Education

HSE’s Preparatory Year Programme for international students includes not only intensive Russian language training but also subject specific courses. One such course is ‘Russian Literature’, which introduces international students to classic works by Russian writers such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov. In the course, students read and discuss select texts in the original Russian, which helps them gain a better understanding of the Russian culture and history.

Adrian Murillo Ramirez-Moreno is from Mexico City and is currently a third-year student at Universidad Anáhuac México where he studies International Relations. Nicholas Viggiano, from New Jersey, USA, is a third-year student at the University of Maryland, where he is pursuing a double degree in Russian and Environmental Science. Both are studying in HSE’s ‘Semester in Moscow’ Programme. The programme not only allows students to study Russian language at any level, but to design their own curriculum—students have their pick of any English-taught courses they choose, regardless of field. Students are accommodated in the HSE dormitories and receive an official transcript upon completion of the semester.

Sangam Kumar Singh has come from India to do a Master’s in Big Data Systems at the HSE School of Business Informatics in Moscow. He has chosen HSE due to its high standing in global university rankings such as QS and the Times Higher Education ranking as well as its focus on research and innovation. Having started his career in engineering within telecommunication business and later moving onto R&D application and analytics in the same area, he was drawn to HSE’s programme because it combines business, informatics and analytics and equips its graduates with the skills and knowledge required by our modern economy and ever-changing market dynamics.

Yunying Pei is a first-year student from China in the Bachelor’s Programme ‘HSE and University of London Double Degree Programme in Data Science and Business Analytics’ offered by Faculty of Computer Science. She recently sat down with HSE News Service to talk about what has helped her adjust to university life in Moscow.

Stefan Hanssen, a native of Switzerland, is currently a second-year student in HSE’s Master’s Programme 'Financial Analyst (CFA Institute University Affiliation Program)' offered by the HSE Banking Institute. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business from HEC Lausanne (the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne), and decided to come to Moscow to deepen his knowledge of finance, economics, and business, and to expand his professional network.

Felipe Vaca Ramirez and Paco Arevalo Reyes, both from Ecuador, are second-year students in HSE’s Master’s programme in ‘Applied Statistics with Network Analysis’. Having heard about Russia’s rich mathematical tradition and the high academic standing of HSE, they both decided to study in Moscow despite how far away from home it is. Felipe and Paco share a background in economics, and the HSE programme’s focus on statistics and data and network analysis was a huge draw for them. Affordable tuition fees and multicultural environment were additional bonuses.

From January 3 to 20, 23 students from three American universities took part in a special winter programme held for the third time at HSE University – St Petersburg. We asked them many questions, including what they thought about Russia before coming here, what they would take back home, and one of the eternal questions – Moscow or St Petersburg?

Every year, HSE Summer University creates new opportunities for its participants - both students and researchers. The programme is becoming more and more versatile and the range of fields of study is constantly growing. In 2018, about 200 international students from all over the world took part in the Summer University. This year, participants are invited to choose from a larger pool of courses and even travel to Siberia.

Master’s programme in Prototyping Future Cities offered by the HSE Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism was launched in 2017 and has since become quite popular among international students. Students from all over the world come to Moscow to learn how to use technologies to deal with future challenges of urban development. Two of the first-year students have talked to HSE News Service about studying on the programme and the projects they have been working on.

HSE Preparatory Year students not only learn Russian and get ready to enroll in Bachelor’s or Master’s programmes but also explore Russian culture and way of life, which includes trying the local cuisine, sightseeing, and interacting with Russian people. Three international Prep Year students have talked to HSE News Service about learning the language, getting used to living in Moscow, and joining in New Year celebrations in Russia.