PASSION FOR EDUCATION

1._________Valentina Korabelnikova, 27, graduated with a degree in journalism from Moscow State University five years ago. Three years later, as a postgraduate student, she earned a diploma at the English language department of the foreign languages faculty. Today, Korabelnikova is getting ready to obtain an MBA degree.

“My passion for education has a rational explanation. I just try to provide myself with guarantees in the growing competition in the labor market. As I work in the Public Relations sphere, I need marketing knowledge for career promotion. Employers appreciate diplomas from prestigious universities,” Korabelnikova says.

Thousands of postgraduate students in Moscow share Korabelnikova’s passion for education, and more than 70 Moscow universities offer programs for postgraduate education.

2._________The majority of Muscovites planning to get a postgraduate education are not those who are disappointed in their first profession and intend to change it. According to the research of the Moscow-based Begin Group, most postgraduates are chiefly interested in career development (65%), and an increase in their income (61%). Other reasons that compel adults to become students again include the need “to systematize knowledge” and “obtain useful connections.” Some career-oriented postgraduates indicated that they wanted to learn how to improve their own business; only 39% identify themselves as career-shifters.

3_________Among the most popular areas of specialization in postgraduate education in Moscow are finance, psychology and management. A significant portion of respondents think that the knowledge of foreign languages, law, design, advertising and public relations will help to propel their careers. The research also helps to answer the question as to what professional sectors keep people flexible, career-oriented and able to perfect their professional skills. A postgraduate education is fashionable among those who are involved in sales, IT, investment, production, consulting and advertising. Most of the Muscovites interested in postgraduate education are 21-26 years old. The second surge of interest for new degrees and higher level of proficiency appears at 31-35.

4__________While choosing a postgraduate program, Muscovites first try to learn what the employment prospects upon graduation will be, what constitutes the program’s content and information about the academic staff. Surprisingly, the reputation of the university, and even the cost of the course are less important for the applicants. Nevertheless, postgraduate students prefer less expensive courses. More than half of respondents choose the programs that cost less than $3,000 a year; for 23% of respondents $3,000-5,000 a year is a reasonable price for an academic year in a Moscow university; 21% of respondents are ready to pay more than $5,000 for their postgraduate education. Muscovites say that they believe the Internet, educational exhibitions, newspapers and magazines are reliable sources of information about educational institutions. Traditional reference books are not so popular in the Russian capital.

5_________The first business school in Moscow was founded in 1989. Today, an MBA degree is a typical and almost inevitable requirement for the position of a top manager in Moscow. More than 100 institutions offer a master of business administration degree in different regions of Russia. Nevertheless, Russia’s market for business education is still growing. (By comparison, more than 800 business schools offer MBA degrees in the USA). According to information provided by Begin Group, half of Moscow and St. Petersburg MBA schools have accreditation of foreign institutions. Eight business schools provide their alumni with double Russian-western or western diplomas. Other Russian business schools grant Russian diplomas - the so-called “state diplomas” of MBA. State MBA programs were developed seven years ago in accordance with the official standards and were approved by the Russian Ministry of Education. They are supposed to be oriented toward those who want to establish business in Russia.

According to the Begin Group’s research, most of the future masters of business administration in Russia belong to the 26-30 age group (31%), a significant portion is 31-35 (25%). Men choose business education more often than women (58 and 42% respectively). Despite their relative youth, the respondents have decent work experience, 7-10 years on average. The average income of an applicant to a Moscow business school is equal to $1,500-3,000.

Russian MBA programs are noticeably less expensive than their western counterparts: costs for MBA programs in Moscow vary from 100,000 to 700,000 rubles ($3,700 – 26,000). Average cost for a 2-year MBA program is 270,000 rubles ($10,000).

At the dawn of the business education boom in Russia, people with a basic technical degree usually tried to shift to business. Today, most business-school applicants have a degree in economics.

6_________Moscow MBA students usually criticize the Russian business education for its lack of several elements including a connection to practice, attention to the acute problems of business and analysis of real cases. Finally, students complain about an abundance of needless theoretical information. “We can say that the audience of the Russian MBA schools is becoming more prepared and more particular,” says Alla Zhavoronkova, Begin Group project manager. “Some of the MBA applicants have several diplomas of higher education and solid work experience including experience abroad. They are not interested in lectures on basic management and marketing. What they are really interested in is new knowledge in spheres of their specialization. Definitely, high aspirations of the students make schools more exigent to the quality of education, forcing them to perfect their programs.”

7_________Most of the MBA students are optimistic about their prospective career opportunities and financial benefits their new degrees can bring. Years after graduation one - third of respondents expect an increase in personal income by 25-50%. As for the career promotion, 45 % plan to change their place of employment, while the majority expect a step-up.

8_________An education abroad is becoming increasingly attractive. As for the most trustworthy ‘educational’ countries, Britain invariably holds the leadership. According to the information of the British Council in Moscow, more than 24,000 students from Russia go to study there annually. Second place is occupied by the USA; last year 5,073 students from Russia went to study in America. Another popular destination for education abroad is Malta. 5,000 students from Russia entered educational institutions on this island last year. The remaining education preferences fall on behalf of France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. In Britain and Canada, Russians study mainly at short-term courses; whereas in Germany and the Netherlands they usually choose academic programs. Germany, Britain, Italy and the Netherlands offer grant programs for the Russian students.

The specialization preferences of foreign university applicants from Russia are similar to those who intend to get postgraduate education in Moscow: business and economic majors rank the highest. Among other popular specializations are architecture, art and design, law, IT, tourism and hospitality. When choosing where to study abroad, most of the respondents proceed from their financial situation. Other important factors include the university brand, place occupied by the school in the international ratings, and its marketing activity on the Russian market. Seventeen percent of respondents plan to find educational program abroad without any assistance, 16% intend to use advice of more experienced friends, while only 23% of respondents plan to turn to professional agencies for help.

“Probably, such a suspicious attitude to educational agencies is connected with lack of information about their services and with an intention to save money”, says Anna Rubalskaya, Begin Group project manager. “Nevertheless, educational agencies have a number of advantages. Their employees have visited many schools and universities and understand their specifics and environment. Besides they can help applicants to prepare the necessary papers and get visas.”

9__________Today’s careerists in Moscow are busy studying foreign languages. Knowledge of at least one foreign language has become a must for obtaining a good job in the Russian capital: 95% of students studying at Russian MBA programs speak fluent English, while 34% speak German, and 25% French. Most of the students applying for postgraduate education abroad are ready to take lectures in English, French, German or Spanish.

According to the information of the Moscow Department of Education, about 500 educational organizations have been licensed to teach foreign languages. The license testifies that this institution has a decent level of teaching. The only exclusion is the language courses at foreign embassies: they are never licensed by Russian officials but still have a good reputation. Education quality, as well as costs, is usually high there. Most of the foreign language courses in Moscow provide free test lessons. You can try several courses in accordance with your goals: business, preparation for international exams, etc. If you intend to study business English or to get ready for entering a foreign university, you may need to find language courses with foreign teachers. Theoretically, a foreign teacher should have a degree in linguistics. In reality, many of the native speakers teaching English in Moscow are “career-changers.” So another guarantee of a professional teacher is a certificate such as TOEFL, DELTA or CEELT.