The teaching plan for each Master's programme is composed of 3 basic blocs of disciplines (respectively 25 %, 25 % and 50 % of class time):
bloc I: disciplines of the direction: basic general education and economic (managerial) disciplines compulsory for all students following Master's programmes in the direction of some special field;
bloc II: disciplines of the programme: compulsory fundamental disciplines in each programme;
bloc III: specialisation disciplines (a) compulsory, (b) optional.
The first bloc includes acquisition of general scientific and general knowledge on speciality necessary for highly qualified specialists. For training of Masters in the direction of Economics, these are advanced courses of micro- and macroeconomics, econometrics, philosophy and foreign language.
The second bloc consists of courses making the profile of a programme. For example, for the programme Mathematical methods of economic analysis, they include the following disciplines: econometrics 4, methods of evaluation of financial instruments; State economic strategies or models of world economy, Economic mathematical models or Models of intersector balance; Fundamentals of technologies of information systems, Dynamic programming, Company management using information technologies, Theory of corporation or Mechanisms of inter-corporation interactions and their optimisation, Theory of financial markets, Modern sociology and economic mathematical methods, production functions, Prospective technologies of information systems, Theory of games
or methods of forecast in economics, Econometric models with distributed lags or Institutional changes and transition economy; Theory of sector markets
or Economic theory of labour; Economic analysis of information technologies. For the programme World economics theory of international trade, international monetary and financial relations, national models of economic development, international statistics, international financial markets, foreign investments in world economy, economic comparativistics, international economic organisations, globalisation of world economy, transition to a market economy in post-socialist countries: common features and national peculiarities, international insurance, conjuncture of international commodities markets, economic development, international accounting, international migration and globalisation of economic development. For the programme Economics of enterprise: risk management, project analysis, enterprise in innovative environment, competition policy on commodities markets, State regulation of enterprise, economics of personnel.
The third bloc ensures specialisation of students and directs them either to further continue research and teaching activities in higher schools, or to jobs in specific areas of economy and management.
Such are the results of the efforts for renewal of the content and structure of university economic education in MSU. The reader might wonder: what has all this to do with the Bologna process? The answer is: directly related. Every European country having declared being joined to it begins to modify its education system in compliance with the principles stated in the package of documents united by the designation of Bologna process. That means modernisation of the education system, mainly its higher level, in compliance with the requirements of post-industrial development and globalisation. Russia's joining to the European programme of harmonization of education systems also means modernisation of an education that was mainly shaped at the time and for the tasks of early industrialisation.
In the meanwhile, the experience of modernisation of education in other countries has shown that it is successful when it integrates:
- education content;
- education structure;
- education technology and organisation of teaching process;
- resources.
On the example of the Department of economics we have shown changes in the first two: content and structure. It can be seen that they are indissoluble: changing content, one unavoidably comes to necessarily structuring knowledge up to changing the scheme of the stages. The inverse is also true: trying to change structure, one unavoidably affects content. The requirements of the Bologna process with respect to transition to two-stage system of higher education would mean, for Russian higher schools, first of all, its renewal, structuring and definition of the configuration of necessary and sufficient knowledge for each level, i. e. revision of the content. In what direction? In the most general sense, towards giving the content of education a post-industrial character, when knowledge is not only transformed into qualification, but also makes
the foundation of the economy of knowledge. Towards echelonment of knowledge by levels, closer integration together with the skills of its use, and making a system of its life-long enrichment and renewal.
The acquired experience allows us to state that transition to two-stage system would by the way make it possible to resolve some other tasks:
- improving quality;
- differentiating social demand and labour market demand for higher education so that the first stage mainly meets social demand, while the second stage mainly meets the demand for research, engineering and other kinds
of professional elite;
- making more flexible combination of the existing forms of education and employment;
- differentiating and raising the efficiency of education methods at separation of basic and specialised knowledge;
- widening the opportunities for students for independent and responsible choice of their course of life;
- widening the opportunities for higher schools for student selection and quitting the chain system oriented to middle level;
- rating higher schools as for their real potential;
- widening the opportunities for interdisciplinarity, combination by students of knowledge from various fields, training of researchers at junction between specialisations and following new directions;
- improving attractiveness of education in the eyes of employers;
- improving economic efficiency of education;
- ensuring identification of diplomas, degrees and education systems
at international comparisons, which are more and more demanded due to growing mobility of people and internationalisation of education.
Now, how is about the other two directions of education modernisation: education technology and resources? I'm convinced that they are also directly related to the Bologna process, the experience of the Department of economics is here to confirm this.
| Exercise 9. Choose the correct variant for every gap. |
Being the Best
Each time you try for a more promoted position, the selection process gets (1)…. Your abilities, personality traits, your lifestyle, values and aspirations will all be vigorously (2)… by your prospective colleagues and also your bosses. Do you know how to (3)… yourself when you are under the microscope? If you are to (4)… your ambitions, now is the time to learn how to do (5)… to yourself and prepare for formal selection processes.
