What is defended in the magistracy. Undergraduate and graduate - what is it and how do they differ? Places under contracts for the provision of paid educational services (correspondence form of education)
Higher education is not a trend, but a serious tool for a purposeful young man, determined to build the future in the prestigious position of a reputable company. And like any tool, it must be able to manage.
The student must clearly understand why he chooses the degree of study in the magistracy, what he will do and what the result should be. Based on 2015–2017 data. magistrates 30% of magistrates are bachelor's degree graduates. The second third are working young professionals who have decided to change their profile or supplement the specification with new skills.
Another 30% are people who want to extend their glorious student years, get a reprieve from the army, or aim to work in the scientific field. In the latter case, the master's degree becomes a springboard for postgraduate studies.
What is a master's degree
The second level of professional training is a serious research field. If bachelors study theory, assimilating it through a one-time application in practice, then the master learns to independently solve emerging problems.
He works under the supervision of his own supervisor and focuses on:
- on developing the skill to draw their own conclusions;
- conducting research;
- finding ways to develop unique solutions, building author's models.
As a rule, a master's graduate is a ready-made researcher, analyst with the skills of teaching a specialized subject. The Russian employer does not always pay attention to this moment. But if the master goes to the international field of employment, his position is much stronger than that of the bachelor.
Practical component during the period of study in the magistracy
Up to 80% of study time is practice. This stage is a platform on which a young specialist applies and perfects the acquired skills, brings up the necessary qualities, and analyzes the result.
Our students “apply” in-depth knowledge of the nuances of the chosen direction not in lecture rooms or laboratories of the university, but on the experience of real companies. This is a very important aspect of the master's program - independent research of the existing Moscow business.
Final work and its defense
Considering the serious practical component of education, it is easy to guess what they write at the end of the master's program. Before the transition to the Bologna system, this work was de facto identical to the diploma work of a specialist. Now it is a master's dissertation qualification work.
A master's thesis is being prepared during the entire period of study. The specialist collects the data himself (field, laboratory, analytical studies, his own author's experiments, exchange of experience at conferences). All the accumulated material, correctly arranged and presented in the work that is defended in the master's program, can become a justification for the relevance of a future Ph.D. thesis or a scientific basis for it.
How much time is required to prepare and defend the final work in the master's program
How long can a qualifying job take? The answer completely depends on the student - his activity during the bachelor's degree, the accumulated theoretical material, the choice of topic. The qualifications of the supervisor are of great importance.
Our university takes a responsible approach to the education of future researchers and scientists. The master's course is taught only by doctors of sciences, professors. Every year scientific supervisors graduate successful entrepreneurs, senior managers, top managers, irreplaceable specialists.
The average term for preparing a qualification paper is six months. Even before 2-3 months - edits, approvals, additions. The master's thesis is defended before the members of the qualification commission.
What is a master's degree and why is it needed?
Until recently, get higher education In our country, it meant studying for 5 years at a university and getting a diploma with the qualification of a “specialist”. A specialist could look for a suitable job or enter graduate school in order to later receive a Ph.D.
Now higher education in Russia consists of two levels: undergraduate and graduate.
Bachelor's studies last 4 years, the student receives general knowledge and skills in the chosen field of study and a diploma of higher education with the award of the academic degree "bachelor".
If you have successfully completed a bachelor's degree and want to continue further education in order to have a solid scientific base and methodology of scientific work and be aware of modern information technologies and methods for obtaining and processing scientific information, then there is only one way for you - to the master's program.
The main objective of the Master's program is to prepare professionals for a successful career in international and Russian companies, as well as analytical, consulting and research activities.
Who is a master?
Turning to history, let us explain that the word "master" comes from the Latin "Magistr", which means "mentor", "teacher", "leader", "master of his craft". In other words, in the modern sense, a master is a widely erudite specialist, prepared for research, consulting, analytical activities, who owns the methodology of scientific creativity, modern information technologies. Even more precisely: a master is a generalist who is ready for research, analytical activities, who owns modern methods and technologies of scientific knowledge.
What is a master's degree?
This is the second level of the two-level system of higher education, created in the process of reforming the Russian educational system, according to the Bologna process (the Bologna process is the process of convergence and harmonization of the education systems of European countries in order to create a single European higher education area). Graduates of bachelor's programs and graduates continue their education in the magistracy.
