Master's degree is a part of higher education, its second level. Previously, higher education was "continuous": 5 years - and you are a graduate.

Since 2011, Russia has switched to the Bologna system: 4 years of bachelor's degree plus 2 years of master's degree.

In a nutshell, a master's degree is:

• opportunity to extend studentship for two more years;
• an opportunity to get another profession/qualification, or to deepen knowledge and improve training in an already obtained profession.

And, if you pass the competition, then you can study at the expense of the state budget, since the master's program is not considered the second higher education, it is a continuation of the first higher education.

Important! Only 1) bachelors and 2) graduates who entered the specialty before the start of the two-level system "bachelor's degree - master's degree" can apply for budgetary places in the magistracy.

What is the difference between bachelors and masters?

Undergraduate is the first a basic level of higher education, magistracy - the second (a special case is the modern specialty, which starts as the first level, while the specialist graduate is quoted as a master graduate). In addition to the fact that the master's degree is more systems approach to the chosen field of activity, these are also other career prospects. There are already positions for which a bachelor's degree is enough, and positions for which only a specialist or master will be appointed.

As an example, let's take the minimum level of professional education that a candidate applying for a position needs to have. civil service.

How are masters taught?

Master's educational programs provide for a deeper mastery of theory and practical preparation of a student for research or professional activities. Master's programs are led by teachers of the highest qualification - doctors of sciences. From the first semester, each undergraduate is assigned a supervisor from among doctors or candidates of sciences. Master's student chooses a direction scientific research and defended his master's thesis. Also, in the process of learning, masters acquire pedagogical competencies- Unlike bachelors, masters can teach at universities.

Who can apply for a master's degree?

Admission to the magistracy is carried out on the basis of applications from persons with higher professional education (bachelor's degree, specialist diploma with higher professional education, specialist diploma or master's degree), based on the results of a comprehensive exam in the field of study (oral).

At the same time, it is not at all necessary that your first specialist or bachelor's education be associated with the direction of master's studies. You can earn qualifications other than your first one, such as a master's degree in linguistics after a bachelor's or a master's degree in IT.

How to apply for a master's degree?

To enter the master's program, it is enough to successfully pass a comprehensive interdisciplinary exam in the field of study (oral). Minimum score to participate in the competition - from 50 to 60 depending on the program.

Education in the master's program is possible in full-time or part-time forms of education (in the directions "Advertising and Public Relations" and "Linguistics" - full-time and part-time).

Undergraduate students (full-time) are provided with all the rights of bachelor students: scholarship (for budgetary basis), a place in a hostel, preferential travel cards, a deferment from the army, and so on.

Master's degree

Budget places
(Full-time education)

August 6 - August 16- entrance examinations (programs and schedule);

August 21

(full-time, part-time forms of education)

August 6 - August 16- entrance examinations (programs and schedule);

August 22

August 23- publication and placement on the website of RosNOU and on the information stand of the order for enrollment.

Places under contracts for the provision of paid educational services
(extramural studies)

July 11 - October 11- entrance examinations (programs and schedule);

October 16- completion of acceptance of applications for consent to enrollment, payment for 1 semester, conclusion of an agreement on the provision of paid educational services;

17 October- publication and placement on the website of RosNOU and on the information stand of the order for enrollment.

Information on the timing of the admission, including the start and end dates for the acceptance of documents required for admission, admission tests, completion of acceptance of applications for consent to enrollment at each stage of enrollment (.pdf)

Companies like Apple, Google, IBM, and Bank of America, for example, don't look at a master's degree when applying for a job. Will a master's degree help you get a good job in Russia?

Master's degree - a meaningless "crust" or a career springboard? The American online job search service Glassdoor has compiled a list of 15 American corporations that do not require a diploma from applicants. True, we are talking only about some vacancies, and in the United States. Companies include Apple, Google, IBM and Bank of America.

