I. Background
Education in Russia comprises pre-higher education and higher education.The pre-higher education comprises the primary, basic, complete secondary and vocational schools.The higher education is divided into 4 stages, the highest being Docktor Nanuk programme which always does not have an equivalent in other countries. Teacher education specializes in training of pre-primary and primary.\/basic school teachers, secondary school teachers and higher education teachers. There is also the non-traditional study such as distance learning, lifelong higher education and higher education training in industry.
II. Levels
Organized into;
a. Pre-higher education
- For 6 to 15 year olds.
- The school system structure includes;
i. Primary
- Offered by primary general school and for 6 to 10 year olds, lasting for 4 years.
ii. Basic
- By primary general school; for 10 to 15 year olds, lasting for 5 years.
iii. Complete secondary
- By secondary (complete) general school, upper-secondary school; for 15 to 17 year olds and last for 2 years and awards certificate/Diploma (Polnom).
iv. Vocational
- By Non-university level higher; lasts for 4 years; for 15 to 19 year olds and a Diplom award.
b. Higher Education
- Provide by the state and non-state higher education institutions (HEIs).
- Consists of 4 levels.
i. First stage of university studies (Incomplete higher education)
- 2 years of studies leading to Diploma of Incomplete Higher Education.
- Graduants are entitled to jobs that require higher education but not a degree and to continue with their studies.
ii. Second stage of university: Bakalavr
- Lasts for 4 years, leading to Bakalavr (Bachelor’s) degree.
- Programmes include professional and special courses in science, the humanities and socioeconomic disciplines, professional training, completion of final research paper/project and sitting for state final examination.
- Bakalavr degree graduates may apply to enter the Magistr programmes or continue their studies in framework of the Specialist Diploma programmes.
- The Bakalavr degree is awarded in all fields except Medicine after defending a Diploma project prepared under the guidance of a supervisor and sitting for final examination.
- The first degree in Medicine lasts for 6 years.
iii. Third stage of university: Magistr and Specialist Diploma
- Admission for holders of the Bakalvr.
- Entry is competitive.
- Magistr degree is awarded after 2 year s of full-time studies where students take a complete advanced study, prepare and defend a thesis and sit for final examination.
- The Specialist Diploma can be earned in 2 ways;
1. Completion of at least 1 year’s study after the Bakalavr, or,
2. Completion of 5 to 6 years’ continuous study beyond the Polnom.
- The Specialist Diploma, conferred after the completion of advanced studies, preparation and defending a thesis and sitting for final examination, is a professional qualification that gives the right to exercise professional activities and to apply for doctoral programmes.
iv. Forth stage of University: Aspirantura (Kandidat Nanuk) and Doktorantura (Doktor Nauk) programmes
Aspirantura Programme
- Entry is competitive and applicants must hold a Specialist Diploma or a Magistr degree.
- Lasts for 3 years and training is for research and teaching activities/methods, ICTs, and pass Kandidat Nauk exams in certain fields of study.
- A Kandidat Nauk degree is awarded after carrying out independent research and preparing and defending a
dissertation in public.
Doktorantura Programme
- Duration not fixed (5-15 years) and follows the Kandidat Nauk degree.
- Degree is awarded after the public defense of a dissertation.
- Always does not have an equivalent in other countries.
III. Administration and Financing
- The different levels of education offer different certificates, diploma, degree or other academic qualifications.
- There are various national bodies that help in the administration and co-ordination of education in Russia.
- Some include;
- Admissions to higher levels of education is competitive, and basic requirements should be met before admission to
non-university higher education and university level studies, e.g., satisfactory minimum score, Diplom, secondary school leaving certificate, e.t.c.
- Approximately half of the state HEIs students pay for their studies.
- All students pay tuition fees in non-state HEIs.
- There are 721 state (including 45 regional public HEIs) and 369 accredited non-state HEIs.
- The Federal Agency of Education finances 338 state HEIs, while the rest is financed by other local authorities.
- There are several laws and decrees that govern education in Russia, e.g., state Accreditation of HEIs, Education
Licensing, e.t.c.
Titany answered the question on
August 10, 2021 at 10:19