Types of Higher Education Institutions in Russia
The majority of state institutes of higher education are regulated by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Some of them are regulated by other state Ministries, such as the Ministry of Health Care, the Ministry of Railway Transportation, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of International Affairs and others.
Non-state educational institutes can be established institutionally and legally in the forms stipulated by the Russian Federation Laws for non-profit organizations. The majority of them teach humanities, economics, and law – the disciplines that do not require expensive high-tech equipped facilities and big investments. Students at non-state schools need to pay for their education during the whole period of study.
There are three main types of higher education institutions in Russia: universities, academies and institutes. All of them realize programmes of undergraduate and graduate professional education.
· University covers a wide range of study fields, for example, technical university or classical university.
· Academy differs from universities by a narrower spectrum of specialities connected with a particular industry, for example, Academy of Agriculture, Academy of Economics or Academy of Railway Transport.
· The status of an Institute requires teaching of at least one discipline.
Universities also conduct fundamental and applied research in a wide spectrum of sciences, while the academies and institutes run their scientific activities in one field of Science or Art. To hold a status of a university or an academy is obligatory to be a leading scientific and methodological centre in the field of your specialization. Institutes mainly offer the professional training. Institutes can also be established as a department of a university or an academy with the aim to conduct autonomic educational or scientific activities.
Besides the division into universities, academies and institutes, state licensing and accreditation are the most important characteristics of any institute of higher education. State license gives the permission to offer educational services. That means that an institution has enough well-equipped space, which will allow teaching an appropriate number of students; that it has well-educated and trained staff. The document is issued by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Every branch of the institute of higher education needs to get state license separately from the head institution.
TEXT 12. Read and translate. Give a summary of the text.
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University is the oldest and the most prestigious university of Russia. Moscow University was founded in 1755 on Saint Tatiana’s Day at the decree of the Empress Elizaveta and on the initiative of the great Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. The day of Moscow University’s foundation is celebrated as the Students’ Day in Russia. Started with three faculties in 1755, Moscow State University nowadays offers education in numerous faculties and research training in a number of institutes. Many of its graduates and professors had become Nobel Prize winners and are considered world famous scientists. According to all private and governmental surveys, Lomonosov Moscow State University is the leading national educational establishment. It is internationally recognized and ranked among the top ten in the world. The University has been providing a means for the people from all over the world to learn about the latest advances in sciences, humanities and medicine for about 250 years.
The total number of university students including post-graduates exceeds 30 000. Currently it hosts about 3 000 students from about 100 countries. The university teachers and professors are highly qualified and world recognized for their achievements in modern sciences. Many educational programmes are carried out in close-cooperation with research institutes of the university and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The main building of the university is world famous for its exceptional architecture and size. The university campus located in one of the most beautiful parts of Moscow supplies the students with all necessary facilities: lecture halls, laboratories, libraries, dining halls, dormitories, movie theatre, conference hall, post office, clinics, pharmacy and various shops. It includes 12 training halls, 2 swimming pools, baseball and football stadiums, tennis courts and other sport facilities. The university closely cooperates with the leading international organizations including UNESCO and The World Bank.
The University is a member of various international associations and has concluded more than 350 exchange, research and cooperation agreements with universities on all continents. Many outstanding scholars, public and state leaders of the world have been elected Honorary Professors and Doctors of the University. Among them are J. Goethe, German thinker and novelist, the first prime-minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton.
Moscow State University provides a wide range of educational services and educational programmes. It has established modern programmes in all basic areas of research and education. The educational system of the University is designed to give a student deep understanding of fundamental disciplines combined with specialization in the applied and concrete scientific problems. Almost all programmes at the University are delivered in the Russian language. However, some graduate and training programmes are conducted in foreign languages.