Rector of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Vladimir Litvinenko, held a series of meetings with students and postgraduates, during which he shared details of a pilot project aimed at improving higher education, initiated by President Vladimir Putin.
The oldest technical university in Russia, as it did 250 years ago, is once again taking on the role of a pioneer. Currently, it is the only educational institution in the country that has completely abandoned the two-tier model of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, imposed on us by the West 20 years ago, which does not meet the real needs of the national economy. In its place, educational programs, designed primarily for six years of study, have been introduced, with some exceptions.
Forpost publishes excerpts from the Rector’s speeches, highlighting the main objectives of the current reforms and the mechanisms designed to improve the quality of workforce training, thereby ensuring a smooth generational transition in the industry.
Higher Engineering Education (Replacing the Bachelor's Degree)
Vladimir Litvinenko: The primary goal of education is to prepare well-rounded graduates with a holistic worldview—meaning a stable system of perspectives, evaluations, and understanding of the world around them, as well as their place within it. Clearly, if we follow this logic, all subjects are important regardless of the specialization: mathematics, natural sciences, and the humanities alike.
However, today, unfortunately, the school curriculum is primarily focused on ensuring that students successfully pass the Unified State Exam (USE or YeGE) after completing the 11th grade. Knowledge, as such, is no longer the measure of academic success; it has been replaced by simplistic drilling for test-solving, which not only impoverishes our applicants but also prevents them from making informed career choices.
Schools, with rare exceptions, do not motivate teenagers to think about their future, leading to a great deal of uncertainty. Students don’t understand what they want to become, nor can they figure out which subjects they should focus on. As a result, they end up taking exams in subjects that simply seem easier to them. Later, they realize that becoming a petroleum engineer is only possible if they took physics in the YeGE , but by then, the opportunity has passed.
Analyses from recent years indicate that about 30-40% of those sitting in this hall do not fully understand the specific tasks they will face after graduation—assuming, of course, that they plan to work in their field of study. This means that some of you, during your education, will come to realize that your decision to pursue a particular field was a mistake. Many will also face gaps in knowledge across several subjects, which is a direct consequence of the current level of school education.
We understand all these problems, as well as the tools we use to address them. For the first two years, you will study a unified curriculum, mastering what we call the “core” of higher education—fundamental general education and general technical disciplines. This will not only help those who are falling behind catch up, but also lay the foundation for a holistic understanding of trends in the mining industry, production, and the country as a whole.
At the end of the first year, as part of the summer school program “My Specialty,” all of you will have the opportunity to become familiar with the work of several specialized enterprises. This will give you a better understanding of the responsibilities that their employees bear—responsibilities that will eventually fall on your shoulders as well. At the end of the fourth semester, the top 20% of students, if they wish, will have the opportunity to transfer to a different field of study. This will serve as excellent motivation for those who didn’t score high enough on the Unified State Exam to enter that program initially, as well as for those who, as I mentioned earlier, realized during their studies that their choice was a mistake.
Healthy competition is the foundation of any progress. To win and gain an advantage over your peers, you need to possess a certain set of personal qualities: patience, perseverance, an inclination towards a healthy lifestyle, and participation in scientific experiments. Equally important is to break free from the standardized digital mindset imposed on us by the West—spend less time "on your phone" and remember that the best way to understand reality is through analogy. The search for associations, based on the knowledge gained at our university and independent study, will allow you to make more balanced decisions, grow both professionally and personally, become self-sufficient and successful individuals, and build strong families.
At our university, you will acquire all the necessary competencies for a successful career. Additionally, through our partnerships with flagship domestic companies, you will gain valuable practical experience in the industry. By the end of the fourth year, through elective courses, you will have mastered at least two vocational professions and eight additional professional competencies. For example, you will learn to use software employed by geologists, mining engineers, and petroleum specialists. Alternatively, you could take an advanced course in rhetoric, because it’s not enough to simply have knowledge—it's equally important to be able to defend your opinions and substantiate your position.
At the Mining University, a highly favorable environment has been created, without exaggeration, which will enable each of you to develop your best qualities and succeed in the competitive field. Our infrastructure is among the best in Russia. This includes comfortable dormitories, modern and accessible fitness centers, a swimming pool, laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technology, computer classrooms, and even our own drilling site in Sablino. We have created ideal conditions for you to receive the best engineering education in Russia, become part of the true elite, and stand out among your peers who have pursued bachelor’s degrees.
Specialized Higher Education (Replacing the Master's Degree)
Vladimir Litvinenko: Today, only 3% of graduates with a bachelor’s degree from technical universities who did not continue on to a master’s program are working in their field. This is an unprecedentedly low figure, exacerbating the already severe shortage of engineers in the real sector of the economy. Our goal is to continue educating young people and bring their competencies to a level that corresponds to a full-fledged higher education.
We held a competition and selected the best among our bachelor’s graduates. Your further two-year study program includes 13 class sessions per week (three days with three sessions and two days with two). The remaining time is allocated for independent study.
The third semester will end with a state exam in your specialty. Afterward, a pre-diploma technological internship will begin, lasting 18 weeks. It will take place at one of our partner companies, which includes about 60-80 enterprises.
During the fourth semester, you will study disciplines related to the preparation of your diploma project, the topic of which will already be determined by that time with the direct involvement of your mentors, who are assigned to each student at the Mining University. The diploma project will consist of three mandatory sections: scientific, economic, and technological.
Following this, all of you will return to the enterprises for a two-month internship, this time as an engineer-trainee. Afterward, you will defend your diploma project in the presence of representatives from the companies where you completed your pre-diploma internship.
The specialized higher education program will conclude with the awarding of a full engineering diploma. This diploma certifies that you possess competencies in a specialty that is in demand in modern industry, as well as advanced scientific and economic knowledge in your field. In particular, you will understand how production costs are formed and be able to assess the economic efficiency of various production processes.
Postgraduate Studies
Vladimir Litvinenko: As you know, postgraduate studies are aimed at training educators in the field of higher education who also possess scientific competence. Our new strategy, approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation as a model for other leading universities, provides for a three-year program. In the first year, students will master the theoretical foundations of pedagogical and basic scientific competence.
Next, the postgraduate student receives the title of assistant-trainee, and starting from the third semester, begins teaching at a department. After gaining teaching experience, the head of the department nominates the postgraduate student for certification as a professional teacher. During the postgraduate period, their teaching and research work is balanced at a ratio of 40 percent to 60 percent. The teaching load is 350-400 hours of classroom instruction.
Those postgraduate students who gained experience as co-supervisors of summer internships last summer were automatically granted mentor status and will now assist students, including in the preparation of diploma projects. The rest will undergo specialized courses where they will also acquire the necessary competence.
