A Member of IMESS
On February 1st 2010, HSE students, professors and researchers met with the leaders of the University College London (UCL) International Masters programme in Economy, State &Society .
Boris Zhelezov, HSE Deputy Vice Rector for International Relations, introduced the participants and told the audience that the Higher School of Economics has became a member of a consortium of European universities as part of the International Masters in Economy, State &Society (IMESS) project. This will open new opportunities for the HSE to cooperate with other leading higher education institutions in Europe. Students will have the opportunity to study in a joint innovative master's programme at any of the Consortium's universities, and PhD students and professors will take internships and carry out research in Consortium member universities. And, of course, the HSE will welcome European researchers to Russia.
The consortium which was created three years ago has so far united seven European universities and is continuing to expand. Its current members are:University College London (Great Britain), Charles University (Czech Republic), Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary), University of Helsinki (Finland), Jagiellonian University (Poland), University of Tartu (Estonia) and the HSE. The project's ‘head'university is the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
Dr. Robin Aizlewood, Director of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies and Head of the IMESS programme, told the audience about the two-year master's programme. Participants of this programme study at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies for the first year, and spend the second year in one of the partner universities. Upon the graduation from the programme students get a master's degrees from both universities.
As the entrance requirements for the master's programme, the programme heads answered that they should have a bachelor's degree in one of the profile disciplines and their level of proficiency in English should be confirmed with a high result from one of the internationally recognized English Language exams:International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).
Candidates who cannot afford to pay for their master's course, may apply for Erasmus Mundus scholarships, and if successful, will receive financial support from the programme. The main aim of the programme 'Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window'is the expansion of international cooperation between universities of the EU and Russia and support of students'and professors'academic mobility, when it corresponds with the projects of the Consortium.
Richard Mole, IMESS Executive Director, draw the participants'attention to the fact that students of the IMESS master's programme get the opportunity to study an Eastern European language from scratch, and after the first year in London, they are able to continue their education in a country whose language they studied.
The first students of this initiative graduated in September 2009 and the project was, according to expert evaluations, very successful. Some of the graduates chose to continue their academic career and went on to PhD programmes, while others started their careers in business, research centres and non-commercial organizations.
Chris Gerry, Senior Lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, is carrying out his research work at the HSE this year . He believes that ‘realization of scientific exchanges, spreading of knowledge and experience, acquaintance with the best educational practices and models promote mutual understanding between European peoples and cultures, as well as deepening the analysis of key factors that form economies, public and social structures of European countries, together with building of effective domestic and foreign policy of an expanding Europe'.
Valentina Gruzintseva, HSE News Service
Photos by Nikita Benzoruk