In large Russian companies, young applicants are primarily required to have a bachelor's degree. Why then do young people go to magistracy and do employers look at master's degrees? Analyst at Senior Advisers Aidar Zaripov graduated from the Graduate School of Management at St. Petersburg State University. In his undergraduate studies, Aidar studied at the same faculty under the program "International Management". Studied financial management in magistracy:

- I took the GMAT test, English, there was an interview with teachers, with people from the corporate sphere. Now my career is closely related to finance, and training in general helped me: in the process, I often have to apply this knowledge.

- Directly this "crust" helped you?

My opinion is that it is useless. Many of my classmates built careers right after bachelor's degree.

For some, this is a chance to gain knowledge in a new field, for others it is an opportunity to delay the start of “adult” life: study at the master’s for another two years. For those who want to become a teacher - a step to graduate school. Guys come to not join the army if the faculty gives a deferment.

The competition for a master's degree is more abrupt than for a bachelor's degree. Budget places - several times less. For Aleksey, a project engineer at an enterprise that supplies equipment for the nuclear industry, the master's "crust" of the energy institute played a role:

- Referents often point out to my specialty that I need technical university, master's degree. When two applicants come: one has a specialist degree, and the other has a master's degree, then more qualified personnel are taken to this place.

- Does it affect wages?

- If we take, for example, design institutes, employees who have received a master's degree are considered first of all for some higher position. The presence of highly educated personnel affects the prestige of the company, allows you to receive additional accreditations.

The presence of a master's degree is not always reflected in the salary. This is a shame for those who studied at the magistracy for a fee. At Moscow State University, for example, this is an average of almost 700 thousand rubles over two years. With an average salary of a novice worker of 40-50 thousand rubles, education will not pay off soon, except perhaps when working abroad. Russian bachelor's and master's degrees are quoted in some European countries.

Judging by the information on the websites of large international companies, only people with a master's degree are hired for some positions. But this is not the case everywhere, says Alexander Muranov, managing partner of Muranov, Chernyakov and Partners:

Alexander MuranovManaging Partner of Muranov, Chernyakov & Partners Bar Association“There are people with a bachelor's degree who can work quite normally. Now I'm talking about the work of a lawyer. By the way, in our company there are and were people only with a bachelor's degree. We are a practicing firm, it makes no sense to introduce any formal criteria. He can be a doctor of science, but at the same time an absolute doldrums.

A master's degree is a guarantee of a person's level of knowledge. But the so-called “soft skills” still play a big role in the career, continues Head of HR Department, Novartis Oncology Division Lyubov Molodtsova:

— Communication, teamwork, negotiation skills, time management. Here, unfortunately, not much time is devoted to the study of such skills in the modern education system.

- Speaking specifically about a master's degree: are there positions where you won't be hired without such a diploma?

- For a number of positions, a bachelor's degree is enough. If we are talking about narrowly focused positions, be it medical advisers, then, of course, here we are looking for a master's degree.

This summer, I myself entered the master's program "Management in the Media" in higher school economy. The competition is almost four people per place. I don’t know what about diplomas, but communication at the faculty will definitely be useful.

A master's degree is the highest level of professional education that follows a bachelor's or a specialist's degree. A master's degree is an additional advantage if you plan to build a brilliant career, including an international one. Large corporations and holdings, when considering applicants, give a competitive advantage to holders of a master's degree. The Institute of Business and Business Administration (IBDA) of the RANEPA has master's programs in several areas: "Management", "International Relations", "State and Municipal Administration".

For students of the MBA and EMBA programs, there are, as options for the programs, the Master + MBA / EMBA programs.

In some programs, admission of applicants is carried out both on a paid and on a budgetary basis, on some - only on a paid basis.

Benefits of studying on a budget

The main advantage of such training is free education. Undoubtedly, it is quite difficult to enter the institute on this basis. There are few budget places, and competition among applicants is high. Set on budget places is made according to the results of introductory events, taking into account individual achievements. For those who did not get points for budget places, a flexible system of discounts is offered for paid training, depending on the number of points. Each master's program that has budget places has its own system of discounts. Check with the admissions managers.

