Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Saw First Graduates of International Master's Programs in English

Master's degree programs fully in English were introduced in Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in 2013 – and now the long-awaited graduation of the first Masters has taken place! Over this time the University has created 15 more programs in various areas - from engineering, natural sciences and humanities, to management and economics.

These programs are, no doubt, important and useful: they include teaching entirely in English, obligatory periods of studying abroad, internship and research work in large international companies. Education is based on modern techniques and engages the leading professors of our university as well as visiting professors from the best universities of the world. As both Russian and foreign students study together, there is also constant language practice, development of intercultural communication skills.

Academic mobility, that is compulsory education abroad for a semester or two at leading universities of Europe and other countries, is one of the most important components of the international Master's programs. After coming home students share the acquired experience and knowledge with their classmates and begin to prepare for their thesis defense.

We asked the program coordinators to tell us about the features of implementing the programs in SPbPU.

Coordinator of the program “International Business Development”, Vladimir Shchegolev: “Our program is mainly focused on the internationalization of business in the B2B segment. We provide not only a practice-oriented training in the field of applied business but also research work in this area. We are really proud of the fact that we have managed to create a real cross-cultural community. Classes are given by professors and lecturers from all over the world. 11 graduates out of 20 are representatives of different countries. I would also like to emphasize that four of our students have been able to get a double degree diploma in our program: Master’s degree in SPbPU and in the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. One of the graduates, Angelica Martinez (Mexico) took the first place in Austria with her paper about the labor market possibilities for foreign students in Russia”.

The coordinator of the program “Civil Engineering”, Marina Petrochenko: “We provide an individual approach to each student, including an opportunity to choose topics for Master’s thesis and research work by themselves. Our students have studied abroad in a number of universities. Last but not least I would like to point out a possibility to combine studies and work and a convenient class schedule. So, it is safe to say that we are able to provide an individual educational path for each student of the program».

Alena Aleshina, the coordinator of the program “Energy Technologies” said: “Studing in an international group at the Polytechnic University is quite interesting experience which can open very broad horizons for our students in the future . The name of SPbPU is well-known abroad, and therefore our graduates will certainly be in demand».

While discussing future prospects of the graduates, the program coordinators were unanimous: most students of the international programs in English are already employed or clearly realize where they will work. They do not just obtain a Master's degree, but also work experience in a multinational community, R&D and business contacts, What is more, they become fluent in English, including in English for specific purposes. All these benefits make the graduates of SPbPU English Master’s programs competitive both in the national and international labor market.

We congratulate our graduates and wish they may have every success and a breathtaking carrier!

You can find the information about the international Master's programs in the English version of this web-site

Brought to you by the Department of International Educational Programs