Welcome to the oldest Russian teaching organisation in Scotland.
The first lecture in Russian was given at the University in 1919, and Russian Studies was introduced as an undergraduate degree programme in 1949, the first of its kind in Scotland.
Today, we teach a range of four-year undergraduate degree programmes in Russian, and supervise postgraduate research by MSc and PhD students.
Founded in 2010, our Princess Dashkova Russian Centre builds on a long history of cultural exchange between Scotland and Russia.
Learn the Russian language while exploring its social, cultural and political contexts, including through literature and film, as part of a single or joint honours degree.
Choose from a range of research-led degrees and interdisciplinary taught programmes.
Statement on Ukraine
We join our colleagues in the sector in condemning the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Government. Our thoughts are with Ukrainian people and their family members in Edinburgh and beyond.
As global dynamics shift, an appreciation of other languages and cultures becomes ever more relevant, critical and sought after. In times of great turmoil and suffering in particular, many works of literature and culture have called for justice, humanity and compassion and these will continue to be our sources and inspiration in our teaching and research.
Read more about how the University of Edinburgh is responding to the invasion of Ukraine
QS World Rankings by Subject 2023
The University of Edinburgh is ranked 3rd in the UK for Modern Languages.
We are also 3rd in the UK in the broad subject area of Arts & Humanities.
Globally, we’re in the World Top 10 for Modern Languages (7) and Arts & Humanities (10).
The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are based on research citations and the results of major global surveys of employers and academics.
They are International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approved.
Browse the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 on Top Universities
Research Excellence
The University of Edinburgh is ranked Top 5 in the UK for research in Modern Languages.
As reported in Times Higher Education, the rankings are based on the quality and breadth of our research in Modern Languages.
They come from the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) – the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.