Undergraduate
Purdue offers a Russian Major and a Russian Minor, as well as simple instruction in the Russian language. Often majors in Russian or another language pursue another major as well, and they find that the combination of a language major along with their other major is a valuable asset in job searches. The emphasis in the modern world is on globalization, and good knowledge of another language and culture is a useful and important advantage for obtaining employment.
The Russian Major leads to a B.A. degree and requires 35 credits of Russian courses, distributed among language courses, literature, linguistics, and culture and civilization. It includes provision for 9 credits of Russian electives, chosen by the student. Many students choose to do two majors, one in Russian and one in some other field of study that they are interested in. All students working towards a B.A. degree in the College of Liberal Arts must also satisfy the Liberal Arts Core requirements. The requirements for the Russian Major are contained in the Russian Major plan of study for students beginning in Fall 2013 or later.
The Russian Minor does not lead to a separate degree. It is a reduced program in Russian that is ancillary to a degree in some other field. It requires 15 credits of Russian courses and includes provision for 6 credits of Russian electives, chosen by the student. Many students who do not have enough room in their schedules to take the full complement of courses for a Russian Major decide to do the Minor instead. The Minor does not require students to satisfy the Liberal Arts Core requirements. The requirements for the Russian Minor are contained in the Russian Minor plan of study.