In modern Russia, master's programs began to be created about 15 years ago. This was a reflection of the worldwide trend towards the unification of higher education programs and diplomas. The ministers of education from 31 countries, who gathered in Bologna in 1999, signed a declaration recognizing the two-level system of higher education: bachelor - master. Implementing the principles of the Bologna Declaration, European countries, including Russia, Germany, Sweden, Finland and others, have begun the process of reforming their higher education systems.
Master's degree is the final stage of higher professional education. In the structure of modern higher education, the master's degree follows the scientific level of the bachelor's degree and precedes the Ph.D. A master's degree graduate is a person who owns the methodology of scientific creativity, modern information technologies, prepared for research, consulting and analytical activities. Highly qualified personnel with a master's level of education are required not only in universities as teachers or in research organizations, but also in real business, in companies and organizations of various fields of activity and forms of ownership. decisions under conditions of uncertainty, select and summarize the information necessary to achieve the goals.
What tasks does the master's degree help to solve?
Obtaining in-depth knowledge in a specific area. The undergraduate can focus on the consideration of highly specialized issues, study in more detail the areas necessary for the future professional activity especially in the area of innovation.
Getting additional education. The profile of the master's program does not have to coincide with the profile of education received at the previous levels of higher education (bachelor's degree, specialist's degree). A university graduate can choose a field of study that will complement basic education knowledge from related industries and will make him unique and versatile in the eyes of the employer, and therefore a more sought-after specialist. For example, those graduates who have two diplomas at the same time have good prospects in the labor market. Master's program is an alternative to the program of the second higher education.
Assignment of a master's degree. In the context of accelerating globalization and the development of international relations, the requirements for education are changing. Europeans are accustomed to evaluating the qualifications of graduates in the gradation "bachelor" - "master", they equate our "specialist" with a bachelor; in the world education system, you will have to prove your training all the time, instead of using it and improving it. The same applies to business; for example, if you are planning to look for work at joint ventures or in representative offices of foreign companies in Russia, a master's degree will be more understandable to a foreign employer.
Preparation for a scientific career. Studying in the master's program gives the first experience scientific work, helps to master the methods and skills of research activities. The master has the opportunity, while receiving higher education, to try himself as a researcher and then consciously decide on the need to continue his studies in graduate school.
Mastering the methodology of teaching. Such skills are relevant not only for those who associate their future career with science and teaching at a university. Not everyone, even the most highly qualified specialist in his field, knows how to present his knowledge to others, this also needs to be learned.
What are the features of studying in the master's program at the Faculty of Psychology of Irkutsk state university?
Education in the master's program is built according to the European model based on a competency-based approach, which assumes that a graduate of such a program must have a certain set of general cultural and professional competencies. The list of these competencies depends on the chosen master's program and contains general professional, organizational and managerial, research, information and analytical, expert and consulting, communication, pedagogical and other components.
Master's programs teach differently, here a lot of attention is paid to the skills of independent analytical work, modern scientific technologies.
The main attention is paid to research work. The presence at the faculty of postgraduate and doctoral studies, scientific schools, a large number research scientists provides a reliable basis for organizing the research work of undergraduates.
Classes in the magistracy are conducted by highly qualified teachers who have a basic education in the profile of the taught discipline and an academic degree or experience in the relevant professional field.
Is it possible to study in a master's program for free?
Yes, I have. Education in the magistracy is possible both in state-funded places and in the field with payment of tuition fees on a contractual basis.
For what areas of activity do they prepare in the magistracy?
Master's education provides not only fundamental scientific training, but also instrumental knowledge and skills that are highly valued by any modern employers in your chosen field of activity.
Who has the right to study in a master's program free of charge (at the expense of the federal budget)?
Persons who have received state documents on the appropriate level of higher professional education, confirmed by the qualification (degree) "bachelor" and "specialist" assigned to the person, and who have passed the competitive tests, have the right to continue their education in the educational program of higher professional education - the master's program - on a budgetary basis .
Is it possible to combine work and study in a master's program?
Yes it is possible. Master's students often find work while still studying. At the same time, a significant part of graduates get a job in their specialty.
