Skip to main content
Liberal Arts Advisement & Careers

Russian

Engaging in the Major

Resources for Engaging
Competencies and Careers
Course Progression
Funding & Internships
Campus Resources

Competencies and Careers

Competencies Developed in the Program
Students in the Russian program can expect to develop strong competencies:

  • Communication
  • Information Literacy
  • Cultural Navigation

Want to know more about these professional competencies? Career Readiness.

Common Career Fields
Russian students can use their degree to pursue careers in many fields!
Some of those include: Education, Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Law, Medicine, Diplomacy, and Translation.

Jobs in these career fields:
Would you like to know about specific jobs in these fields? Check out this pamphlet

Handshake: Check out job postings in a career field that interests you! Use Handshake, the ultimate job board for internships and entry level jobs. Use it to search for jobs, connect with alumni, and research companies.

Meet with your advisor!
Would you like to know more about the program to see if it’s a good fit for your goals? Would you like to know more about your career options? Do you have a career option in mind but you’d like resources to help you chart a path toward that goal? Come meet with your Academic and Professional Development Manager, Cielle Davis!

Contact the Liberal Arts Advisement Center to set up an appointment!

Russian Course Progression

Course order:
Russian-speaking returned missionaries can start in RUSS 330.
If you have some experience with Russian, please speak with Russian Section Head Katya Jordan to assess which Russian class is right for you.

Minor courses:
If you plan to add a minor or a double major, take courses for that program as soon as you can.

Challenge Exam: The Challenge Exam allows BYU students who had a significant language immersion experience for which they did not receive academic credit to demonstrate their proficiency and to receive graded credit.
The exam must be taken during your first Russian language-focused class at BYU or your first Russian language-focused class after your mission.
- Eligible classes: RUSS 330. See this website for details.
- Note: Native speakers cannot take the exam for credit.

Grad Plans:
If you would like help creating a full grad plan, consider meeting with an undergraduate specialist at the Liberal Arts Advisement Center.

Funding & Internships

Should I do an internship?
Internships are encouraged! They vary widely, based on students’ career path of choice! The Russian program runs internships in in Latvia and other Russian-speaking countries every semester. The internships are in a wide variety of career fields. If you are curious about which internship options are a good fit for you, reach out to your academic and professional development manager, Cielle Davis, or the College of Humanities career director, Christian Sagers, or the Russian Internship Coordinator, Tony Brown.

Resources to find internships:

Funding for Internships
We offer funding for unpaid, professional internships. Please apply!
Humanities Financial Aid

Funding for mentored research
You can participate in a faculty-mentored research project, and you can receive funding for your project. Learn about the Hum Grants program.

College of Humanities Tuition Scholarships
The College of Humanities offers tuition scholarships. You can find out about the scholarship options and apply here: Humanities Financial Aid

Funding for Study Abroad Programs:
The Russian program runs a study abroad in Latvia for Russian students every summer. Check out the department website or Find Your Program through the Kennedy Center.
The College of Humanities offers funding for Humanities students going on Humanities study abroad programs.

University financial aid options
There are many resources to help you fund your tuition and experiences at BYU. The Financial Aid Office can help!

Campus Resources

  • German and Russian Department: For language placement, course questions, faculty contacts, study abroad info, and more, contact the German and Russian Department.
  • Pre-Professional Advisement: For pre-med or pre-law resources, contact the Pre-Professional Advisement Center.
  • Handshake Internships and Job Board: To search internships and jobs that match your interests and skills, use Handshake.
  • Kennedy Center: For International Study programs and funding, contact the BYU Kennedy Center.
  • Career Director: To get help searching for and applying to jobs, plus connecting with employers and alumni, meet with Christian Sagers.
  • Course Descriptions and offerings: To check out which classes will be offered in the upcoming semester, use the BYU Class Search.

Getting Involved

data-content-type="external"

Study Abroad

There are great study abroad programs for Russian students. Find Your Program through the Kennedy Center. Or check the Russian study abroad programs website for current study abroad offerings.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="external"

Mentored Research

Consider doing a research project with a professor. You can apply for funding for the project through the College of Humanities. HUM Grants
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="external"
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="external"

Language Immersion Student Residence

Live on campus and improve your Russian! Students living at the LISR participate in a unique language immersion experience, while pursuing regular class schedules. Students in each apartment study and speak Russian. A Language Facilitator resides in each apartment, modeling correct language usage so your language skills improve. Students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Russian language and culture.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="external"

Find us on Instagram

Department Instagram: @russianatbyu
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="external"
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=

FAQ's

  • Russian majors are encouraged to have a minor or a double major. Russian pairs well with many minors! Depending on your career goals, you might choose: Digital Humanities, TESOL, Global Business and Literacy, Biology, Legal Studies, or Translation and Localization. You can check out all of the minors BYU offers in the BYU Catalog.

  • The Center for Language Studies administers all language certificates. Check out their website for information on classes to take and registering for your certificate proficiency exams. For Russian, you will need to take RUSS 321, 322, or 323, RUSS 330 or 343, and RUSS 340, 341 or 342

  • Many Russian students double major. You can petition to double major. Learn about the process here.

  • The Challenge Exam allows BYU students who had a significant language immersion experience for which they did not receive academic credit to demonstrate their proficiency and to receive graded credit. The exam must be taken during your first Russian language-focused class at BYU or your first Russian language-focused class after your mission.
    - Eligible classes: RUSS 330. See this website for details.
    - Note: Native speakers cannot take the exam for credit.

  • If it is an AIP hold, please meet with your academic and professional development manager, Cielle Davis, to get that hold removed. Contact the Liberal Arts Advisement Center to set up an appointment with her.