Learn about the various methods you can employ to find your way into
a different institution, gain a more sophisticated (6)… of how headhunters work and learn to position yourself so that you can be found easily. Taking (7)…
of any situation to maximise your visibility is very useful. Even when you are not offered a particular job for which you have been considered, do leave
an impression which will remain in the mind of the headhunter should other possibilities (8)….
You (9)… it to yourself to do the best you can. Make sure you perform in such a way that you can be satisfied that the decision about you has been made with the (10)… amount of up-to-date and accurate information about your capabilities. Do you know what they are and do you have some stories prepared which will illustrate them well?
| A | В | С | D | |||
| stronger | tougher | sharper | firmer | |||
| contemplated | reflected | regarded | scrutinised | |||
| treat | deal | соре | handle | |||
| realise | succeed | obtain | capture | |||
| right | virtue | justice | fairness | |||
| intelligence | information | understanding | comprehension | |||
| benefit | advantage | profit | gain | |||
| arise | open | enter | arrive | |||
| deserve | require | merit | owe | |||
| biggest | fullest | greatest | widest | |||
| Exercise 10. Render the texts from Russian into English. | |||||
a) Основная задача магистратуры – подготовить профессионалов для успешной карьеры в международных и российских компаниях, а также аналитической, консультационной и научно-исследовательской деятель-ности. Магистратура способна выработать у выпускника универсальный подход к конкретной профессиональной деятельности. По сравнению
с другими формами высшего образования больше часов и усилий отводится на дисциплины специализации, исследовательские проекты и производст-венную практику. Благодаря этому магистерские программы в значительной степени отвечают потребностям компаний-работодателей. Магистры полу-чают комплекс компетенций, позволяющих сразу квалифицированно
выполнять определенные функции: эксперта, аналитика, разработчика, координатора. Выпускник магистратуры – это профессионал в выбранной специализации, более подготовленный к профессиональной деятельности, нежели бакалавр и специалист.
Специфика подготовки магистров заключается также в развитии интегрированных компетенций, т. е. способности принимать решения, брать на себя ответственность, проводить анализ, осуществлять коммуникативные функции.
b) Особенности магистерских программ– это конкретная тематика, которую каждый вуз определяет самостоятельно в рамках каждого направ-ления обучения. При изучении направлений программы студенты глубоко прорабатывают выбранную тему специализации. Обучение в магистратуре дает основательную научную базу и методологию научного труда. Не все бакалавры попадают в магистратуру, а лишь часть, так как количество специалистов такого уровня будет меняться в зависимости от кадровой необходимости. Поэтому отбор на магистерскую подготовку осуществляется на конкурсной основе.
Магистратура обеспечивает целенаправленность и эффективность про-цесса повышения квалификации. Это связующее звено между вузовским образованием и аспирантурой, обеспечивающее подготовку научных и педа-гогических кадров; звено, которое помогает выявить способности магистранта к научно-исследовательской работе и таким образом, определить дальнейшее направление его деятельности.
Степень магистра дает возможность уверенно чувствовать себя в жизни, найти высокооплачиваемую работу, обеспечить базу для профессионального роста. Магистерский диплом, в отличие от диплома специалиста, соответ-ствует международным образовательным стандартам.
c) Преимущества обучения в магистратуре:
1. Программа подготовки магистра отличается практико-ориентиро-ванным подходом с высококвалифицированными преподавателями и пре-подавателями-практиками. По сравнению с другими формами высшего профессионального образования больше часов и усилий отводится на дис-циплины специализации, исследовательские проекты и производственную практику.
2. Учебный план программ магистратуры полностью соответствует федеральным государственным образовательным стандартам по соответст-вующему направлению подготовки магистров.
3. Применение современных технологий обучения. Погружение в уни-кальную обучающую среду, которая создается за счет постоянного контакта с преподавателями-практиками из бизнеса.
4. Магистратура не только дает фундаментальные знания в области соответствующих наук, но и прикладные профессиональные навыки, по-скольку концентрация внимания идет на выбранную специализацию,
а, следовательно, способствует повышению конкурентоспособности студента на рынке труда и в профессиональном сообществе в целом.
5. Возможность обучения в магистратуре без отрыва от основной работы. Гибкий график занятий позволяет сочетать занятия с профес-сиональной деятельностью.
6. В программе могут принимать участие магистранты с профильным предыдущим высшим профессиональным образованием уровня "дипло-мированный специалист" или "бакалавр".
7. Высокий профессионализм, адаптируемость выпускника магистратуры создадут для него конкурентные преимущества на рынке труда, позволят успешно реализовать себя в самых разных областях.
8. Магистры начинают профессиональную деятельность с более высоких позиций, чем бакалавры.
| Exercise 11. Write an essay expressing your opinion about advantages and problems of obtaining Master's degree. Use not more than 100 words. |
| Exercise 12. Speak about the difference of Master's degree from the Bachelor's degree in the terms of competences formed during course of study. |