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Types
of Studies in Russia: Language studies, scholars, seminars,
internships, degree studies in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other
Russian cities.
The
most popular types of study available to foreigners in Russia
are the following:
Language
Study
No mystery here. This could be group
study (on average 20 academic hours per week) or individual (usually
a bit
less, with 10-12
academic the most common). The methodology for teaching Russian
to foreigners is excellent – developed to a very high level
when the USSR was actively recruiting international students
who did not know a word of Russian and so had to be trained in
a 10-month program for entry into the Russian universities. Language
study could be as short as one week (if incorporated into your
travel) and up to a year or more. During or after your language
programs, you can also request to take the “TORFL” (Test
of Russian as a Foreign Language). This test exists in 5 levels,
and passing level 2 is required for entry into a Russian university
or to apply for citizenship in Russia.
Visiting Scholars
Otherwise known as stazhirovka, this is study at another faculty
(department) within a university, where the primary focus is
not language learning. It is assumed that you already have
a fairly high level of Russian, as you will be attending classes
with Russians and potentially doing additional research and
independent
study under an advisor.
Student Exchanges
Student exchanges are gaining
popularity in Russia, although still not too many universitites
have a link with institutions abroad. If you would like to
study in a Russian university for a few months, you can arrange
a student exchange between your school / university and a Russian
school or a university. Don't worry if the link doesn't exist
yet: by establishing it you will get more chances to be accepted.
Seminars
These and other specialized courses are generally short-term
programs (less than a month) and could focus on law, history,
literature, and other subjects.
Internships
Internships, often also referred to in Russia as stazhirovka,
are generally organized by private language schools and organizations
and not by universities themselves. In evaluating internship
opportunities, you should not look at them as job placement
(although they certainly can eventually lead to a job offer)
but rather
an educational experience.
Degree Study
Really like Russia and want to stay long term? Russia has some
of the top universities in the world and there really are some
degree programs that can’t be topped – especially
at the currently low cost. At present, most universities accept
international students on a “non-competitive” basis,
meaning you do not need to go through the very rigorous entrance
exam
system that is currently conducted by each individual university
(Russia is working on converting to a national college entrance
exam like the SAT in the US). We anticipate that as more and
more foreigners realize that Russia is actually an enjoyable
place to live and they see the relatively low cost of quality
education, entrance may start to become more competitive for
foreigners. Some of the best things to study in Russia are
law (at the BA level), any of the pure sciences (chemistry,
biology,
physics), mathematics and computer science, the arts (music,
dance, theater) and of course anything related to Russia (history,
language, literature).
Please,
contact us if you didn't find what you were looking for in this
section:
Question (28/11/04): "> message: I studied russian both at school
and university in France and
> worked in Moscow for a foreign company for 3 year. My knowledge of russian
> language written and spoken is advanced but I would like to reach a higher
> level and become a professional interpreter french-russian or english-
> russian. Could you indicate, please, adresses of universities in Russia
> where I could study russian in general and the professions of interpreter
> and translater? I am also interested in computer studies in Russia to
> improove my basic knowledge.
>
> Also any general information on studing in russia is welcomed."
Answer: You can learn more from our Study in Russia section.
(from Renee
Stillings,
the
Director
of The School of Russian
and Asian
Studies - SRAS)
Greetings!
If your aim is to become a professional translator/interpreter, then you are
best to study at one of the linguistic universities. The most well-known of
these are the following:
Moscow State Linguistic University - http://www.linguanet.ru/
Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod - www.lunn.sci-nnov.ru
Irkutsk State Linguistic University - www.islu.ru
Computer studies - this depends on really what your aim is. Programming
would be primarily at one of the technical universities, although other full
universities also offer this. If it is just general use of some
applications, then either some basic instruction could be had at the
universities, or there are a lot of more intensive training centers that
train professionals. This really depends on your purpose and applications."
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