Bologna education system in modern Russia. What is the Bologna education system? Boston education system

Russian Federation is an issue that must be approached taking into account the history of the formation, formation and development of higher education outside the state. In particular, the end of the twentieth century was largely decisive for the Russian national education system, since during this period there were cardinal changes at all levels of the higher education system that had been formed by that time.

Points of contact between European and Russian education

The reform process was quite natural and expected, since the optimization of the political, economic and social spheres of the state’s life should have entailed restructuring in other social relations. Important steps first of all had to take place in the substantive and methodological part, and not just at the ideological level. Naturally, the ongoing changes contributed to the modernization of the management system of universities, as well as the introduction of significant changes to the regulatory framework.

Throughout the existence and development of Russia as a single modern power, European educational systems have been exemplary. For the first time, the mechanism of functioning of the education sector in the countries of the Old World was reflected in domestic higher institutions back in the mid-18th century. This can explain the frequent manifestations of traditions in Russian universities that are characteristic of European schools. The similarity is manifested in structure, development trends, and content activities.

The new foreign policy process played a huge role in reforming the education system. The Bologna educational course, which Russia has been pursuing for many years, corresponds to a state perceived by advanced European powers as a worthy equal partner.

Transition to a new level and the emergence of the Bologna system

With the collapse of the USSR and the transition of the Russian state to a market economy, the leadership’s actions to meet the country’s internal and external needs for professionally trained personnel became more active and moved towards the creation of commercial universities. Only in this way would the domestic higher education system be able to compete with other representatives of the international market of educational services.

It should be noted that the Bologna process in Russia practically turned the domestic education system upside down. Before the focus on the European system, the educational mechanism looked completely different. To ensure the quality of vocational education, the country approved state educational standards, first of the first and then of the second generation. The goal of establishing this standardization was considered by the country's leadership to be the creation of a unified educational space and the establishment of equivalent equality of educational documents with those of other developed countries.

On the harmonization of the architecture of the European higher education system

The Bologna educational process began its origins in May 1998. Then a multilateral agreement “On the harmonization of the architecture of the European higher education system” was signed at the Sorbonne. The declaration, which later began to be considered an introduction to the Bologna Treaty, was adopted by the ministers of France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany.

Its task was to create and develop a correct, effective strategy for the development of a pan-European education model. The fundamental elements of this agreement were the cyclical nature of training and the use of a credit-module system.

Agreement in Bologna

The process (it began to be called Bologna because the signing of the corresponding agreement took place in Bologna) of creating a new European education was aimed at harmonizing and merging the individual educational systems of each state into a single space of higher education. The date that marked this important step in the history of world education is considered to be June 19, 1999. On that day, representatives of the educational sector and ministers of more than 20 European powers agreed to sign an agreement, called after the Bologna Declaration. The 29 participants - the countries of the Bologna Process - left the agreement open, and at the moment other states can join the “European Higher Education Area”.

Introduction of the Bologna process in Russia

As already mentioned, the educational system of post-Soviet Russia was in dire need of improvement. During the period of transition to an independent independent state, the sphere of higher education ceased to meet modern needs, and even the slightest dynamics were not visible in its development. The potential of the richest internal reserve was not fully used. Reforming this area helped the country get rid of the ideology of Soviet totalitarianism and introduce into society the democratic process that is actively gaining momentum throughout the world.

The Bologna Treaty, signed by Russia in 2003, allowed the Russian state to join the single space of higher education in Europe. It is not surprising that with the introduction of European standards in this area, the country's scientific and teaching staff were divided into two camps. Both opponents and supporters of new positions appeared, but, meanwhile, changes and corresponding transformations are still taking place to this day. The Bologna education process is increasingly ingrained into the domestic educational system.

The continuously strengthening individual provisions of the declaration signed in Bologna contribute to the continued reconstruction of the Russian educational system with the aim of:

bringing it into line with European social systems of higher education;
increasing the level of accessibility, popularity and democracy of universities among the local population;
increasing the competitiveness of graduates of higher educational institutions in Russia and the level of their professional training.

First shifts in the higher education system

The Bologna process in Russia, after just a few years of operation, helped achieve noticeable results. The main merit of this system is:

a higher education zone has been built in accordance with European standards, the main objective of which is to develop student mobility with employment prospects;
the competitiveness of each higher education institution is guaranteed in the struggle for student populations and state funding in comparison with other educational systems;
Universities are endowed with an important role as central objects-bearers of correct social consciousness in the development of the cultural values of the peoples of Europe.

