Where Languages and Cultures Meet

© HSE University

The Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication combines traditional approaches to foreign language teaching with innovative educational practices. The programme has attracted a lot of international students thanks to the opportunity to enrol in the English track and study all its courses in English. Farangiz Djuraeva from Uzbekistan and Adila Ulfia Maula Tontowi from Indonesia shared their impressions with the HSE News Service.

The programme offers personalised learning tracks and a selection of foreign languages, specialisations, elective courses and fields of study to choose from. Having mastered two foreign languages, graduates can apply their language skills and professional competencies to pursue careers in education, translation/interpretation, intercultural corporate communication, and text creation.

All students learn two foreign languages: English and a language of their choice (German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish or Dutch). A significant number of courses are taught in English starting from the first year. Students have an opportunity to enrol in the English track and study all courses in English. Students and graduates of the programme use their linguistic competence to communicate successfully in a wide range of formats, fields and environments.

Svetlana Bogolepova, Academic Supervisor of the Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication programme

Our students acquire research and academic writing skills to successfully pursue a Master's degree in Russia or abroad. They are involved in a variety of projects designing products that become an important part of their portfolios. For example, in one of the projects, students create content for the YouTube channel of the School of Foreign Languages. All students take a compulsory full-time internship in one of our partner companies or schools.  

Our vibrant social life is reflected in the school events calendar, which features various activities and performances. Our students participate in language clubs, conferences, festivals, city tours and workshops from practitioners. In November, first-year students get immersed in a multicultural environment and show off their talents by performing at a festival.

The programme is not just about languages and communication. Students can choose from a wide variety of subjects such as Language, Culture and Worldview and Introduction to Metaphor Studies. As language is an integral part of culture, disciplines related to history, culture and literature are also on the syllabus. The three specialised tracks allow students to develop practical job-related skills. The specialisations are: Intercultural Corporate Communication, Translation and Interpretation, and Foreign Language Teaching. 

Farangiz Djuraeva, 19, 2^nd-year student of the School of Foreign Languages

I am originally from sunny Uzbekistan. I chose HSE University-Moscow for the variety of extracurricular activities for students, including language and sports clubs, volunteer organisations, and research labs. Those incentives made me opt for HSE University

I hope to learn how to write scientific works on the programme and pave my way in science. 

Currently I am mastering my English phonetics, grammar, and practical application and learning French as my second foreign language.

It took a couple of weeks to get used to the language and the slang used by my peers, then everything went wonderfully. I made friends with many students in my department and beyond by participating in extracurricular activities.

Adila Ulfia Maula Tontowi, 19, 1^st-year student of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication

I enrolled in HSE through the HSE Global Scholarship Competition (now called the HSE International Olympiad). I chose HSE University in Moscow because, as the capital and biggest city in Russia, it has a lot of opportunities for work, internships, cultural events, etc—especially for a foreign student like myself. 

Going abroad for my bachelor’s degree was not my initial plan. But once I found out that I had this chance and did research on HSE University, I knew that I had to take it (plus, I got to escape going to med school in Indonesia). I knew that HSE was one of the most prestigious universities in Russia, with experienced professors and a lot of foreign students. Many HSE programmes, both bachelor’s and master’s, are held in English (including my programme, which has a specialised English track), which helps foreign students tremendously in their studies and gives Russian students the chance to improve their English to a professional level. 

I also got to do a Russian preparatory course for a year before starting my bachelor’s programme, which helped me to be more prepared for integrating into Russian society and communicating with people in Russian.

I am planning to take the Intercultural Business Communication track. Once I complete my studies, I hope to launch my career in this field and build up networking relations.

My experience so far has been great. I have great classmates who don’t hesitate to help. The professors are amazing and the subjects are interesting. So far, I have had Introduction to Linguistics, English Practical Course, Spanish, History and Culture of Great Britain (my favourite subject), Russia-British Relations, and Economics.

You can learn more about the Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication here or in the Telegram group. International applicants can also join the online open doors session on November 17 at 16:00 (Moscow time). Participants will learn more about the programme and enrolment opportunities and can take part in an interactive lecture on ‘How Cultures and Languages Interact’. The session will be held in English. To receive an invite link, please register. See you there!