Natasha Simes, Coordinator Our Program It is fast becoming apparent that the United States and Russia are likely to develop an unprecedentedly intense relationship. To deal with Russia intelligently, the United States needs a growing pool of people capable of communicating with Russians in their own language. The current situation, where almost no American can conduct business in Russian, is increasingly unacceptable. It is an obstacle to meaningful U.S.-Russian interaction, and it puts Americans engaged in various activities with Russians at a disadvantage compared to their Russian counterparts. The Russian Program at SAIS features a professionally oriented program for graduate students of Russian anf Eurasian international and domestic politics, socio-economics, and national security at four level of instruction: Beginning, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and Advanced. The program was created especially for future generalists and practitioners engaged in international relations, foreign trade, energy issues and social development in the former republics of the Soviet Union. It is aimed at the development of three basic types of skills: reading, speaking, and listening. Proficiency Requirements Russian can be used to meet the M.A. language graduation requirements of the Functional Studies programs and Russian and Eurasian Studies. In order to pass the exams, students need to obtain the following levels per language skill: | Listening | Speaking | Reading | | Intermediate High | Intermediate High | Intermediate High |
Ph.D. students only need to pass the reading proficiency exam to meet their second foreign language graduation requirement. | 