Who is eligible to enter the budget

The conditions for admission to the magistracy on the budget depend on the diploma of the applicant and are determined by law.

According to the law "On Higher and Postgraduate vocational education» Applicants with old-style diplomas (until 2012) who are graduates are entitled to enter the master's program free of charge. They are equal in status to bachelors and have the right to study in state-funded places.

If an applicant for master's degree studies has a new diploma (after 2012), where "specialist" is indicated in the column corresponding to the qualification, then budget education he will not be available. In this case, master's studies will be the second higher education.

Applicants with a bachelor's degree have the right to enter the state budget for a master's program that has state-funded places.

Applicants who have a master's degree (who previously studied on the budget) cannot study again at budget places, because education will be considered as a second higher education.

Entrance tests for admission to the budget

Applicants applying for state-funded places enter the magistracy on a competitive basis. As a rule, entrance examinations consist of passing written tests, as a result of which the applicant for training is supposed to receive a certain number of points. The result is evaluated on a 100-point scale. The required number of points for admission to study free of charge is determined by the university. IBDA RANEPA conducts entrance examinations independently. Upon admission to the magistracy, tests are conducted in Russian and English, which include several parts in different disciplines. For admission to the program "International Management" applicants are required to pass a test in management and English language. The program "International Relations and Integration Processes in Eurasia" provides for a unified testing in three disciplines: mathematics, English, international relations. Entrance tests in different subjects are held on the same day and are limited in time. To prepare for the entrance exams, the faculties of the university provide complete data on the sources of information and recommended literature. Apart from written exam, upon admission to the Master's program "International Management", an interview with the head of the program is also expected.

Programs that provide for the availability of budget places

At the moment, there are 4 master's programs at the IBDA RANEPA. Two of them provide for the availability of budget places. At the Faculty of International Business and Business Administration at the "International Management" their number is 10. This master's program is entirely in English. Subject to good academic performance, training involves free internships at foreign universities that are IBDA partners.

The second master's program, which has state-funded places, is "International Relations and Integration Processes in Eurasia" at the Faculty of International Relations. The number of places on the budget here is 8. The main objective of the program is to train competent specialists and professionals in their field in the field of international relations.

Documents required for admission to the magistracy

Admission to the magistracy on a free basis requires the preparation and submission of a certain set of documents, consisting of originals and copies. As a rule, this is:

• passport;
• a diploma confirming the presence of higher education;
• several personal photographs;
• documents evidencing special rights upon admission (established by the legislation of the Russian Federation).

Forms and duration of study in a master's program on a budget

In the master's programs at the IBDA RANEPA, which provide for the availability of budget places, it is possible to study only full-time. This provides a deep immersion in the disciplines being studied, as it involves the most frequent meetings with teachers and more teaching hours. That's why Full-time suitable for those who wish to gain maximum knowledge in their chosen specialty. hallmark studying at the IBDA master's program is the opportunity to combine work and study, since full-time education is implemented in the evening from 19 to 22 hours (2-3 times a week), sometimes - training on weekends (from 10 to 17 hours). The total duration of full-time master's studies is 2 years.

The results of studying in the master's program on a budgetary basis

At the end educational programs master's programs, graduates receive state diplomas confirming a master's degree in selected areas. This certificate of education provides excellent employment prospects both in Russian and foreign companies. Practical knowledge gained in the course of training allows solving a huge range of tasks in professional activities. Also a big advantage is getting the opportunity to cooperate with the alumni association and access to business contacts of other IBDA RANEPA graduates.

A master's degree at the IBDA RANEPA involves obtaining a huge amount of knowledge through an in-depth study of theory and a variety of practical tasks. Among the teachers of the institute are practitioners with extensive experience in large, stable companies and holdings. In addition, training is conducted by talented teachers who lay the theoretical foundation of disciplines, as well as representatives of leading scientific educational institutions, including foreign ones. A strong teaching staff is one of the indicators that provides IBDA RANEPA with high ratings among other educational institutions. An example is the Top 1000 Russian Managers rating, which for the period from 2001 to 2018 included 160 teachers and graduates of the institute. Therefore, IBDA RANEPA is the well-known business school that you should enter if you are faced with the question: where to apply for further education?

