The Russian major trains students in both written and spoken Russian and in Russian literature, culture, and civilization. The department encourages students to pursue a second major (e.g., global health, history, linguistics, political science) and to develop their interests in related or complementary fields. Students interested in focusing on a broader interdisciplinary understanding of the region may earn a second major in International Studies.Training in Russian is often an important asset to careers in the natural and physical sciences, engineering, medicine, business, journalism, library and information science, and the social and military sciences. It also may be appropriate preparation for study of law or international relations as well as Slavic languages and literatures, comparative literature, and other humanistic disciplines.Some governmental agencies are interested in job candidates who have advanced training in Russian; these agencies give preference to applicants who combine strong language proficiency with a well-rounded background in area studies. Students who develop an exceptional facility with the Russian language may pursue careers in literary and technical translation and interpretation.