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- Make note of the Queen Mary institution code: Q50
- Make note of your chosen course UCAS code:
Russian and Politics
- RL72 — BA (Hons)
- Click on the link below:
Have further questions? How to apply | Entry requirements
Russian and Politics BA
Key information
- Degree
- BA (Hons)
- Duration
- 4 years
- Start
- September 2027
- UCAS code
- RL72
- Institution code
- Q50
- Typical A-Level offer
- Grades BBB at A-Level.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions) - Home fees
- £10050
- Overseas fees
- £28300
Funding information
Paying your fees
Overview
Develop high-level Russian language skills and gain insight into the workings of today's increasingly globalised world.
This four-year degree programme is jointly taught by the School of the Arts and the School of Politics and International Relations, and combines two different, but often complementary, areas of interest.
You'll divide your time equally between the two subjects, with the flexibility to tailor your degree with a wide choice of modules. You'll gain an excellent grounding in Russian language, taking core modules in written and spoken Russian, and explore its fascinating culture, politics, society and history. You’ll also learn to engage with political theories, ideas and ideologies, governments and institutions, and comparative politics.
The programme will give you a sophisticated understanding of the cultural references that shape Russian identities. You’ll spend your third year studying or working in a Russian-speaking country such as Latvia, immersing yourself in its language and society. No prior knowledge of Russian is required.
Structure
The Russian language modules you take will depend on your entry level. We offer separate classes for beginner, post-GCSE, post-A-level and native speakers.
Year 1
Language pathway(s) studied throughout the programme
Russian language for BA programmes
Core and compulsory
Guided elective
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Year 2
Core and compulsory
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
The full programme details and description are available in our Programme and Module Directory
Year abroad
You can choose to attend university at one of our Russian-speaking partner institutions in Moscow, St Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Tver, Petrozavodsk or Kazan, or in a Russian-speaking part of Latvia with our Erasmus partner, Daugavpils University. Our exchange programmes are with major state universities as well as with smaller-scale private schools.
Student Testimonial
I really enjoy the discussions that take place in seminars. Trying to defend your point of view, whilst hearing the other side, allows everyone to see the strengths and weaknesses in both arguments. This enhances everyone’s understanding of the issues and allows you to challenge your own beliefs, which ultimately develops you as a person.
Teaching
Teaching and learning
You'll receive approximately 16 hours of weekly contact time, in the form of lectures, seminars and language classes.
For every hour spent in class, you'll complete a further two to three hours of independent study.
Assessment
Assessment typically includes a combination of written exams and coursework, a final-year dissertation, independent projects and creative journals.
Resources and facilities
The Schools offer excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:
- the Queen Mary library
- the Multimedia Language Resource Centre, equipped with digital labs and resource rooms, teacher and student workstations, interactive whiteboards, and software for viewing live international satellite TV broadcasts
- subscriptions to foreign newspapers and journals
- language clubs and social activities, including film screenings, discussion groups and debates.
- the Centre for European Research, which welcomes students and academics interested in learning and researching on all matters relating to Europe
- the Mile End Institute, a major policy centre that specialises in contemporary British politics, featuring regular high-profile speakers.
Entry requirements
| A-Level | Grades BBB at A-Level. |
| IB | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. |
| BTEC | BTEC qualifications are considered for entry to this programme.\n |
| Access HE | We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not make offers of study purely on the basis of meeting grade requirements. |
| GCSE | Both GCSE English and Maths at grade C or 4 or an acceptable equivalent will be required.\n\n |
| EPQ | Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. \nFor further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq |
| Contextualised admissions | Our standard contextual offer: BCC \n\nOur enhanced contextual offer: CCC \n\nMore information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page. \n\nPlease note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered. \n |
Non-UK students
We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.
If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.
English language
Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.
You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.
Further information
Funding
Loans and grants
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Scholarships and bursaries
Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.
Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.
Support from Queen Mary
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
- additional sources of funding
- planning your budget and cutting costs
- part-time and vacation work
- money for lone parents.
Careers
Russian and Politics graduates are highly employable, with invaluable political knowledge and research, analytical and communication skills that open doors to a huge variety of roles. They move into domestic and international careers in government, translating, policy research, education, journalism, media, marketing and business.
Recent Russian and Politics graduates have been hired by:
- Amnesty International
- British Council
- House of Commons
- Labour Party
- PwC
- UK Home Office.
Career support
You’ll have access to bespoke careers support every step of your degree, including personal academic support from the Russian and Politics Departments. You’ll benefit from regular careers events for language students, including a workshop for students returning from their year abroad, and a Make Languages Work For You speedmeet with alumni.
Our careers team can also offer:
- specialist advice on choosing a career path
- support with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
- feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
- interview coaching.
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
Course data
Russian and Politics - BA (Hons)
The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)
About the School
The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Liberal Arts. We rank in the top 100 worldwide for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)
With our commitment to social justice, inclusivity and social mobility, our collaborations with external organisations, prominent writers and performers, and our facilities that support both academic and practice-based learning, an education in the School of the Arts equips our students with critical thinking and practical skills, unleashes their imagination and enables them to reach the levels of excellence needed in today’s industries.
We regularly host prominent writers and performers and collaborate with leading organisations such as the V&A, the Barbican, the Live Art Development Agency and Shakespeare’s Globe.
We are renowned for the depth and impact of research - which leads our teaching. We rank 1st for drama and in the top 10 for film in the UK for the quality of our research (REF2021). Our multilingual community brings together brilliant minds from across the world to share a wealth of expertise combining research excellence with an unrivalled commitment to social justice and social mobility.