In addition, in recent years, the current ones have noticeably strengthened and are gradually gaining higher positions as an intellectual, scientific, technical and socio-cultural resource in Europe, where the Bologna process system helps to increase the prestige of each university.

Preparing Russia to accept the Bologna Process

At the moment, the number of states that have adopted the Bologna Declaration continues to grow. Today, the implementation of the Bologna process is a task for at least 50 modern states in Europe. However, it is worth paying attention to the preliminary Concept for the modernization of Russian education. This document, prepared by the Ministry of Education, was approved by the Russian government and the State Council. This document was valid until 2010.

The concept was the fundamental direction of government policy in the educational sphere, despite the fact that it did not contain the slightest hint of the Bologna Declaration or any other document of the process. Meanwhile, comparing the texts of the Concept and the provisions contained in the Bologna Process, it will not be easy to find significant differences.

Just as higher education was appreciated in the Bologna process, the Concept notes the importance of recognizing that education is an integral factor in the development of a new level of economy and social structure. In fact, such a document is quite capable of competing with other foreign educational systems.

Description of the previous Concept

Recognizing the ability of the Russian education system to compete with the educational structures of advanced countries, the Concept speaks of the need for the broadest support from society, as well as socio-economic policy, the return of the proper level of responsibility of the state, its important role in the educational sphere.

Drawing up the Concept for the modernization of Russian higher education became a preparatory stage in the process of the Russian state entering the Bologna system. Despite the fact that at that time this was not the main objective of the document, it became a definite prologue to the country’s entry into a new path in the educational sphere. Among the important objectives facing the heads of the relevant departments, it is worth mentioning the developed models of federal state educational standards for the qualification levels “Bachelor” and “Master”, relating to the range of technical and technological specialties.

Compared to the states that signed the Bologna Agreement in 1999, Russia had a more advantageous position for itself. Having turned to the documents of the Bologna process only at the beginning of the 21st century, Russia already had the opportunity to take note of the experience of European countries. In addition, the basic principles of training, systems of cooperation and a control mechanism over the implementation of the process were formed long ago and even went through stages of verification.

Russia was prompted to join the ranks of advanced states with the Bologna education system by the need to organize an appropriate mechanism for confident competition with European educational systems that were established to the point of “automation”.

Positive changes

Thanks to Russia's entry into the pan-European educational space, graduates of domestic universities receive specialists and masters. All countries of the Bologna process have recognized such documents as a single sample confirming receipt of higher education, including the diploma supplement, accepted by UNESCO. Thus, graduates of Russian universities are given the opportunity to become full members of the programs

Characteristic features of the Bologna system in Russia

Of the fundamental points and provisions that the Bologna process introduced into the Russian educational system, several can be identified:

division of the higher education system into two levels: (to obtain a bachelor's degree you must undergo 4-5 years of training; masters study for 1-2 years);
inclusion in educational work plans of a structure of hourly credits, which represent a complex of lectures, seminars and independent work of the student (only after completing the program for each discipline, designed for a certain number of hours, can one proceed to the next course of study);
assessment of the qualitative component of the acquired knowledge according to world standardized schemes;
the opportunity to continuously continue training in almost any case, for example, moving from Russia;
focusing on problems at the pan-European level and promoting their study.

Benefits for students

It follows that graduates of Russian universities will receive educational diplomas that not only confirm their qualifications in their home country, but will also be listed among employers throughout Europe. In turn, foreign students have great chances to find work here. In addition, the most successful students will be given the opportunity to study for a semester or a year at universities abroad through distinctive mobility programs. It has also become possible to change the chosen specialty when moving, for example, from a bachelor's to a master's degree.

Among the advantages of the educational process itself, it is worth mentioning the accumulative system of discipline credits, which will allow them to be used for accelerated receipt of a second higher education or in-depth study of a priority foreign language, both within the walls of the university and in other countries.

Conclusion

The development of the Bologna process was largely predetermined by the conditions of general reforms that affected almost all vital spheres of the Russian state. The formation of an established model of the educational system was significantly complicated by the differences between two very different cultures of teaching in Higher Schools: domestic and European. Discrepancies could be observed in everything: the duration of training, qualification components, areas of special training. Differences could be easily noticed even in the way the educational process was organized.

