Students at the Siberian Federal University. Source: Press Photo
In 2015 the Siberian Federal University (SibFU) in Krasnoyarsk became the third university in Russia to introduce PhD degrees.
Currently, a doctor of science degree from Russia is not recognized in some countries. So a researcher who has a top degree from a Russian university does not automatically possess a PhD.
The People's Friendship University of Russia in Moscow and the St. Petersburg State University were the first two universities to introduce PhD degrees in Russia.
SibFu's decision to follow suit not only simplifies careers for Russian researchers but also provides foreign students with all the advantages of studying in Russian research institutions.
“Research cannot be Russian, German or American, it is done in an interactive way. Formal barriers keep it lagging behind,” says SibFU Rector Evgeny Vaganov. “In such a situation Russia did the right thing, that is, allowing universities to award their own PhD degrees and therefore maintain dialogue with the Western research community in a common language.”
SibFu's PhD programs are in line with international requirements and are based on research work on the university's priorities. The program directors are reputed academicians with a broad network of connections. The dissertation council includes world renowned Russian and foreign specialists.
Dissertation council member Hans-Peter Grossart, who is from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, participated in SibFU's first PhD program in 2015. He says the SibFu procedure is similar to the way PhDs are assigned in Western universities.
Source: Press Photo
Grossart had been a member of dissertation committees in more than 50 PhD programs in various countries.
Currently the university is inviting student for its three or four-year PhD programs in six fields: biophysics, metalworking, non-ferrous metallurgy, multidimensional complex analysis, optical and quantum chemistry, and urban planning.
Applications for 2016 will be accepted until August 15, 2016 through aspirantura@sfu-kras.ru.
Six international candidates can enroll for a PhD in the university.
In 2016 SibFU is also inviting students for any of its 160 master's programs, eight of which are taught in English. The university is also offering dual diplomas in law, where the curriculum will be in German and Russian.
International master’s students are offered ten specialized English-medium semester programs.
SibFU provides in-campus and remote access to research journal collections and major platforms of research literature indexing.
The master’s programs are focused mostly on research activities. The teaching staff is made up of researchers with wide international networks that provide a strong link between research and teaching.
Source: Press Photo
The master’s degree programs consist of compulsory courses, elective courses and research work on the subject of the students’ interests, which conclude with the student writing a thesis. The master’s thesis project is conducted either in a research group at the department under the supervision of one of the academic staff members or externally - in a company, at another research institution, laboratory or another university. The thesis is then presented publically and in debates.
“Our strongly research-based master’s degree programs give our graduates a solid background (in-depth knowledge, tools and competencies) for further development to compete on the job market,” says Vaganov. “Studying science at the advanced level provides students with excellent preparation for future research and the possibility to earn a SibFU PhD degree.”
Foreign students can apply for the 2016-2017 master's programs online through: http://www.sfu-kras.ru/en/admission.
The Siberian Federal University is the first federal university in Russia. Its campus is located in the Krasnoyarsk ecologically clean area.
The SibFU consists of 19 institutes, and has almost 40,000 students and more than 3,000 professors. It offers 100 fields of study, from geology and oil production to history and journalism.
The university's scientific projects focus on industrial technologies, satellite systems, nano and biotechnologies. The university's partners provide 315 grants to support talented undergraduate and graduate students. There are also academic exchange programs with foreign universities.
Annually, more than 200 leading scientists from the UK, Germany, Spain and the US come to SibFU as visiting professors.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