Many modern university graduates are thinking about the question of whether a master's degree is needed after a bachelor's degree? Indeed, this is a serious question, because a young person is faced with a choice: to continue his studies at a different level of higher education or to look for a job.

Let's try to answer this question.

What is a master's degree?

Before deciding whether a master's degree is needed after a bachelor's degree, you need to figure out what it is.

This type of training has appeared in our country relatively recently. It appeared after Russia adopted the two-tier system of higher education, which has long existed in the Western world. In this system, higher education is divided, as it were, into two levels: bachelor's degree, which involves practical training in professional skills and abilities, and master's degree, which is a higher level of mastering professional skills.

Master's studies end with the defense of a master's thesis and the receipt of the first

Second stage of higher education

It would seem that with this approach, it is very simple to solve the problem of whether a master's degree is needed after a bachelor's degree. “Of course, she is needed,” any school graduate or his parent will think.

However, this innovation has a lot of pitfalls, which we will consider below.

Master's degree as an innovation in recent years

It so happened that the significance of the master's degree for the Western system of higher education is much more significant than for ours.

This happened because in Russia there has always been a different system of higher education, which included its following stages: primary, and higher. There was also the possibility of obtaining academic degrees: candidate and doctor of science.

On present stage V Russian Federation these two systems were preserved, because of this, higher education, as it were, was divided into two halves: It turns out that an ordinary specialist who spent exactly 5 years in the walls of the university is equal to a master who wrote an entire dissertation.

Therefore, until now, experts cannot give an unequivocal answer to the question of whether a master's degree is needed after a bachelor's degree in Russia? It is needed, because a university graduate already has not one, but two diplomas of higher education, however, employers do not particularly pay attention to what higher education their employee has: a bachelor's or a master's degree.

What prospects are open to the graduate?

First of all, school graduates are wondering what such a two-stage education at a university will bring them.

Therefore, they already immediately decide for themselves whether it is necessary to go to a master's program after a bachelor's degree or not.

Let's look at these perspectives in more detail.

Theoretically, a master's degree makes it possible to claim a higher educational status. Therefore, a person with a master's degree can look for a more prestigious job.

However, as practice shows, employers are often only interested in higher education and the specialty indicated in the diploma. In general, it doesn’t matter to him who comes to him: a specialist, a bachelor or a master.

At the same time, the master's degree gives you the opportunity to modify your professional path. Suppose a young man has completed a bachelor's degree in management. But he enters the magistracy with a degree in journalism. Having passed an additional exam, he can get a second higher education in 2 years and then work in the specialty that he chooses.

Another perspective that attracts young people who are considering whether a master's degree is necessary after a bachelor's degree is the opportunity to engage in teaching activities. But more on that in the next paragraph.

Master for Teaching

In the West, this stage of higher education is a guarantee that the graduate will work in an educational institution: a college or university. He can also take the position of junior researcher.

We have such a prospect, rather, theoretically than practically.

This is due to the fact that in Russia now you can get three academic degrees: a master's degree and a doctorate.

Mostly candidates and doctors of sciences work in universities, doctors are valued more, but there are fewer of them. There is a small percentage of teachers who have either a complete higher education on the principle of a specialist or a master's degree.

However, there are very few such teachers (about 8% of total number teaching staff) and their position in universities is the most unenviable: they have the most workload and the smallest salary.

Therefore, in our country, in order to teach at a university and not be afraid of a possible reduction, you need to have degree not a master's degree, but a Ph.D.

And for this you need to go through a difficult procedure for defending a PhD thesis. The requirements for it are more stringent than for the master's work.

Features of modern magistracy

We note right away that learning is always a useful thing, but learning should be for the benefit of a person, and not to the detriment of his health or financial situation.

Therefore, before deciding for himself whether to go to a master's program after a bachelor's degree, a young person must correlate his desires with his capabilities.