The Bologna Treaty, which introduced fundamental changes to the educational system of Russia, implied a transition to a two-level system of higher education from a single-level one. Before the agreement was signed, universities trained students continuously for 5 years. Certified and highly qualified professionals were trained on the basis of a developed educational program. Her disciplinary approach implied the choice of a specific unit of measurement for the work performed by students and teachers, which was Calculation of the required amount of teaching load is the basis of educational programs of higher education.

Bologna refers to the unified educational space of leading European countries, formed since 1998 on the initiative of the ministers of education of Germany, Italy, France and England. The initiative was supported by officials of other states, and in 1999, the feasibility of creating a unified system of European higher education was recognized by 29 states that signed the Bologna Declaration. Other countries are gradually joining the agreement on the unification of the educational process, since access is open to everyone. Today the Bologna process has already united 48 countries, but the incorporation of new participants continues.

Thanks to a unified educational space, national programs have the opportunity to take the best and most progressive experience accumulated by partners, and higher education has acquired:

student mobility;
professorial, teaching and bureaucratic-managerial agility;
coordination of the functioning of European universities.

All this contributes to making Europe more attractive in the global education market.

What Bologna is and what its essence is can be found out by finding out the goals and reasons for changes in the work of European universities.

The purpose of the Bologna educational process:

Construction of a European educational zone as the main direction for the continuous development of civil mobility with a real opportunity for further employment after graduation.
Improving and stabilizing intellectual, scientific, social and cultural potential.
Raising the prestige of the European university system.
Ensuring the competitiveness of European universities and institutions in the global competition for influence, money and students.
Achieving compatibility and universality of national HE systems.
Improving the quality of education.
Increasing the role of higher education institutions in the development of common cultural values, giving universities the status of bearers of continental consciousness.

The need to build a common European educational space is dictated by:

the urgent need to reformat European education to organize a counterbalance to educational schools in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asian countries, which attract a significant flow of students from Eastern Europe and third world countries;
globalization of the economy, which requires changing fundamental approaches to the training of highly qualified specialists.

The Bologna education system became necessary for the following reasons:

The influence of its informational, intellectual, and creative components on the effectiveness of professional work is increasing.
Flexible short-term production projects are coming to the fore, which temporary groups and teams implement more fruitfully than permanent staff.
The concept of gradual career growth is disappearing: there are fewer and fewer specialists who stay at one enterprise.
Personalization of professional tasks replaces the uniformity of conditions and the interchangeability of employees.
The workforce is becoming unstandardized.
Traditional forms of labor are losing their identity.
The isolation of professional castes is being destroyed, which leads to the formation of floating parameters of specialties.
Vocational education aimed at acquiring one qualification is becoming a thing of the past.

A gradual fundamental change in approaches to assessing the professionalism of an employee has led to the need to introduce education according to the Bologna system, designed to redirect the emphasis from the forms and content of the educational process to its results.

Russian Federation in the Bologna education system

The introduction of the Bologna education system in Russia became possible thanks to the country's accession to the international educational movement in 2003. On At the summit of education ministers in Berlin, Russia promised its European colleagues to direct efforts to reform post-Soviet education in universities with the aim of joining the Bologna process.

The renewal of “higher” pedagogy included the development of new plans and methods of education compatible with those adopted in other countries. To implement these ideas, a radical transformation of institute and university structures, documentary and regulatory frameworks, as well as teaching activities was necessary.

A year after the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation signed the Bologna Declaration, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a document on priority vectors for the development of higher education in the country, which declared the need to implement the main provisions of the Bologna process. The transition to pan-European standards required:

compiling a list of teaching programs;
creation of a national qualifications framework;
bringing programs and plans into compliance with the standards of European universities;
legislative implementation of a two-level system (the first stage is a bachelor's degree, the second is a master's degree);
construction of training programs on a credit-module principle.

And the work began to boil. In the course of writing and approving federal state programs for the standardized training of high-quality bachelors and masters, the requirements for the design and structure of educational plans were determined, the conditions for their implementation were developed, and the results of mastery were provided for.

An innovation in Russian educational programs created on the basis of the Bologna ones is the focus on learning outcomes, expressed in the form of competencies, and the accounting of labor costs in credit scores. In accordance with the Bologna education system in Russia, large employers began to be involved in the training of future personnel.

