<p>I was reading a thread earlier about this, but the info was rather convoluted. I hate to start a repeat thread, but I am looking for similar advice.</p>
<p>I graduated in 2007 with a BA in history (concentration in Central/Eastern European Studies) from a smaller state school in NJ. I graduated summa cum laude, had 2 internships, and was a research assistant for my Russian history professor. I was advised to work a bit then apply to grad school, but I feel that time is up and I am getting the itch to get back into the academic world. I'm preparing to take the GRE's, but I am having difficulty determining the path to take. Ultimately, I'd like to be a professor, research, and write about modern Russian history. I've considered a master's first because a)I need to gain proficiency in Russian and German and b) I'm concerned about living on a stipend (I just got married, and my husband and I are getting on our feet). I am fortunate to have several top Russian history professors in the Philadelphia region at schools that offer terminal, non-terminal, and PhD programs. I'm just not sure of the pros and cons (aside from taking out more loans to pay for a master's), and I'm having a tough time finding advice or information on the subject.</p>
<p>I'd really appreciate any pointers that anyone can give. Thanks!</p>
<p>Make sure you absolutely learn German. Polish might be necessary too.</p>
<p>If you don't have solid understanding of Russian (like reading primary/secondary texts), the terminal MA may be the way to go. A lot of people who have heavy language requirements for their PhD tend to go through a MA program or a couple of intensive language courses before applying. Russian history requires Russian, French (or German), and any other minority languages in Russia. Polish isn't really necessary unless you want to look in that region.</p>
<p>Otherwise, if your Russian is strong and you think that you can handle at least one summer of learning French/German through a reading course, by all means, go for the PhD.</p>
<p>The advice I would give depends very much on the current state of your linguistic preparation. Do you now have any Russian, German, or French? If so, are classes in these languages on your undergraduate transcripts?</p>
<p>I have a year of undergrad Russian, but the program was weak; I was very unprepared for the month I spent in St. Petersburg at an intensive course, but by the end I was able to understand a good deal of what was said...responding, however, was a bit more of a challenge. I audited an intensive German course at a local university this fall, but I'm still at a basic level. I understand that language preparation is my biggest hurdle to overcome, and it's mostly around this fact that I feel my grad school decision will revolve. I need language work. </p>
<p>I chose German instead of French for my second language because,as far as Russian foreign relations are concerned, I'm mostly interested in Russo-German relations in the lead up to WWI and the interregnum. I am aware, however, of a leading French-language journal, and that there is a decent body of work in this field in French.</p>
<p>And, again, thanks for the help!</p>
<p>I recommend German simply because throughout history Russians had more contact with Germans. East Germans learned Russian. Germany was (and still is) the lingua franca in Eastern Europe. Germany is the largest economy in the EU.</p>
<p>If you can learn French, try to get a good reading comprehension level. Languages are crucial to do well in European history.</p>
<p>Yeah but if you stretch further back prior to 1850s, a lot of Russians learned French and French was the language of the aristocrats and diplomats... (So much more than Russian)</p>