Which additional features gives a master's degree?
Persons who have successfully completed a master's program and defended a master's thesis are awarded a qualifying academic degree of a master and a state-recognised master's diploma is issued. Moreover, a master's degree is understandable and recognized both in Russia and abroad. And this is very important for a successful career, assessment of one's own abilities and capabilities. A master's degree provides an opportunity for building a career, stable income and self-satisfaction.
Graduates who graduated from the master's program in the direction of "Psychological Counseling" work in the field of education (schools and special children's educational institutions), health care (social rehabilitation centers, a dispensary for the railway, a psychiatric hospital), in management (management of human resources of various organizations), in law enforcement agencies (FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations) and customs, in institutions of politics and management, in the system of business and private entrepreneurship, on helplines.
Graduates who graduated from the master's program in the direction of "Psychological support of official activities" work in the psychological departments of state institutions and organizations of the power direction (FSB, Internal Affairs Directorate, Ministry of Emergency Situations), customs services, military units, railway transport, in the education system (secondary and higher professional education), health care, in public employment services (Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region), in personnel departments of state institutions, in departments of vocational guidance (reorientation) and vocational training (retraining) in various sectors of the national economy.
When studying in the magistracy, the student acquires a number of advantages:
Obtaining in-depth knowledge in the scientific field of interest;
Opportunity to engage in research work during the period of study;
The experience of writing a master's thesis (thesis project) helps in the future in postgraduate and doctoral studies;
Students gain teaching experience;
A Master of Science degree opens up more employment opportunities and higher wages.
A master's degree gives you the opportunity to feel confident in life, find a well-paid job, and provides a basis for professional growth.
How to apply for a master's degree?
You can enroll in a master's program if you have a bachelor's degree or a specialist diploma. The university where the first education was received does not matter.
For applicants to master's programs, a comprehensive entrance interdisciplinary examination in psychology is held in the form of test tasks.
For admission to study under the master's programs of Irkutsk State University, minimum score - 60
How can a student make an appointment with a doctor?
Students also get sick, so they need medical help from time to time. You should not arbitrarily take various pills, you need to individually consult with your doctor, determine the diagnosis and proceed to effective treatment rather than superficial self-treatment.
...How can a student earn 100 thousand rubles?
Every student strives for financial independence, and I was in the same line. I wanted to live for my own pleasure, go to cafes, go to a gym and a beauty salon, but you can’t go wild with a scholarship, especially not an increased one.
...What happens if a student loses a record book?
A record book for a student, like an internal passport for a citizen Russian Federation. Therefore, it is better not to lose such an important document. However, not a single person is insured against theft and loss of such documentation, and life circumstances are the most unpredictable.
...Over the past 15 years, the wind of change has swept away many stable concepts in the Russian expanses. Soviet higher education, so solid and understandable, gradually faded away and now a new system is being built with difficulty. We are gradually getting used to the new names: bachelor's and master's degrees.
A bit of history
For Russian students, it all started in 1996. A two-level training system was introduced in universities. The purpose of the innovation was to join the Bologna process - a voluntary association of higher education systems in European countries, which by that time had been about two decades old.
The process of accession to European standards was formalized legally in 2003, when Russia signed the Bologna Declaration. And since the beginning of 2011, the two-level system has become the main one in Russian higher education.
In fairness, it must be said that students who entered before 2010 still have the opportunity to receive the degree of "graduate". This is an intermediate level between a bachelor's and a master's degree. But today the system of climbing the rock of science granite is as follows:
- Bachelor;
- Master.
What is the difference between bachelor and master
These two words, so unusual for our hearing, mean the degree of preparation of a university graduate. To understand the difference between a bachelor and a master, you need to know the goals of training at these two levels.
Undergraduate - Practitioner Training
After graduating from school, young people enter the bachelor's degree. This is the beginning of higher education. After studying for 2 years, each of them can receive a diploma of incomplete higher education. That is, a diploma is issued stating that you have mastered half of the first stage of higher professional education, the volume and content of which is indicated in the appendix to this diploma.
But almost no one stops there. Continuing studies for another 2 training courses, and after passing the final certification, you get a bachelor's degree. By this time, you are going through not only general education sciences, but also special disciplines and professional practice. This diploma is a certificate of a full and completed higher vocational education. You have the right to apply for positions whose qualification requirements include the need to have a higher education.