How the Bologna process works in Russia

The greatest innovation resulting from the application of the Bologna educational system in Russia was the introduction of a “framework” standard for the educational process. IN In the USSR, standard programs in disciplines were the same for all institutions in the country; there were practically no differences in university educational plans.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, some changes did occur in the Russian educational system, but not as dramatic as in the former Soviet republics. A mandatory minimum was introduced in the Russian Federation, containing a strict list of disciplines and reporting methods, which universities were strictly prohibited from violating. The standards controlled the volume and content of all items. A certain amount of independence in educational programs gradually increased, mainly at the expense of regional higher education institutions.

The new set of standards provides for the systematic expansion of university freedom. Now the Federal State Educational Standard establishes only half of the compulsory disciplines in bachelor's training programs, and up to 30% of subjects in master's training plans, which is consistent with the guidelines of the Bologna education system. Filling out the variable part of the curriculum is the prerogative of the university. To guide teachers, manuals are published with examples of basic educational programs in specific subjects and areas.

Russian officials plan to fully equate the higher education system to European standards by 2010.

Russian officials plan to fully equate the higher education system to European standards by 2010. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko within the framework of the G8 meetings. According to the ministry’s estimates, in four years Russia will complete all activities within the framework of the Bologna process, that is, the country’s universities will switch to a two-stage teaching system - bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and students will have the right to continue their education begun in Russia at universities in European Union countries. However, the next reform of Russian higher education may turn out to be a failure - it has many opponents.

The mention of the “Bologna process” caused another wave of discussions among education workers. A number of rectors of leading universities, including Moscow State University, are against the introduction of Western standards, writes Novye Izvestia. Many students are also dissatisfied with the upcoming reform: they are convinced that the Bologna system will hurt their pockets.

The Bologna Process got its name from the Italian city of Bologna, in which in 1999 29 ministers of European countries decided to bring together the education systems existing in Europe. Since 2003, the basic principles of the adopted convention began to be introduced in Russia. Until recently, this process proceeded at a moderate pace. But now officials have decided to remind universities about the European program.

The Bologna system makes it possible to become a bachelor in one specialty and complete a master's degree in another. Thus, students are given the chance to combine knowledge from various fields and prepare themselves for professional activities at the intersection of existing specialties.

Reform supporters: The Bologna system can be compared to traffic rules - the same rules everywhere

The reform is mainly supported by those universities in which some points of the Bologna Process are already in effect as an experiment. The dean of the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University, Vasily Kolesov, has repeatedly spoken out in favor of introducing the program: “A two-stage system best meets the needs of developing interdisciplinarity,” he noted.

“The main advantage of European standards is their rationality,” said Boris Zhelezov, deputy head of the international relations department at the Higher School of Economics. “The number of introductory, general subjects is being reduced, but the main emphasis is on professional skills. The parameters for quality control of education are transparent and strictly regulated. Students are assessed according to international criteria, and the students themselves give characteristics to their teachers and thereby directly influence the teaching staff.”

Employees of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia see only advantages in the project. “The Bologna system can be compared to traffic rules,” Alexander Efremov, vice-rector of RUDN University, shared with him. “They are the same throughout Europe, which allows you to easily move from country to country. General rules of education contribute to the mobility of students. Having started their studies in Russia, they will be able to enroll in master's degree in England, France or Italy."

Opponents of the reform: "We don’t want to train laboratory technicians for the West

However, the Bologna system also has plenty of opponents. At the same Moscow State University they are in no hurry to extend the European system introduced at the Faculty of Economics to other specialties. The rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, has repeatedly spoken out against the introduction of the Bologna system in its pure form. In his opinion, by adopting the Western style of education, Russia will begin to “train laboratory assistants for the West.”

“We are ready to accept only some provisions of the Bologna system,” explained Moscow State University press secretary Evgenia Zaitseva. “But certain points fundamentally contradict Russian principles of education. For example, it will be extremely difficult to implement the same bachelor’s-master’s program on Russian soil. 3 students study for a bachelor’s degree. -4 years. And in Russia there are few universities that can graduate qualified specialists in three years without compromising the quality of education.”

According to Evgenia Zaitseva, the so-called credit hours, when a student, for example, from Italy, is accepted to a university in France, taking into account the hours he has already listened to in the classrooms of the university in his homeland, do not fit into our education system. Russian teaching hours have nothing in common with Western ones, and in order to bring them into line, it is necessary to completely change the methodology of education in Russia. If in Europe the amount of time spent on independent work “at home” is included in this amount, then in our country, as you know, only academic hours served in the classroom are taken into account.

