Ruban L.S. Comparative analysis of the Russian and Western education and scientific-training system. RUDN Journal of Sociology, 2020, 20 (2), 416—429.

Òåêñò ñòàòüè íà ñàéòå æóðíàëà URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/sociology/article/view/23880 (äàòà îáðàùåíèÿ 29.06.2020)

Abstract

The article compares the Russian and Western strategies of higher education and scientific training  and  their  implementation  in  the  state  policy.  The  author  considers  the  three-level  structure  of scientific training which includes in the West Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programs, while in Russia in the previous period —specialty, PhD program —to defend the thesis and get the degree of Candidate of Science —and Postdoc program —to get the degree of Doctor of Science. After Russia signed the Bologna Declaration at the Berlin Conference of ministers of education in September 2003, these differences were eliminated and already in 2010 Russia implemented all basic principles of the Bologna process by having transformed its system of education and scientific training on the basis of the British-American model. The author  considers  both  advantages  and  losses  of  this  reform.  Thus,  Russia  introduced  the  same  education standards  with  the  West  and  accepted  the  single  certification system  (Bachelor,  Master,  PhD),  which  is certainly a positive side of the reform. On the other hand, by removing the specialty level, Russia lost the basis for mass scientific training without the Master’s level: today we have a negative situation in the system of higher education, when thousands of young people with Bachelor’s degree cannot find job or continue studying and scientific career without Master’s degree, but they do not have money to pay for Master’s program  due  to  financial  difficulties.  As  a result,  the  production  and  science  systems  do  not  get  enough qualified specialists and young scientists for whose training the state has already spent a lot of money. The author concludes that it is necessary to use effective foreign experience but withoutignoring the Russian education  and  science  achievements  and  with  taking  into  account  national  traditions  and  specifics  of  the national development.