Overview

Thesis: There is no thesis requirement for Slavic Department majors in Columbia College or the School of General Studies. (All Barnard students, regardless of major, are required to write a senior thesis.) However, any student who wishes to be considered for Departmental honors (see below) must complete a thesis. Columbia students who wish to undertake a thesis project should confer with the director of undergraduate studies during the registration period in April of their junior year and register to take the Senior Seminar (RUSS UN3595x) fall term of their senior year. Those who opt to expand the thesis into a two-semester project register for Supervised Individual Research with their thesis advisor (RUSS UN3998y) in the spring. (Senior Seminar may be used to satisfy one elective requirement; the optional second semester of thesis work, however, is in addition to the 15 courses required for the major.)

Departmental Honors

Students who have a grade point average of at least 3.6 in courses taken for the major and who have submitted a senior thesis of outstanding quality will be considered for departmental honors. Normally no more than 10 percent of the graduating majors may be awarded departmental honors in any given year. For more information, consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies no later than the change-of-program period in the fall term of your senior year.

Grades

Courses in which a grade of D has been received do not count toward major or concentration requirements.

Barnard students please note 

The degree requirements for the B.A. at Barnard differ from those at Columbia, and the structure of the major and minor for Barnard undergraduates is therefore also different. Barnard students should check the major and minor requirements listed on the website of the Barnard Slavic Department.