Experts are also not satisfied with the fact that the number of introductory subjects in the bachelor’s program is much less than in the specialist’s program. Thus, the gap between schools and universities increases even more. Significant gaps may arise in a number of general education subjects. In Italy, say, where the Bologna system comes from, there is another intermediate level between schools and universities - colleges, without graduating from which it is impossible to enter institutes.

“Something similar will have to be introduced in Russia,” said the chairman of the education commission of the Moscow City Duma, Evgeny Bunimovich. “Already now, the gap between school and university programs is very large. Simultaneously with the implementation of the Bologna system, additional, buffer classes must be created in schools, who will be engaged in the initial vocational training of children."

This is a hidden transition to paid education

In addition, after receiving a bachelor's degree, not all students will be able to continue their education in a master's program. To ascend to the second level of the European system, you will need not only a certain amount of knowledge, but also a supply of money - according to experts, there will be no free master’s programs in Russia.

“In essence, our use of the Bologna system is nothing more than a hidden transition to paid education,” says Sergei Komkov, president of the All-Russian Education Fund. “The student will have to choose: either remain a bachelor, without the opportunity to realize himself in the labor market, or pay a lot of money for a master's degree. How much is not yet resolved. In Europe, studying for a master's degree costs from 3 to 5 thousand euros per year. But Russia strives precisely for European standards."

The total course of study will be about 7 years, 3-4 of which the student will likely have to pay out of pocket. Unless, of course, this is done by the organization for which the specialist is being trained. This practice of relationships between employers and potential personnel, alas, is rare in Russia. It is mainly non-state universities that rely on cooperation with employers, so we can assume that it is in the “private sector” that the “Bologna process” will go into full swing.

“Reforms in non-state universities are happening faster and more painlessly than in state ones,” said Valentin Gurov, executive director of the Association of Non-State Universities of Russia. “Private universities are not so conservative and not so clumsy, so you can experiment. A list of universities that are in the first place has already been determined will reorganize the educational process, and using their example we will decide how to carry out the reform further."

Such a reorganization, however, cannot but affect the cost of training. The introduction of the European education system will increase the prestige of the university, and therefore increase the annual fee for the right to study in the Western way.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that it is still not clear how the Bologna system will be introduced en masse. “During the administrative reform, when all government commissions were eliminated, we also lost the commission that led the discussion with European colleagues within the framework of the Bologna process,” explained Sergei Komkov. “Today, there is a single body that would control the integration of the European system into the Russian one, "There simply does not exist, just as there is no single position on this issue. And therefore, each university decides for itself what the new education system will look like."

According to Komkov, if officials plan to carry out reform at an accelerated pace, they will have to choose - either put pressure on universities, as is now happening with the Unified State Exam, or carry out the reform selectively. “The main thing is that the process of introducing the system does not take place by force,” Bunimovich is convinced. “You cannot paint all universities with the same brush. The system will benefit weak institutions. As for the leading educational centers of the country, they should be given the freedom of choice to join the Bologna process " or not".

Briefly about the Bologna process

Since 1999, the year the Bologna Declaration was signed by the ministers of education of 29 European states, the Bologna process has come to be called a movement whose goal is to harmonize the education systems, especially higher education, of European countries.

A single educational space should allow the national education systems of European countries to take the best that their partners have - by increasing the mobility of students, teachers, management personnel, strengthening ties and cooperation between European universities, etc. As a result, a united Europe will become more attractive in the global education market.

To ensure harmonization, higher education systems must become “transparent”, maximally comparable, which can be achieved through the widespread dissemination of similar educational cycles (bachelor's - master's degrees), the introduction of unified or easily recalculated systems of educational loans (credit units), identical forms of recording received qualifications, mutual recognition of academic qualifications, developed structures for ensuring the quality of training of specialists, etc.

In September 2003, at the Berlin Conference of Ministers of Education of the countries participating in the Bologna Process, by that time already 33, the Russian Federation, represented by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Vladimir Mikhailovich Filippov, signed the Bologna Declaration, thereby committing to implement the main principles of the Bologna process.

This means that Russia ceases to be isolated and gains the opportunity to influence decisions made by participants in the Bologna process.

Basic principles of the Bologna process

The Bologna process is a movement whose goal is to create a unified educational space. The Russian Federation joined the Bologna Process in September 2003 at the Berlin Conference, committing to implement the basic principles of the Bologna process by 2010.