If he loves to study, studies at the university with pleasure and is ready to spend two more years of his life to gain new knowledge, master new skills, then his choice is a master's program.

If he barely made it through 4 years of undergraduate studies, went to classes every other time and dreamed not of knowledge, but of a diploma as a document of education, then he certainly should not stay at the university for another 2 years with vague prospects for their future professional activities.

As we noted above, the master's degree in modern conditions- this is something like a small plus sign in the biography. And to be more precise, this is evidence that a person diligently “gnawed the granite of science” for the sake of his future success. He rationally chose for himself another professional easier or improved his knowledge in the old field, he worked day and night. However, the magistracy does not give any guarantees of future prestigious employment.

For example, let's ask ourselves if an economist needs a master's degree after a bachelor's degree

Perhaps another diploma of higher education will come in handy for him. However, it is obvious that a young person who has completed a bachelor's degree and entered a specific position as an economist in a small enterprise after two years will gain more theoretical and practical experience than one who entered a full-time master's program and spent another 2 years within the walls of the university.

Forms of study

We note the fact that in the magistracy are the same as in the bachelor's degree.

There is the possibility of full-time, lasts two and a half years, full-time - two years. The form of education is not yet indicated in the diploma of education, although the Ministry of Education intends to indicate such a form in the near future.

Anyone who decides whether to complete a master's program after a bachelor's degree, and at the same time plans to work and study, should be aware that the number of classroom classes in the master's program is large. Due to the lack of classrooms, universities often postpone undergraduate classes to the 3rd shift, which starts at about 5 pm and ends late in the evening.

The forms of control are the same as in the bachelor's degree: accounting current academic performance, tests, exams, for students distance learning - test papers etc.

Number of budget places for undergraduates

Also, young people who dream of continuing their education should be aware of this trend. last years as a reduction in the number of state-funded places in universities for undergraduates. Usually the number of such places is equal to a quarter of the graduating bachelors.

If the applicant does not enter the budget place, then he or his parents will have to pay for education out of their own pocket. At the same time, tuition fees for a master's degree are much higher than for a bachelor's degree.

Partly because of this, the flow of those wishing to study is not so great. It turns out that many young people, when asked whether it is necessary to enter a master's program after a bachelor's degree, answer for themselves in the negative.

This, of course, does not mean that training at this stage of higher education should be abandoned altogether. However, it is necessary to carefully evaluate both your strengths and your capabilities.

How to proceed?

In general, any young person who is trying to solve for himself such a serious question as "Is it necessary to study in a master's program after a bachelor's degree?" The following can be advised.

First, weigh all the pros and cons of your possible training. Think about whether his family or himself has the financial opportunity to receive such an education. After all, in fact, it will be very difficult to work during these 2 years. Will such a student be able to provide himself financially? Will he be able to find the means to support himself?

Secondly, think about whether there are budgetary places for such a stage of education or will you have to look for your own financial resources?

Thirdly, is it possible to enroll in a master's program in a new specialty? For example, let's ask ourselves the question of whether a master's degree is necessary for a lawyer after a bachelor's degree? Perhaps it is necessary if a lawyer enters a master's program in a new specialty, mastering the specialization of a forensic specialist or a political scientist.

Is it possible to drop a master's degree?

This question is also very often asked. Indeed, the number of expelled own will there are 2 times more students from master's programs than from undergraduate programs.

This is due to the fact that young people, realizing that, having got into the magistracy, they continue to remain in the status of a “student”, they decide to abandon the role they are bored with and go to professional activity. Fortunately, they already have a diploma of higher education at the undergraduate level.

For example, does a programmer, a young man who is already a sought-after specialist in the modern labor market, need a master's degree after a bachelor's degree? Does he need 2 more years of study when he can already work?

Of course, every young programmer must answer this question for himself.

Is there an alternative to such training?

It should be noted that today there is an alternative to such training. This is the so-called professional retraining, which allows you to engage in a new type of activity.

