Credential Templates, The Former USSR and the Russian Federation

The final State attestation includes the defence of a thesis and State final examinations.
The thesis is based on original research under the guidance of a supervisor. The document of a
Master's degree indicates both the discipline and the research area and follows the general format
of the document of a Bachelor's degree.
The State educational standard defines only general requirements for Master programs
and not specific requirements for the content of education. Institutions of higher education make
their own decisions regarding the program content.
Language of Instruction
The principal language of higher education in the Russian Federation is Russian. Higher
education may be conducted in other languages of the Russian Federation, as well as foreign
languages. The language of education is set by the appropriate administrative body.
Summary of Rationale:
The IQAS placement recommendation takes into account the following factors as
outlined above:
• admission requirements
• length of the study
• outcome of the study
• general content
• other placement recommendations
IQAS recommends that:
The Master's degree in the Russian Federation generally compares to the completion of a
2-year Master's degree with a focus in xxx.
Grading:
The grading system in higher education in the Russian Federation is the same as that in
the former USSR. It includes the same grading scale as at the other levels of education.
Additionally, some courses are marked зачет (zachet), which is usually translated as pass or
credit. No more than five set examinations are typically graded each semester. The remaining
courses of the term are marked зачет (zachet), if passed. Students can continue their programs
and graduate only if they pass each subject of the curriculum. Students are only allowed to resit a
failed exam two times.
Scale Description
5 Excellent (Отлично, Otlichno)
4 Good (Хорошо, Horosho)
Satisfactory (Удовлетворительно,
3
2
Udovletvoritel'no)
Fail (Неудовлетворительно,
Neudovletvoritel'no)
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