Study Russian Online at UT Austin
Faculty in the University's College of Liberal Arts teach more than three dozen global languages. Through the Texas Language Gateway (TLG) partnership with University Extension, many of those languages are now available to learners everywhere.
Привет! (Privet!)
University Extension (UEX) offers a three-course series to help students achieve intermediate proficiency in Russian, covering two years of material in three semesters, thus fulfilling most college language requirements. UEX courses follow the University’s semester-based academic calendar, with courses being offered each fall, spring and summer, starting August, June and January respectively.
Why learn Russian?
With over 255 million speakers worldwide, Russian is the eighth most spoken language globally and is widely used across Europe, Latin America, and the United States. It is a Slavic language written in the Cyrillic alphabet, related to Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, and other Slavic languages. Russian’s presence in Texas continues to grow, making it a useful language for local and global connections.
Russian offers access to a vast cultural heritage, including literature, music, ballet, and cinema. From Tolstoy’s War and Peace to Tchaikovsky’s ballets and iconic landmarks like St. Basil’s Cathedral, Russian culture has left a profound impact worldwide. Today, proficiency in Russian is an asset in business, law, medicine, and international relations, enhancing career opportunities across diverse industries.
Course Sequence
These courses are 100% online and include live-streaming video. Real-time participation is required during scheduled meeting times. Exams must be taken on the assigned dates.
UEX courses are open-enrollment, and everyone pays the same registration fee regardless of residency status.
First-Year Russian I (RUS 406) - $1100
This is the first of a three-semester sequence of online courses designed to introduce you to the language and culture of one of the most influential and important regions of the world today, and help you develop functional proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. No prior Russian coursework is required to enroll.
First-Year Russian II (RUS 407) - $1100
Russian 407, the second course in the sequence, is designed to be moderately intensive. The goal is to introduce you to Russian language and culture and, by doing so, help you develop functional proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. To enroll in this course, you must have completed RUS 406 or 506 with a grade of at least C or demonstrate completion of the equivalent course at another institution.
Second-Year Russian I (RUS 412K) - $1100
In this final course in the Russian sequence, you will learn useful vocabulary, grammatical structures and cultural information, all naturally embedded in videos and online activities. Requires completion of RUS 407 (or the equivalent) with a grade of at least C.
Meet the Faculty
Heather Rice
Heather Rice is an assistant professor of instruction of Russian and the faculty undergraduate advisor for the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies. She teaches first and second-year Russian language courses.
Dr. Rice created the content for the three-semester online Russian language sequence and textbook Будем на связи (We'll be in Touch / Online), which is used exclusively at UT Austin for all first and second-year Russian language courses, including the intensive and online sequences.
Frane Karabatić
Frane Karabatić is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian studies and teaches primarily courses related to Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Russian language. He received his Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Kansas in 2023, focusing on second language acquisition. He also holds an MA in Croatian and Italian Language & Literature from the University of Split, Croatia.
Evgenia Wilkins
Evgenia Wilkins earned a BA at the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia and a master's degree at St. Petersburg State University in Russia, where her studies focused on teaching Russian as a foreign language. She then earned a Ph.D. in Slavic languages and literatures at UT Austin. Her research interests are in discourse and conversation analysis.
