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University of Cambridge

England , England ,United Kingdom

PhD in Slavonic Studies

The Slavonic Studies Section is unique in the United Kingdom in offering postgraduate opportunities in Polish, Russian and Ukrainian. The research interests of its academic staff span a wide range of topics in the languages, literature, visual studies and cultural history of Poland, Russia and Ukraine, from the medieval period to the present day. The intellectual vitality of the Section is evident in its thriving research areas: medieval Rus culture; early-modern Ruthenian culture, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian literary and cultural studies of the 19th and 20th centuries; cinema studies; nationalism studies; memory studies; visual culture; sensory history; and Slavonic linguistics. Students taking the PhD in Slavonic Studies may focus on a single national or linguistic tradition, or they may pursue comparative research across languages and national boundaries. A dynamic research culture of public lectures, seminars and conferences, together with a close-knit system of supervision and mentoring, encourages individual and collective endeavour within the Section.  

In British universities, the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is traditionally awarded solely on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing which reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It's also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, for which the expected timeframe would be five years.

During your research, you will have the opportunity to work closely with a supervisor who is a specialist in your research area. You might reasonably expect to see your supervisor fortnightly or at least three times per term.   In addition to your supervisor, you will normally also be able to draw on the help and support of other members of the Section with expertise in your field of study.

In addition to the specialist supervising provided by the Section, the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics runs a programme of professional training for the benefit of all research students. The programme includes seminars and workshops on library resources, giving conference papers, publishing, applications and interviews, and teaching skills. The School of Arts and Humanities runs a central programme covering a range of skills relevant to doctoral students. Doctoral students may also be offered opportunities to do small-group teaching for the undergraduate Colleges and, in some cases, language teaching for the Faculty.

The University of Cambridge has been judged the best in the UK for Russian and East European Studies in the 2017 University Subject Tables compiled by The Complete University Guide. The Slavonic Studies section is part of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, which has a Postgraduate Centre with computing, study, seminar, and social areas. It maintains extensive library resources, which include the Catherine Cooke collection of Soviet visual materials. Postgraduate students at Cambridge benefit from a rich, diverse research culture, both within the Slavonic Studies section and the University as a whole.

The Slavonic Studies section also works in close collaboration with the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies (CamCREES) and the Cambridge Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CRASSH).

Intakes

  • Oct

Application Processing Time in Days: 20

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Whether you’re sure of the career you want to pursue when you graduate or you’re looking to explore your options, we’ll help you to prepare for your future.

  • 89% of our students who responded to the Graduate Outcomes Survey were in work or further study within 15 months of graduating¹
  • Top 10 in the UK for graduate prospects (Complete University Guide 2021)

Transferable skills
The majority of graduate employers recruit students with any degree discipline. It’s the flexibility of your degree, as well as the range of transferable skills that you develop, that are of interest to employers.

Cambridge students are typically ambitious, intelligent, motivated, hard-working, passionate, committed, curious, intellectually creative, independent thinkers, and able to manage their time effectively. Employers know this and look for the same attributes in potential new employees, which is why our graduates are so sought after.   

Dedicated support and guidance
Once you’re at Cambridge, you can work with our dedicated Careers Service from day one to explore your career options. The team of experienced and impartial careers advisers can help you connect with employers and navigate the complex job market, saving you time and maximising your employability prospects. The Careers Service run a range of workshops on topics including choosing a career, cover letters, applications and getting ready for interviews. They also organise more than 200 careers events and briefing and skills sessions, and typically around 15 major careers fairs each year.

Internships and work experience
Our industry connections provide a range of opportunities for you to undertake work experience, enhancing your CV ready for graduation. Thousands of opportunities are publicised across all sectors on the Careers Service’s Handshake site, with bursaries offered to support unpaid opportunities with charities.

Networking opportunities
The Careers Service’s alumni database, GradLink, will give you access to contact details for over 1,200 Cambridge alumni working in a huge range of industries who can offer first-hand advice. The Service also runs more than 50 employment-related skills training sessions and can offer information on occupations, further study courses and funding.

Graduate employment destinations
Our graduates go on to work in a wide range of industries, from social work and education, to legal activities and finance. The list below shows the top ten occupations of respondents to the Graduate Outcomes Survey (15 months after graduation).¹

Medical practitioner

  1. Programmer/software development professional
  2. Management consultants and business analysts
  3. Finance and investment analysts and advisers
  4. Marketing associate professionals
  5. Business and related associate professionals
  6. Secondary education teaching professionals
  7. Primary and nursery teaching professionals
  8. University researchers
  9. Higher education teaching professionals

PSW Opportunity

UK announces 2-year post-study work visa for international Students

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge is intense and very intellectually demanding, so the University has high academic entry requirements. You are normally expected to hold or to have achieved by the start of your course:

minimum of an upper second class (good 2:1) honours degree from a UK university or an equivalent standard from an overseas university; and
completion of, or release from, any current training or education course

University Minimum Requirement
Professional Bachelor's (at least 4 years) in professional subjects such as Agriculture, Architecture, Business Administration, Business Management, Business Studies, Computer Applications, Engineering, Fine Arts, Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery, Law, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Technology or Bachelor of Arts / Science / Commerce (3-4 years) from well ranked institutions with an overall grade of 70% or CGPA 7.3+.

If the academic requirement of the course is a first:

Professional Bachelor's (at least 4 years) in professional subjects such as Agriculture, Architecture, Business Administration, Business Management, Business Studies, Computer Applications, Engineering, Fine Arts, Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery, Law, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Technology or Bachelor of Arts / Science / Commerce (3-4 years) from well ranked institutions with an overall grade of 75% or CGPA 8.0+.

IELTS Academic1 – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element
TOEFL Internet Based Test (IBT) – normally a minimum overall score of 110, with 25 or above in each element
EU students – a high grade in English taken as part of a leaving exam (eg the European/French Baccalaureate, Abitur etc) may be acceptable
Cambridge English: C2 Proficiency – accepted with a minimum overall score of 200, with no element lower than 185.
Cambridge English: C1 Advanced – accepted with a minimum overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185, plus an assessment by the Language Centre. Following assessment the University Language Centre may advise further action from the applicant (eg enrolment at one of the Language Centre courses, or completion of an IELTS test).
Singapore Integrated Programme (SIP) – may be considered an acceptable English language qualification