Education

Massimo D'Ascenzi came to HSE in Nizhny Novgorod from Viterbo (Italy) as part of the Erasmus+ programme. In this interview, Massimo speaks about the reasons for choosing the Higher School of Economics, about studying in Russia, and about what one has to learn first before coming to Russia.

Leandro Cassius, a recent graduate from HSE’s Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, has long been interested in languages and international affairs. He actually started learning Russian on his own when he was 14 years old and still living in his native Brazil. He would later spend a year taking a Russian course at Belgorod State University before being admitted to HSE.

On July 12, HSE officially congratulated the graduates of the 2018 Preparatory Year programme. The 10-month intensive course, which was introduced at HSE in 2015, is designed for international students with little or no knowledge of Russian who wish to undertake Russian-taught full-degree programmes. The curriculum focuses on basic language skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) and students are able to study in their chosen academic field (humanities, economics, or engineering). This year, young graduates from 40 different countries attended the ceremony, where they were congratulated by their teachers, friends and families.

HSE’s Summer University officially opened on June 20. Now in its fourth week, the Summer University is in full swing at three of HSE’s four campuses– Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Participants continue coming to Russia for courses on topics such as politics, history, economics, and Russian and Eurasian cultures. Most courses last two to four weeks and all of them are taught in English.

The HSE Look has talked to Anna Blyakhman, Deputy Director of HSE Nizhny Novgorod and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Management, about the educational programmes offered at the campus and its international students.

Attracted by the famous mathematical education in Russia, Alfredo Alejandro De la Fuente Briceño decided to travel halfway around the world to enrol in HSE’s Master’s Programme in Statistical Learning Theory, a new joint programme between HSE and Skoltech aimed at training the next generation of scientists to carry out fundamental research and work on challenging new problems in statistical learning theory. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru, the 25-year-old was encouraged by several professors and friends to try a programme in a different language and tradition and step outside his comfort zone.

On June 9–15, the town of Pushkin near St. Petersburg, Russia hosted the Sixth International Summer School on Multidisciplinary Higher Education Research organized by the HSE Institute of Education (IOE). Bringing together a premier cohort of accomplished international academics and bright early-career scholars, the 2018 School aimed to explore new and deeper perspectives on how higher education can contribute to positive socio-economic change at all levels.   

In its fifth year already, the HSE Summer University was officially opened on June 20th by Vice Rector, Ivan Prostakov. Over the next 8 weeks, HSE will provide almost 200 students, PhD candidates, postdocs and professionals from all around the world with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in a wide range of fields. Many of the courses, all of which are taught in English, focus on areas such as politics, history, economics, and Russian and Eurasian cultures.

This spring, HSE University - St. Petersburg has been especially lucky with old and new friends coming to visit. From 14th to 30th of May we hosted a group from University of Dayton, Ohio, that came to participate in the programme ‘Tolstoy’s Russia’ and to learn more about the past and present of our country.

Charlie Song is a Chinese student who spent a semester at HSE University–St. Petersburg, focusing on Russian, Eurasian and Post-Soviet Studies. Charlie shared his impressions of Russian culture and life in St. Petersburg with the HSE news service, as well as some helpful tips for other international students.