The essence of such training, presented in the programs of most large and small universities in our country, boils down to the fact that a person who wants to get the right to engage in a new type of activity enters such a program and after a while receives a diploma.

Education is individual and group, but there are fewer teaching hours, so there are also few classroom lessons.

And the last question: do you need a master's degree after a bachelor's degree in accounting?

After all that we have said above, it is not difficult to find the answer to this question. Yes, a master's degree can also be useful for an accountant, but he still needs to try to find this type of training. In our country, even a person without higher education, who simply completed accounting courses, can become an accountant. There is an accounting business within the framework of a bachelor's degree, but a master's degree with such a specialization is generally very difficult to find.

So not in all specialties in our country there are this direction higher education.

Thus, in this short article we have considered the question of what a modern magistracy in Russia is. Of course, this area of ​​education has certain prospects, but so far this system is experiencing difficulties associated with the peculiarities of its implementation in the educational practice of our state.

Today, many bachelor's, specialist's, and master's degree graduates who decide to continue their studies in the master's program are concerned about one question:

What categories of persons have the right to study at the master's program for free?

Let's consider the situations of admission to the magistracy on the budget for bachelors, specialists, graduates and masters.

1. Admission to the magistracy with a bachelor's degree is considered as obtaining the first higher education. At the same time, you have every chance to enter the master's program on a budgetary form of education on a competitive basis.

2. Admission to a master's program with an old-style "graduate diploma", for those graduates who were still studying at levels, and not at the levels of higher professional education introduced in 2012, allows them to enter a master's program on a budget.

3. Admission to the magistracy with a diploma of a specialist of a new sample is considered as obtaining a second higher education. Therefore, you can only apply for a contract form of education.

4. Admission to the magistracy with a master's degree is considered as obtaining a second higher education. Education in the magistracy in a new specialty can be carried out only on a paid basis.

Recall that the new law "On the Education of the Russian Federation", which entered into force on September 1, 2013, describes the full structure Russian education. Let's turn to the laws of Russia to prove the right of "graduates" to study in a "free master's program."

Master's degree for graduates is free

Proof:
1. New law on Education (Article 69, Part 8) defines those cases when higher education is considered as a second higher education. This norm duplicates Article 6, Clause 5 of the Law “On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education” for master's programs.

2. In the 8th part of Article 69 of Law No. 273-F3, education in a master's program at the expense of the budget (master's degree is free) is considered as a second or subsequent higher education for persons with a master's or specialist's degree.

3. Previously, there was an exception to this rule: Article 4 Part 4 of the Federal Law No. 232-FZ of October 24, 2007 (as amended by Federal Law No. 260-FZ of November 10, 2009). According to this exception: persons with a diploma of the qualification "certified specialist" could study at the magistracy free of charge. In this case, getting an education is not considered as getting a second higher education.

4. In article 121, paragraph 21 of Federal Law No. 185-FZ, the law of October 24, 2007 No. 232-FZ is declared completely invalid, including Art. 4. Note that the terms, including the names of documents on qualifications and education, have been preserved in the new Federal Law No. 273-F3.

5. Consider Article 60, Part 7, Clause 3. A specialist diploma means a document confirming receipt higher education specialty. This means that the concept of a diploma of a specialist in the law on education does not include a diploma of a "graduated specialist".

6. Let us conclude: in Article 69, Part 2, Part 2 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, there are no indications of persons with diplomas of a “graduated specialist”. Therefore, obtaining an education in a master's program for graduates is not considered as a second or subsequent higher education.

So, from September 1, 2013, graduates have the right to enter the master's program on a budget and study for free.

The entry in the column for "graduates" and "specialists" is different

According to the law of the Russian Federation of August 22, 1996 No. 125-FZ “On higher and postgraduate professional education”, a diploma of a “specialist” or “certified specialist” determines the conditions for admission. We remind you that "graduates" can study in the master's program for free.

1. So a graduate in documents on education in a certain column under the name "qualification" has an entry like "Chemist", "Geographer", etc.

2. The same persons who have the qualification "specialist" in the corresponding column have the entry "Specialist".