II. Reading. Higher education plays an important role in the life of any country as it provides the country with highly-qualified specialists for future development and
Higher education plays an important role in the life of any country as it provides the country with highly-qualified specialists for future development and progress. It trains people to become engineers, doctors, architects, teachers and so on. There are more than 880 universities in Russia. Every citizen of Russia has the right to education which is guaranteed by the Constitution. Every boy or girl must get secondary education. After finishing the 11th form of secondary school, lyceum or gymnasium young people can go on in higher education. They take the Unified National (State) Examination. Each exam is conducted by the independent exami-ning boards. If a student gets high scores, such a result is considered to be good and he/she has an opportunity to enter some higher school. They can choose from a wide range of higher schools according to their will. The typical academic program for university students is composed of various number of courses or subjects within a field of specialization. Courses are a combination of lectures, seminars and the laboratory work. Many courses are available for disabled people. In 2007 within the Bologna Processthe government of the Russian Federation has approved the bill of transition to two-level higher education system. The bill provides introduction in Russia such levels of higher education, as a bachelor’s degree (the first level) and a master’s degree (the second level). These degrees are equivalent to B.Sc and M.Sc degree provided in the US or Western Europe. The first level prepares the student for performing functions in industrial, social, economic sphere (administrators, managers, experts in sales, etc.). Preparation at the first level passes in base directions, and profound specialization occurs at the second level. The persons with master's degree focuses on analytical, design, research activity. Training at the first level lasts 4 years, and at the second level – 2 years. After completing the Master’s students can go for the doctoral programs. For this they carry out independent research, prepare and defend a thesis. The Ph. D (candidate's degree) is a degree received as a result of completion of dissertation. Some higher educational institutions keep training of specialists. Graduates of medical, military and technical higher schools receive the diploma with qualification «specialist» in 5-6 years. This is because the Russian system of a professional training for these specialties cannot keep within in 4 years. The two-level system will allow to raise efficiency of using state funded places, to involve employers in forecasting of requirements for education and to expand their participation in professional training finan-cing. Now Russian students can continue study without problems in any higher school of Europe and easier get a job abroad. But some people are not ready to joining Russia to Bologna Process. The opinion exists that bachelors are half-educated persons. Many students still wish to study 5 years and to end the higher school with the diploma of the specialist. But the bachelor has the full higher education. The transition to two-level system will make the Russian education system more dynamical and modern. Higher educational institutions, that is, universities, institutes, and academies have the full-time, part-time (or evening) and distance education system. The evening and distance education departments give their students an opportunity to study without leaving their jobs. Some students of full-time departments get scholarship. Most of the students have to pay for their education. The academic year in Russian higher schools starts in September and ends in June. The academic year is divided into two semesters: the autumn semester and the spring one. At the end of each semester students take their exams. Twice a year students have holidays. The first- and second-year students obtain knowledge in the fundamental sciences. Specialization usually begins in the third year. Students get more advanced knowledge and begin to concentrate on their special interests so to say, their «major» subjects. The profound study of theory is accompanied by practical training, first in specially equipped laboratories and workshops, then in various enterprises. Besides their studies students carry on research in different fields of science and technology and take part in students’ scientific and technical conferences where they make reports on their investigations. The system of secondary and higher education in Russia is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are: to decentralize the higher education system, to develop a new financial mechanism, to give more academic freedoms to faculties and students. Between 2011 and 2015, 390 billion roubles (US $13.5 billion) has been allocated for upgrading facilities and technical equipment at Russian universities, and improving training for teaching staff. Although the standards of higher education in Russia are considered to be one of the best, there are many problems we are facing in our higher education. For instance, universities complain that the equipment which is used at universities is not modern enough, tuition fees are growing and many talented young people cannot receive higher education. All these problems are widely discussed in Russian society. In the QS World University Rankings 2013/14, 18 Russian universities are ranked within the world's top 800. The leader is the Lomonosov Moscow State University (120 th), followed by the Saint Petersburg State University (240 th) and the Bauman Moscow State Technical Univer-
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