Master's degree - focus on scientific work
If you want to further conquer scientific heights or engage in teaching activities at universities, you need to enter the magistracy. A master's degree is necessary for students who want or have the opportunity to further engage in scientific activity or teach at a university.
But those who want to study further after 4 years of study at the university today, according to statistics, are approximately 25-30% of the total number of students. The explanation should be sought in the realities of our life. Not every student can afford to continue their studies.
The downside is that they prefer to take bachelors to work - more is not needed for office work. A person must be able to work with information, process documents, work in a team. In a word, to be a competent and executive employee of the company. And there is no need for special studies in scientific activity. That is why most students prefer to spend 4 courses to get basic knowledge, some practical experience and then seriously pursue a career.
There are a few other things that keep me from going to graduate school:
- The need to retake entrance examinations. Even at your own university, you again find yourself as an applicant and on a par with applicants from other universities.
- It is even more difficult to enter free education in a master's program than when mastering the first stage. Approximately one-third of applicants pass the test. But for those who are passionate about enrolling, there is paid training.
- It can be considered a fact that the starting salary of masters is higher than that of bachelors. This is especially confirmed by foreign studies (for example, in the USA and Canada). More details can be found in another material: salary statistics for masters and bachelors.
Pros and cons of two-tier training
The new system of levels of university education has not yet taken root in the open spaces former USSR and causes many difficulties in understanding. For personnel officers, it is sometimes sometimes difficult to determine the degree of preparedness of a newly minted specialist. Moreover, both those and others write “higher education” when filling out the questionnaire. The older generation perceives the graduate of the first stage rather as a "drop-out". In addition, there are areas where a bachelor's degree is clearly not a winning moment: law, economics, high technology. The first stage is sometimes equated with a technical school (according to the personnel officers of the old school).
But there are also pluses. Large companies will quickly hire a graduate of the first stage. Especially those structures that have their own personnel training system. After all, it is easier to teach than to retrain. And it is much easier to finish teaching a person who has mastered the practice of teaching at a university - training for 4 years gives the skills of readiness for learning.
And his focus on practice is more than that of the master. After all, during the continuation of studies in the magistracy, an orientation is created more on scientific and theoretical activity than on practical.
If a student dreams of engaging in scientific activities, promoting scientific and technological progress in laboratories or subsequently teaching students, he cannot do without a master's degree.
But before entering to continue your studies, you need to find out if your university has a license to issue masters and its validity period. It is undesirable that the license ends in the year of your graduation from the master's program. Everything happens in life…
What is a master's education in Russia today, what is the difference between this level of education and the traditional five-year and postgraduate studies, what are the features of preparing masters at the HSE?
These and many other questions are answered by SU-HSE Vice-Rector Sergey Yuryevich Roshchin.
Sergey Yuryevich, please tell us a little about the history of the transition to a two-stage system of higher education in Russia.
In June 1999, the process of forming a single educational space of European countries, called "Bologna", started. At a special meeting in the Italian city of Bologna, the Ministers of Education of 29 European countries signed the Bologna Declaration, which formulated the main goals leading to comparability and harmonization of national higher education systems in Europe. It was assumed that these goals should be achieved by 2010. Currently, the Bologna process brings together 45 countries: Russia joined it in 2003.
Such educational space today it is necessary to increase the academic mobility of students. For example, you can enroll in a bachelor's degree Russian university, complete it in Spain, study for a master's degree in France, and get a degree in the UK. This is not the worst educational strategy, and the Bologna process makes it very real.
The Bologna Declaration identified six main tasks, the solution of which, as expected, would contribute to the unity of Europe in the field of education:
1. Introduction of commonly understood, comparable qualifications in higher education.
2. Transition to a two-stage system of higher education (bachelor's degree - master's degree).
3. Introduction of the assessment of labor intensity (courses, programs, load) in terms of credits (credits) and the reflection of the curriculum in the supplement to the diploma, the model of which was developed by UNESCO.
4. Increasing the mobility of students, teachers and administrative staff (ideally, each student should spend at least a semester at another university, preferably a foreign one).
