Article
Проблемы и перспективы развития российской аспирантуры: взгляд региональных университетов
The concentration of state resources in the leading universities poses the problem of reproduction of the scientific and pedagogical personnel in regional universities that do not participate in state-funded academic excellence programs. Based on the data from three focus group interviews with heads of doctoral studies offices at regional universities, the article analyzes problems arising in the implementation of the current model of training and certification of doctoral students. Four following groups of problems are identified: 1) the rigidity of requirements for the structure and content of the educational programs, 2) the imperfection of the system of attestation, gaps between attestation activities, 3) the problem of “retention” of doctoral students after the completion of the educational program, 4) the problems of conjugation of the processes of preparing a dissertation and its defense. The authors discuss possible ways to overcome the identified problems through providing universities with greater autonomy in designing the structure and content of the educational programs; synchronization of the procedures of the final state attestation and dissertation defense; creation of mechanisms for supporting successful doctoral graduates at the final stage of their preparation for the defense of a dissertation; development of network forms for implementation of doctoral programs with leading universities and research institutes.
The article provides a comparative review of principles for the implementation of doctoral programs in education at leading world universities. The analysis is focused on the following aspects of doctoral education: organizational model (1), principles of doctoral candidates’ enrollment (2), educational program and workload (3), principles and mechanisms for tracking doctoral students’ progress (4), principles and procedures for completing educational programs and defending a thesis (5). The key differences of Russian doctoral education are distinguished. The first difference is related to the rigidity of the recruitment rules and procedures: the universities in Russia pay no or little attention to the previous academic achievements of candidates. The second difference refers to the specifics of an educational program, which, as a rule, is not aimed at the development of “soft skills”. Finally, Russian doctoral programs are based on the traditional model of doctoral supervision, when a supervisor is usually the only person who controls the doctoral student progress and helps him or her to work on a thesis. Based on the experience of the world-leading universities, the authors discuss some opportunities to develop doctoral programs in Russia.
With the new Federal Law on Education introduced in Russia in the late 2012, postgraduate training became the third level of higher education. The framework of PhD education has changed. Before 2013, doctoral education, which was one of the systems that had been inherited from the Soviet period, was officially considered as a track to academia, while now it works in a wider scope of highly qualified personnel training. But does this mean that the days when it was thought that all PhDs should become academics are gone? We have addressed this question to PhD students themselves and are reporting data from a recent survey conducted by Higher School of Economics’ Centre for Institutional Research in several Russian universities this spring. Thirteen Russian universities participated in the survey administrated online. Most of them are considered to be leading institutions of higher education in Russia. Overall 2221 students from different fields filled in the questionnaire (26% representing social sciences, 8% – education, 28% – mathematical and natural sciences, 12% – humanities, 26% – engineering and technological sciences). 51% of the respondents were males, 16% were part-time students. We asked the respondents about their future career plans, their willingness to find a job at their home university or to continue studies abroad. We counted weighted average for all indicators to neutralize the differences in size of the institutions in the sample.
We present results of a study of 27 existing international university networks created in different years and comprising 1,119 member organizations from 117 countries. We have analyzed information both posted on their official websites and publicly available online, as well as annual reports on activities of international university networks, their strategic development plans, texts of partnership agreements, interviews with representatives of network partners and coordinators. We have identified and described the key features of international university networks as a form of inter-university partnership: pre-requisites for establishment, geographical location of partners, types of partner organizations, status of partners, entry barriers for new partners, specialization profiles, financing of activities, management of activities, forms of partner cooperation. We have also analyzed engagement of higher education institutions of different countries in the international university networks, particularly membership of the leading Russian universities in such networks and in other international educational associations. It appears that Russian universities are represented insufficiently in the international university networks. Accession is a challenging task that will require universities to apply considerable efforts, both organizational (overcoming entry barriers, negotiating with networks managers and partners, ensuring a certain level of openness in activities of the university, meeting the network requirements, performing the tasks assigned to network members on time) and financial (entry and annual fees, business traveling). Collaboration with foreign universities through network interaction will promote internationalization and quicker innovation of Russian universities, as well as learning of new working techniques and accumulation of resources and knowledge.
Russian Doctoral Education: Between Teaching and Research
Trends and Issues in Doctoral Education: A Global Perspective serves two simple yet complex purposes—to understand the current realities in doctoral education in key countries and to examine current and proposed reforms. Fourteen country case studies and one regional case study present a range of global practices and focus on key issues facing doctoral education worldwide. Together with the literature review and the analysis of changes in doctoral education around the world over the past three decades by Maresi Nerad, the case studies provide the basis for this concluding discussion of the broader issues and themes suggested by the previous chapters.
We present results of a study of 27 existing international university networks created in different years and comprising 1,119 member organizations from 117 countries. We have analyzed information both posted on their official websites and publicly available online, as well as annual reports on activities of international university networks, their strategic development plans, texts of partnership agreements, interviews with representatives of network partners and coordinators. We have identified and described the key features of international university networks as a form of inter-university partnership: pre-requisites for establishment, geographical location of partners, types of partner organizations, status of partners, entry barriers for new partners, specialization profiles, financing of activities, management of activities, forms of partner cooperation. We have also analyzed engagement of higher education institutions of different countries in the international university networks, particularly membership of the leading Russian universities in such networks and in other international educational associations. It appears that Russian universities are represented insufficiently in the international university networks. Accession is a challenging task that will require universities to apply considerable efforts, both organizational (overcoming entry barriers, negotiating with networks managers and partners, ensuring a certain level of openness in activities of the university, meeting the network requirements, performing the tasks assigned to network members on time) and financial (entry and annual fees, business traveling). Collaboration with foreign universities through network interaction will promote internationalization and quicker innovation of Russian universities, as well as learning of new working techniques and accumulation of resources and knowledge.