Dual Degree Frequently Asked Questions

Students who have been successful in the past have demonstrated the following:

• The ability to live and function in both Russian- and English-speaking environments

• Strong academic skills

• Flexibility and adaptability

• Maturity and professionalism

• Intercultural competency     

At MGIMO, you will take classes primarily with your cohort. At the Middlebury Institute, classes will be with students from the MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies and other degree programs.

You will experience two distinct academic cultures. Classes at MGIMO tend to be lecture style with an exam at the end of the course; or seminar style, where students should arrive to class ready to discuss the assigned material. A typical exam for a lecture course requires you to give an oral answer to the professor, in front of the class. The grade for the course is based on that response and may be shared in front of the class. It is also common for professors to email a list of grades to all students in the course.

At the Middlebury Institute, students experience a variety of course types—lecture, project-based, simulation, and a mix. Grades may be given based on the results of tests, projects, presentations, research papers, or in-class simulation exercises.

Your course schedule at MGIMO will be relatively fixed, as most classes are mandatory. You will be provided with your academic schedule shortly after your arrival in Moscow and the subsequent MGIMO orientation. The team at the PIR Center work hard to provide dual degree students with exposure to Russian experts and government institutions; as new opportunities arise, the schedule may be subject to last minute changes. Past cohorts have been given the opportunity to visit the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Diplomatic Academy, and even the Duma. It is important to be flexible.

There are no scholarships for the MGIMO portion of the program, but students may use federal financial aid (if eligible), external scholarships, and private funding to cover tuition and other costs in Russia and during the internship semester.

The Middlebury Institute offers a number of scholarships for studies completed in Monterey. Learn more about scholarships and fellowships.

U.S. students who want to use veterans’ benefits toward tuition and expenses can only do so for the semesters they are enrolled at the Middlebury Institute (second and third semesters). For the first and fourth semesters, while enrolled at MGIMO, students will have to make other arrangements to pay tuition and expenses. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for federal financial aid.

In Russia, most dual degree students live in the MGIMO dorms on campus. All rooms are doubles and will be assigned upon arrival. Students may choose to live on their own outside of the dorms; they are then responsible for securing and paying for their own accommodation and food expenses.

For the Monterey portion of the program, students secure their own housing in the local area. Learn more about housing in Monterey.

The fourth and final semester of the program consists of an internship and a thesis. Due to the timing of the grading of theses, students should have completed all requirements by early June but will not receive their degrees until August, after the theses are graded.