The formation of a pan-European higher education system within the framework of the Bologna process is based on the commonality of fundamental principles for the functioning of higher education. The proposals being considered within the framework of the Bologna process are as follows:

· introduction of two-level training;

· introduction of a credit system;

· quality control of education;

· expansion of mobility;

· ensuring employment of graduates;

· ensuring the attractiveness of the European education system.

All developed countries are experiencing similar trends in higher education, so some of the urgent changes in Russia objectively coincide with the recommendations of the Bologna Declaration. The problems stimulating the Bologna process are in many ways characteristic of Russia. It is also obvious that self-isolation from the global educational space can have negative consequences for any national educational system. In this regard, efforts should be combined to develop education, while preserving national achievements and traditions. This will make Russian higher education more competitive. It is necessary to develop international integration, preserving the best of our own experience.

Higher education in Russia has one fundamental feature that is not found either in Europe or in America - this is the concentration of elite universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and in a number of academic centers. This creates a fundamental problem of training modern-level specialists in the regions. The low level of mobility associated with the low level of income of the population contradicts one of the key directions of development outlined in the Bologna Declaration.

Due to new economic conditions in Russia, priority funding for universities has ceased.

Participation in the Bologna process does not mean the unification of higher education systems. It denotes the desire for comparability of education systems, to make both the labor market and the higher education system more dynamic and responsive to the needs of the time.

Among the tasks of the Bologna process, the transition to a two-level system is considered the main one for Russia. The introduction of a two-tier system provides for:

§ first stage - bachelor (at least three years);

§ second stage - master's degree (two years).

The first stage is that the training must last for at least three years. The degree awarded after the first stage must be in demand on the European labor market as a qualification of the appropriate level.

The second stage should lead to a master's degree and/or a doctorate (Ph.D), as is customary in many European countries.

With the introduction of a two-stage system, an artificial difference in parallel programs arises. Therefore, in the process of adaptation, a unique eclectic system with the following features was implemented everywhere:

§ identical preparation in the first four years both in the specialty and in the direction;

§ almost all bachelor graduates enter the fifth year;

§ both bachelors and certified specialists (in the second year) enter the master's program, that is, graduates are formally of the same level as masters.

This three-level system turned out to be flexible, as it retains traditional elements (5 years) and ensures integration with the European system (bachelors - masters).

The transition to a bachelor's degree cannot be allowed to mean higher education for the poor in three years. Russia should not abandon the principle of fundamentality of our education, which distinguishes our education system. In this sense, much depends on the curriculum, and not on how many years we devote to it. During the Soviet heyday of our education system, students actually studied for less than 5 years overall. Therefore, in order to further preserve and develop our fundamental education, it is necessary to review programs, curricula and methodological resources, and consider the possibilities of intensifying and optimizing the educational process.

The introduction of a three-year or four-year bachelor's degree as the first level of higher education is not an attempt to save on higher education, which critics of the Bologna system in Russia often lament. Those bachelors who wish or, due to objective reasons, are forced to stop at this level will do so for purely pragmatic reasons. If it happens that, purely hypothetically, one hundred percent of bachelors are ready to study further, for a master’s degree, the Russian higher education system should be ready to finance their education.

Comparison of educational programs is carried out using a credit system, which has long been used in Western European and American universities. The credit system makes educational programs transparent and, most importantly, comparable, which allows increasing the academic mobility of students. Loans are an important component of the pan-European education system within the framework of the Bologna process. In accordance with this principle, for each academic discipline, depending on the amount of work and its significance from the point of view of mastering a future profession, experts determine a credit score and grade. In case of successful mastery of each discipline, the student “collects” credits, the total amount of which allows him to obtain a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Comparability of curricula allows students to choose programs in different universities that correspond to the qualifications they receive, which, subject to successful completion, are counted as completed material at their university. Credits reflect the amount of work required to complete each course in relation to the total amount of work required for a full academic year's program at the university, including seminars, lectures, practical exercises, independent work, examinations and tests. In the European credit transfer system, 60 credits in terms of workload represent one academic year, 30 - a semester, 20 - a trimester. To participate in the system, universities prepare annually updated information packages with a full description of the content, training requirements, assessment system, teaching methods, and departments conducting training. The information must also include a complete plan for the grade level and administrative procedures for registering for the program.

Achieving greater compatibility and comparability of higher education systems is also facilitated by the adoption of a system of understandable and comparable degrees. There are currently significant differences in academic degree systems. In Europe there are three of them, in Russia there are four: bachelor, master, candidate and doctor.

