SPbPU's International Educational Programs Awarded Certificates of Quality by ACQUIN

The Accreditation, Certification and Quality assurance Institute ACQUIN (Germany), a part of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education ENQA and the Republican Register of Accreditation Agencies, has awarded certificates of quality to the following international educational bachelor's and master's degree programs of SPbPU: international educational master's degree program in English "Development of International Business" in the "Management" field, international educational double master's degree program "Technologies of Material Processing" in the "Metallurgy" field, international educational double bachelor's degree program "Industrial and Civil Construction of Unique Buildings and Facilities".

According to the Vice-Rector for International Relations of SPbPU D. G. ARSENIEV, "educational programs that have international accreditation improve the university's reputation, enhancing its competitiveness in the world". "International accreditation makes it possible to evaluate the quality of programs implemented in the university and their correspondence with European quality standards as well as get an expert opinion on the ways of further improvement of these programs," the Vice-Rector for International Relations explained.

D. G. Arseniev also specified that the Polytechnic University is currently paying considerable attention to the problems of education internationalization. "The desire of foreign students to obtain a diploma of the leading Russian technical university indicates SPbPU's growing competitiveness and its active role on the international educational stage," representatives of the SPbPU International Educational Projects Office commented.

At the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE), the double degree program "Industrial and Civil Construction" is highly popular among the students. It offers an opportunity to obtain two diplomas – Russian and European – studying three years at SPbPU and a year in Finland.

"Thanks to this program, many applicants want to win admission to the ICE. For three years, our university has ranked first in terms of applicants attracted and admitted in the "Construction" field. Accreditation of the double degree program will undoubtedly affect our development," ICE Director N. I. VATIN specified.

Likewise, accreditation of the international educational double master's degree program "Technologies of Material Processing" has become an important event for the students and teaching staff of the IMMET. "International educational double master's degree program "Technologies of Material Processing" in the "Metallurgy" field is organized in association with the Brandenburg University of Technology. For the Institute of Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering and Transport, it means higher international rating," A. A. NAUMOV, Ass. Prof at the Department of Material Science and Technology, commented.

Vice-Director for International Relations at the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade (IIMET) V. V. SCHEGOLEV explained that the accredited program "Development of International Business" has been developed by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Commerce in 2012-2013 in order to enhance the managerial capacity of workforce in the industrial business. Simultaneous participation of students from different countries in the program became possible following mutual recognition of disciplines between SPbPU and its foreign academic partners. V. V. Schegolev is confident that the collaboration between Russian and European processors will be beneficial to teaching international standards of management to students: "For the IIMET, the program "Development of International Business" is particularly important as it is strictly practical and is taught in English only. The program's focus on the industry allows students to open doors for further career in the B2B sector, preferably in marketing, export, and logistics departments. The program is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of Russian B2B enterprises in the international market."

It should also be noted that ACQUIN experts think highly of the quality of education and academic qualification of SPbPU students, competence and professional qualities of the teaching staff, open-mindedness and cooperation of the administration. The Polytechnic University extensively cooperates with more than 40 German universities. The partnership with three of them is strategic, which results in joint scientific and educational projects, implementation of academic mobility programs, and mutual support in various matters.

International Relations Office in association with the International Educational Programs Office