Russian Studies and Politics

Russian studies and politics brings together two fields that have rarely been more relevant than they are today. Russia is one of the most significant and contested actors in contemporary international affairs, and understanding it requires not only political analysis but genuine engagement with its language, literature, history and culture. Russian studies gives you the linguistic and cultural depth to engage with Russian society on its own terms, while politics provides the theoretical and analytical tools to make sense of how power is organised, how foreign policy is made, and how geopolitics shapes the world.

At Edinburgh, this four-year programme allows you to develop Russian language skills to an advanced level alongside a rigorous grounding in political science and international relations. You will study Russian language, literature and cultural history, the history of Russia and the Soviet Union, contemporary Russian politics and society, and the role of Russia in European and global affairs. The politics strand covers political theory, comparative politics, international relations theory, security studies and foreign policy analysis.

Edinburgh has strong expertise in both areas and the combination gives you a distinctive and highly relevant academic profile. The typical entry tariff is 184 UCAS points.

Graduates move into careers in diplomacy, international organisations, intelligence analysis, journalism, think tanks, business with Russian or post-Soviet connections, academia, the civil service and security-related professions. Knowledge of Russian and deep familiarity with Russian politics are skills that are both rare and consistently in demand across these sectors. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in Russian and Eurasian studies, international relations, security studies or area studies.