5. Ensuring the required quality of higher education, mutual recognition of qualifications and relevant documents in the field of higher education.
6. Ensuring the autonomy of universities.
Today, many leading Russian universities already have learning programs to the transition to bachelor's and master's programs within the framework of the Bologna process - "4 + 2".
This will compare education in Russian and foreign universities, and will allow students to change their areas of study more freely.
However, it is necessary to preserve national achievements and traditions.
In October 2007, a federal law was adopted establishing a two-tier system of higher education with the award of qualifications, following the example of educational systems in European countries. Now university graduates will be able to receive a bachelor's degree at the first stage, and a master's degree at the second stage.
Since 2009, the number of budget-funded places has been significantly increased master's programs.
What is the difference between the education received after 4 years of studying for a bachelor's degree and further education for a master's degree? And why do you need a master's degree?
A bachelor's degree is a full-fledged higher education, with the only difference being that a bachelor's graduate as a specialist is not forever associated with a narrow specialization "for a particular job." This means that when applying for a job, graduates can only apply for positions of line specialists.
Studying in a master's program gives a real opportunity to get a deeper education in the chosen direction, as well as to change specialization, university, city or country where one is studying. This means the possibility of obtaining a bachelor's degree in one direction, and then special training in a master's program in another educational direction.
The preparation of bachelors provides general knowledge and skills, which are then deepened in the specialization of master's programs. Moreover, according to the law: bachelor's graduates are now not transferred to the master's program, but enter there on a competitive basis.
What are the fundamental differences between master's and postgraduate studies, and does a master's degree allow you to make a career in business?
These are completely different levels of education. Postgraduate studies are the training of researchers and scientists.
Now you can enter graduate school only by obtaining a master's degree or a specialist diploma.
The master's program assumes that during the training a person receives professional competencies in the chosen direction. These can be either applied competencies needed for a career in business, or academic competencies to continue a scientific career.
What is the essential difference between a master's degree and a specialist's degree?
With 5 years of training, the possibilities of combining general fundamental training and special knowledge that are currently in demand on the labor market are much more limited.
The combination of master's and bachelor's programs allows you to flexibly and quickly adjust training at the master's level to meet current needs.
The training of 5-year-old specialists is much more inertial and does not allow for such a quick adjustment of educational programs in the face of significant technological and institutional changes that are characteristic of the modern economy.
Can graduates who have received a specialist diploma enter a master's program?
Yes, of course they can. Distinctive feature is the possibility of admission to state-funded places not only for bachelor's degree graduates, but also for students who studied under a 5-year program and have a specialist diploma. For specialists, 2009 is the last opportunity to enter state-funded places in the master's program; in the future, only bachelors will be able to apply for state-funded places, and specialists, in accordance with the law, will study exclusively on a paid basis.
Just like bachelors, specialists take exams for admission to the magistracy.
- Are there any differences in the process of studying masters from studying bachelors? Tell us about your university as an example.
The process of studying at the master's programs is more flexible than studying at the bachelor's degree. This means a reduction in the number of compulsory disciplines with a parallel increase in the number of elective courses. Speaking in percentage terms, at HSE, 50% of disciplines are chosen by the student on their own, which makes it possible to choose exactly those subjects that are of the greatest interest to the student.
In compulsory disciplines, we place great emphasis on theoretical disciplines and fundamental training. For a good specialist who will always be in demand on the labor market, it is important to combine fundamental training and instrumental knowledge and skills. Of course, a particular employer is always interested in the employee knowing and being able to perform those actions that are associated with current business processes. But technology is changing rapidly. Therefore, specific skills and knowledge associated with these technologies quickly become obsolete, and new ones need to be mastered. And this requires fundamental preparation. In master's training, we try to provide a combination of fundamental knowledge and practical disciplines.
Does a master's degree or a specialist diploma matter for a graduate's employment? And how important is it for the employer in general which university the applicant graduated from?
– If back in 2005 two-thirds of Russian employers did not distinguish between the university that their employees graduated from, then by 2008, three-quarters of business leaders are already attentively looking at the brand of the university and the quality of the diploma. First of all, professionalism and quality of training will be in demand. From this point of view, the advice in the first place is to choose not only a specialty, but also educational institution which can give you high quality education.