Despite the mixed assessments of the European educational space and the heterogeneity of domestic higher education, it is obvious that the development of the Bologna process is a tool for harmonizing the higher education systems of the participating countries and can be a mutually beneficial way to form a single European market for highly qualified labor and higher education. Russia's participation in this process can make it possible to achieve an equal position for our universities and specialists not only in the European but also in the world community, solve the problem of recognition of Russian diplomas and strengthen our position in the global market of educational services. It is advisable to consider Russia’s participation in the Bologna Convention as a way to reform the domestic education system, its rapprochement with the European one, subject to the preservation of the fundamental values and features and competitive advantages of the domestic education system.

If we talk about the development of the Russian higher education system in the context of Bologna, it is worth trying to highlight the potential benefits that are present in it for Russia.

1. Thanks to Bologna innovations, Russian education will become more adequate to the real challenges of globalization. Together with other European countries, Russia will fully participate in the creation of a transnational pan-European education system.

2. Russia actually has a fairly effective and quite competitive higher education system. If the Russian education system confirms its status as competitive, capable of being open to training programs for foreign students and teachers, then its benefits and influence on international education will grow. If shortcomings are revealed, it will be necessary to implement truly necessary reforms in the education sector without delay.

3. Within the framework of the Bologna process, it will be possible to re-solve general questions about the role and place of higher education in modern society, about its rational scale, about the desired proportion of citizens with higher education in the country’s population, about the real needs of society for university graduates with bachelor’s degrees and master's degree. As Europeans predict, during the Bologna reforms the role of universities in society will increase.

4. In line with the expected growth in the competitiveness of European higher education, the competitiveness of Russian higher education will increase. Due to European recognition, Russian higher education will become more attractive for foreign students. Russia will have an additional chance to defeat competitors in the fight for foreign students. Along with European universities, Russian universities will be able to “attract talent from all over the world.”

5. The Bologna process will help the Russian pedagogical community to redefine the role and place of the Ministry of Education in the higher education system, to learn from the experience of European universities that interact with their ministries of education, maintaining university autonomy and maintaining reasonable accountability to government agencies. It will contribute to the approval of new forms of certification: in addition to the often formal state certification, corporate certification will also be used, which is much more demanding, ensuring recognition of the success of a particular university by the professional community.

6. The content of higher education will naturally continue to evolve. In a single European higher education space, it will be possible to define common qualification requirements for European countries, including Russia, create pan-European subject associations of universities (networks of universities in areas of training), and adapt curricula to the requirements of modern society.

7. According to the authors of the Bologna Process, European students should receive qualifications that will give them the opportunity to effectively study further (after bachelor's, master's and then doctoral) and work throughout Europe. The Bologna process will make it possible, on the basis of a soft consensus, to “find a common denominator for European education.” Together with other participating countries, Russia will begin to develop comparable qualifications in areas of training for the whole of Europe.

8. The prestige of higher education in the country will grow, in particular, under the influence of the opportunity to find a well-paid job in Europe in their specialty - young people will have an additional incentive to study at a university. In addition, while studying at universities in Europe under mobility programs, Russian students will be able to get acquainted with the real conditions of life and work in the West, which will better allow them to avoid mistakes when deciding to look for work abroad.

9. The scale will noticeably increase and the quality of foreign language proficiency of Russian students and teachers will rise. The presence of representatives of Russian universities in a language environment during the implementation of academic mobility programs, often among native speakers, will make their linguistic skills much more pragmatic. This, undoubtedly, will ultimately have an impact on the methodological systems of teaching foreign languages in Russia, which are still, albeit in an implicit form, influenced by the consequences of seventy years of life behind the Iron Curtain. Students will directly have access to the most current lexical and grammatical layer of the foreign languages they study.

10. An undoubted benefit from the Bologna process will be the promotion of Russian culture - a significantly larger number of Europeans will have the opportunity to study the Russian language, get acquainted with Russian culture, with the pedagogical traditions of our higher education, which will organically spread among foreign students and teachers arriving in Russia on academic programs mobility.

11. The general cultural level of the country will increase. Academic mobility will significantly increase the opportunities for Russian students, teachers and university administrators to become familiar with the cultural values of European countries. While staying abroad, Russian students will get acquainted with national and cultural characteristics and cultural monuments.

