REECA students must comply with the policies outlined in the Handbook for Students. All work completed in fulfillment of REECA degree requirements must adhere to standards of academic integrity as outlined in Harvard Griffin GSAS policies and in the REECA master’s thesis guidelines and policies.

Course Requirements

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

6 approved area studies courses (24 units), taken for graduate credit
a sequence of coursework (8 units) devoted to the thesis (RSRA 298a and RSRA 298b; RSRA 299a and RSRA 299b, or an approved equivalent)
coursework to fulfill the regional language proficiency requirement (varies; 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 that relate to future career plans)

All course selections are made in consultation with the REECA academic advisor, typically the instructor for the RSRA 298a–b/299a–b sequence.

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 (eight 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 two 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 two courses in an approved research language with a grade of B+ or higher in both.

Approved regional languages are those regularly offered by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. In most years they include Czech, Georgian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. Courses in other regional languages, such as BCS, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, and Uzbek, may 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 the Handbook for Students for details,

Teaching

There are no provisions for students in REECA programs 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.

Prior to 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 advisor 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 advisor 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 advisors, students are responsible for arranging the advising relationship and for seeking advice and assistance.

Additional information may be found on the Regional Studies–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (REECA) program website.

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