MA German and Russian Studies
About this course
MA (Hons) in German and Russian Studies, a German and Russian Studies degree examining the languages and cultures of Germany and Russia in global contexts. The programme streams first-year courses based on prior language experience and includes a full academic year abroad. Students spend the third year studying, working, or volunteering at international locations. The first year introduces linguistics, language sciences, and a selection of external subjects alongside professional communication studies. Year two offers modules such as Researching Disability in German Literature and Society, Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic, Transnational Russian Culture, and The Golden Age of Russian Literature. The third year consists of residence abroad in destinations including Berlin, Augsburg, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen, Freiburg, Leipzig, Mainz, and Vienna, with opportunities for work placements or assistantships. The final year concentrates on spoken German and Russian, essay and précis writing, and translation of literary and journalistic texts covering film, literature, history, and politics.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: from AAA to ABB (required: a language other than English at B) IB: 34 points with 655 at HL
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 43%: 9 offers from 21 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 10 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 69%
- Learning opportunities: 54%
- Assessment and feedback: 64%
- Academic support: 75%
- Organisation and management: 41%
- Learning resources: 73%
- Student voice: 58%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 6 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 20%
- Unemployed: 10%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 20 graduates, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- East of England: 5%
- London: 30%
- South East: 5%
- Scotland: 45%
- Northern Ireland: 5%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 85%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
- No formal qualifications: 5%
Modules
- practise professional communication
- discover the value of languages in the workplace
- gain insights into possible career options
- linguistics and language sciences
- business, economics and informatics
- politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
- art and architectural history
- history, classics and archaeology
- Celtic and Scottish ethnology
- philosophy, divinity and law
- Researching Disability in German Literature and Society
- Culture, Modernity and the City in the Weimar Republic
- Reading Testimony in German
- The Contemporary Short Story in German
- Screening Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Identity on the German Screen and Beyond
- German Colonialism: History, Memory, Controversy
- if you took Russian Studies 1A in Year 1, you will take Russian Language 2A.
- if you took Russian Studies 1B in Year 1, you will take Russian Language 2B.
- Transnational Russian Culture
- The Golden Age of Russian Literature
- Utopia and Dystopia in 20th-century Russian Literature
- Cultural Responses to War
- Migration, Exile, Diaspora
- Crime and Detection in Literature
- Gender and Culture
- The Coming-of-Age Narrative
- Introduction to European Cinema
- Dynamics of Language and Power
- Languages Beyond University
- Berlin
- Augsburg
- Hamburg
- Heidelberg
- Tübingen
- Freiburg
- Leipzig
- Mainz
- Vienna
- arrange to work or volunteer with a private company or charity
- apply to an established placement scheme, such as the British Council’s English Language Assistants programme
- Student Wellbeing Service
- Student Counselling
- Student Disability and Learning Support
- University emergency helpline (available 24 hours a day)
- spoken German and Russian
- essay and précis writing
- translation of literary and journalistic texts
- film
- literature
- history
- language
- politics
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh earn?
The median salary is £27,000 after 3 years, £31,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £26,500 and £41,000. The £31,000 median after five years is £1,500 less than the UK median for German and Scandinavian studies.
What do graduates of MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
69% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 175 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
43% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 9 offers from 21 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on MA German and Russian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.