12. Russia will increasingly begin to feel like a full-fledged and full-fledged European country. Thanks to the Bologna process, Russian universities, together with universities in other European countries, will be able to participate “in enriching the concept of European citizenship,” proceed from common European values, and develop the cultural dimension of Europe. Russian citizens will begin to develop the psychology of a European citizen, who is characterized by religious tolerance, breadth of ideological views, understanding of the natural diversity of national cultures and traditions and their respect. The ideological foundations of interethnic hatred and aggressiveness on national grounds will be undermined.

There has been a lot of debate and talk about the Bologna education system lately: some encourage innovations associated with its implementation and see a decent number of advantages from its influence on students, while others, on the contrary, are very skeptical.

But there are those, and, I must say, quite a few, who do not even know what it is, why it is needed and whether it is worth thinking about this strange process at all. Of course, first of all, these issues affect future students - when they go to universities to seek new professional knowledge, they often do not know at all what and how it works there. Let's figure it out.

With the advent of the new millennium, a new concept, at that time still unknown to anyone, burst into the world of education - the Bologna system, which was supposed to greatly modernize and, in some places, radically change the system of higher education in Europe, as well as in some countries of the post-Soviet space .

The official start date of all reforms is considered to be 1999, when 29 participating countries signed the Bologna Declaration. Since then, 19 more countries have joined the process, including Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, which was the last to sign the agreement in 2015.

Since then, higher education in the participating countries has been brought to common standards, which has made it possible to transform it into a common European space.

Why was this necessary?

The question immediately arises: what prompted the entire European community to so actively modernize and unify the existing system of higher education? After all, as was believed for a long time, the Russian and European systems were considered one of the strongest in this regard, what has changed? And the reasons are:

The whole world is subject to progress, development, globalization and the expansion of cultural and economic ties; it would be strange if higher education remained unchanged. As a result, it has also been included in the processes of globalization.
Over time, the European system began to be much inferior to the American one, and in order not to lose its position and potential students (which is fraught with the drain of valuable personnel), a decision was made to transform it.

What is it?

What are the features of the Bologna education system, what is it and how does it affect the educational process? In general terms, it looks something like this: according to it, the entire educational process is divided into two main cycles of education.

The first cycle is preliminary, which can last 3-4 years and ends with a bachelor's degree and diploma. This level is already considered a completed higher education and a person who has received documents confirming a bachelor’s degree already has the right to get a job as a full-fledged specialist.

The second cycle is another year or two of study, which ends with obtaining a master's degree, which, to a greater extent, involves continued study, as well as the development of one's own scientific activity. As you can see, the duration of study in different countries and even universities in the same country can vary significantly, which is explained by the incomplete unification of the European education system.

Also, some prestigious universities have retained certain kinds of traditions, which imply certain differences in educational systems.

The next point of the Bologna system is a special assessment system called the credit system or ECTS. Here, under the credit, a special unit of measurement is raised, which characterizes the amount of academic work performed by the student in various forms: independent study, practice, lectures, and so on.

During the semester, a student must receive a certain number of credits, which characterizes the amount of material he has completed. If credits are a quantitative assessment, then there is also a qualitative assessment, which helps determine the student’s level of knowledge. It is divided according to the principle of a 7-point scale.

All of these generally accepted assessment systems allow a student studying at a university participating in the Bologna process to begin his education at one university and continue at another.

Advantages and disadvantages

The issues of the Bologna education system have many sides; its advantages and disadvantages are actively discussed by the population of various countries, including Russia, whose opinions differ sharply. Let's try to figure it out.

So, the pros

From a global perspective, the Bologna process contributes to strengthening the economic, cultural and political ties of European countries.
Two cycles of education allow the student to make a choice: go to work earlier or continue their professional training at a university. In addition, the credit system is a real chance to start education in one country and continue abroad, where, for example, you can significantly improve the professional skills of your chosen specialty. In addition, this opens up prospects for finding work in different countries.
Formation of a competitive market of trained specialists.

Disadvantages of the system

The system is largely focused on developed European countries, and differences in the economic development of different countries in the process are simply not taken into account. The mobility of students who study under this system is very attractive for the best personnel: naturally, students with the highest grades tend to move to the most developed countries with the highest wages, while less prosperous areas remain without “bright minds.”
It is believed that diplomas received at universities operating under the Bologna system are equalized: you can get a diploma, for example, in Ukraine, and go to work in Europe. But in practice, for some reason, things are different. For example, diplomas obtained on the territory of the Russian Federation, most often, are not valued in Europe, just like vice versa, which creates considerable difficulties for young specialists.
Reducing the duration of study to 4 years has a strong impact on the quality of graduates’ training.