Russia’s higher education system drifts away from Bologna Process
Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on higher education reform in Russia, consolidating the shift of the education system away from the Bologna Process and international accreditation standards.
The decree outlines a two-phase model of higher education, where the first phase is general education (4–6 years of study), and the second involves 1–3 years of specialized graduate study including professional residencies and internships.
A pilot program following this model will be implemented starting this fall, in six Russian universities, including Moscow Aviation Institute, Moscow State Pedagogical University, and universities in St. Petersburg, Tomsk, and Kaliningrad.
On May 24, 2022, Valery Falkov, Russia’s minister of science and higher education, announced that Russia would be leaving the European higher education system bound by the Bologna Process.
Still, the president’s decree does not propose anything principally new for Russia’s higher education: the two-phase system it outlines resembles the European model, in which the baccalaureate serves as a basis for graduate-level study.
