The Russian major at BYU is a comparatively short program that can often be combined with another primary major. Our students come from a variety of other fields: political science, international relations, finance, biology, psychology, engineering, pre-med, history, and many more. As a result, our graduates practice medicine and law, conduct research in humanities and in hard sciences, work for international IT companies and financial firms, and much more.
We offer a study abroad program and a unique international internships program that allows you to combine your professional interests and the study of Russian. These programs also help you expedite your learning, so even if you did not take RUSS 101 in your freshman year, there is a good chance that we can help you work out a plan to still graduate on time.
We try to accommodate every student who is interested in learning Russian and who has prior Russian language experience. Please reach out to the undergraduate advisor in the Russian section, Dr. Jordan, to work out the best academic plan for you.
We also strongly recommended that students take a 2-credit StDev 317 at the end of the sophomore year or the beginning of the junior year. Liberal arts degrees provide preparation in a variety of useful fields rather than a single career track, and this course introduces students to the resources needed for accessing information about graduate schools, internships, careers, and career development.
Important Note for Returned Russian-Speaking Missionaries:
If you have spent at least 18 months in a Russian-speaking country, you can register for a 300-level class. In most cases, RUSS 330 is recommended as a starting point.
When you are enrolled in RUSS 330, you can take the Russian Challenge Exam and, depending on your result, get credit for RUSS 101, 102, and 201, and have the RUSS 202 requirement waived.
All students who wish to declare a Russian major must complete RUSS 330 and talk with the Russian undergraduate advisor before declaring a major.
If you (a) served only a part of your mission in a Russian-speaking country, (b) served a Russian-speaking mission outside of Russia or Ukraine, or (c) picked up some Russian while serving outside of Russia or Ukraine where your primary mission language was anything other than Russian, you will need to get in touch with the Russian undergraduate advisor and take a placement test. Depending on your test result, you may be placed in first-, second- or third-year level courses.