Certificate in Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies

Graduate students enrolled in the Duke Graduate School, the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Duke Law School, the Fuqua School of Business, and the Duke Medical School may diversify their graduate programs by earning a Graduate Certificate in Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies.

The Certificate in Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to pursue course work in a range of different disciplines, including foreign languages of the region, linguistics, literature, economics, history, political science, public policy, law, business, women’s studies, etc.. An annual interdisciplinary seminar on Slavic studies brings graduate students together from across the University for a concentrated, interdisciplinary approach to the area. The certificate demonstrates that a student has completed significant cross-disciplinary course work in this area and has attained a mastery of at least one related Slavic language.

In order to be awarded the Certificate, students must

  • Complete a total of 18 units (i.e., 6 courses).
  • These courses must be taken in three different disciplines and include an interdisciplinary seminar
  • Two of the five courses taken must be from a single discipline, excluding the student's major department.
  • In order to receive the Certificate, students will also be expected to demonstrate language proficiency in a language of the region at the intermediate level.

Students with a special interest in the Russian and East European legal systems now have the opportunity to receive a Graduate Certificate in Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies: Specialization in Legal Studies. This program, the first of its kind at an American university, permits graduate students interested in issues relating to the legal environment in this region to pursue an interdisciplinary study of the subject.

Students who wish to pursue the Certificate in Legal Studies must satisfy the general requirements for the Certificate in Slavic Studies as described above. Courses that count toward the Certificate in Legal Studies will be drawn from a list of courses offered in the Duke Law School, the Fuqua School of Business, the Department of Economics, the Department of Slavic & Eurasian Studies, and other departments of schools that deal with law-related issues in this region.

The Certificate program is administered by the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies. For more information about the Certificate, contact the Center staff.