Credential Templates, The Former USSR and the Russian Federation

Forms of Education
There are different forms of education: full-time, part-time (evening and correspondence
programs), and so-called externat (a form of education that enables individuals to study
independently and to take examinations). The State Education Standard specifies acceptable
forms of education for each specialisation. The minimum content requirements set by the State
Education Standard do not depend on the form of education.
Academic Year
Entrance examinations are traditionally held in August. The academic year runs from
September to June. It is divided into two academic semesters with examinations held at the end
of each. Examinations may be oral or written and number about five per semester. In contrast to
other countries, in the Russian Federation 100% of the course grade is determined by the final
examination grade in that subject. Other courses may be evaluated as pass/fail. In order to
qualify for the final examination, students must also complete professional practice
requirements.
The university level higher education curriculum stipulates 36 weeks of study a year.
Depending on the field of study (specialisation), mandatory courses in the curriculum constitute
80 to 85 percent, optional courses 15 to 20 percent. The total workload of a student should not
exceed 54 hours a week, including classroom work and independent studies. For part-time
evening education, classwork should be no less than 10 hours a week. In the case of
correspondence education, students are offered at least 160 contact hours a year.
It is important to note that the system of higher education in the Russian Federation, as in
the former USSR, emphasizes contact hours at the expense of homework and independent study.
Therefore a direct conversion of instructional hours in the Russian Federation to semester hours
(credits) in Western countries may be misleading.
One of the current initiatives of the Russian Ministry of Education in conjunction with
the Bologna process is the introduction of credits. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
uses a standard system of 30 hours corresponding to one ECTS credit. It is envisioned that one
academic year will comprise of approximately 60 credits.
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.
Curriculum Standards
As in the former USSR, higher education programs in the Russian Federation are divided
into study areas (направления, napravleniya), which are further subdivided into specialisations
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