Russian and East European Studies and Public Policy (MA/MPP)

The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES) and the Ford School of Public Policy offer a dual degree, leading to a Masters in Russian and East European Studies (MA) and a Masters of Public Policy (MPP). A student may complete the requirements for both degrees in two and a half years.

Program Overview

Qualified students enter the program for careers in international policy in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The program incorporates training in the Ford School’s management and analysis programs with CREES’s focus on language proficiency, regional expertise, and disciplinary training in the humanities and social sciences. The program is designed to address problems in the social sector brought on by transformation of the region’s state socialist systems. Students will develop individualized plans of study with the advice of two faculty advisors, one from CREES and one from the Ford School. Upon completion of the program, students will join a growing cohort of outstanding and highly trained policy specialists on the region.

Summer Internships, Research & Fellowships

Students in this program are encouraged to participate in summer internships and conduct research in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Both CREES and the Ford School have extensive contacts with institutions in the region and will assist students in locating host organizations and designing projects. Through the CREES Research, Internship, and Fellowship (CRIF) Program, fellowships are awarded competitively each year to support projects in the region.

Degree Requirements

Students admitted to this joint degree program must satisfy the following:

Masters in Russian and East European Studies (CREES):

• 18 hours in REES courses
• At least 15 of these hours must be 500-level courses
• Students are expected to achieve a high level of language proficiency by the end of their studies
• It is required that students enroll in REES 695, Colloquium of Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, offered in the fall semester of the first or second year
• Master’s thesis or project

Masters of Public Policy (MPP):

• 33 hours in Ford School courses
• 10-week internship usually completed during the summer between the first and second years of study
• Limited fellowships are available for students who choose to take internships in Eastern Europe, Russia, or the newly independent states (NIS)
• Participation in the Integrated Policy Exercise (IPE)

Course of Study

• Ford School Core Program: 24 credits
• Advanced Analytic Methods course: 3 credits
• Advanced Political & Org. Behavior course: 3 credits
• International Policy Seminar: 3 credits
• Total Ford School coursework: 33 credits

• REES Core Program: 18 hours distributed over 18 credits in at least three fields, in addition to Ford School (e.g., history, political science, sociology; 15 credits must be at 500-level or above)
• REES 695 (or equivalent): 3 credits
• Total CREES coursework: 21 credits

Admission Requirements

Students must file separate applications to and be admitted by both schools. An application fee must accompany each application. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and submit GRE scores.

Contact Information

For more information or an application, please contact:

Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Phone: (734) 764-0351
Website: http://www.ii.umich.edu/crees

Ford School of Public Policy
Student Services
Phone: (734) 764-0453