‘I Love Learning in a Multicultural Environment’
The Master’s programme in Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation at HSE University has long been popular with international students due to the versatility of its curriculum, strong practical focus, and talented faculty. International students of the programme talk about the advantages of the programme, their favourite courses, and career aspirations.
Bernal Alvarez Manuel Alejandro (Colombia), first-year student
Choosing HSE
I decided to study at HSE Moscow quite a long time ago, when I was still a bachelor’s student in Kazan (Russia). HSE is recognized as one of the top universities in Russia—it performs well in international rankings. What’s more, there’s a special atmosphere here — a breeze of joy, hospitality, and a plethora of opportunities for students in all sorts of different realms.
I got my place at HSE thanks to the Open Doors Scholarship Project. The decision to study Governance of STI was a mix of both passion and a bit of luck because I have always had a thing for technology and the social sciences. This programme combines both—it is unique in this respect, but I didn’t learn about it until I was awarded the scholarship.
I chose HSE having faith that I would find a programme I would fall in love with, and it happened just like that
Studying Governance of STI
I believe that what makes the programme of Governance on STI so special is threefold. First, you are trained in managerial skills for the entrepreneurial and business worlds, so if what you are looking for is a corporate job afterward, you certainly will learn useful things here.
Second, on the other hand, the STI programme has a major policy component, which helps you understand the place of your country and region in the world, and it gives you some perspective on the direction it should go in the future. I think it is inspiring in that respect.
Third, in addition to the business and policy aspects, the programme provides you with structured academic training. Here I have learned several useful theories and strategies to approach academic research, which I think is good for structuring your thinking, regardless of whether you want to pursue an academic career or not.
My studies are going well. I liked, in particular, the Competitive Intelligence course because many of the tools we learned can be used in everyday business. Our teacher was also very demanding, so I had to digest a huge amount of information in a relatively short period of time.
The professors here are wonderful. In terms of inspiration, I would mention Dr. Jonathan Calof. He has extensive experience in both the academic and business worlds, so his stories were fascinating and full of useful tips. In Prof. Vitaly Roud’s course, I liked how we needed to write constantly, and I think that is probably the best way to learn. When it comes to explanations and support, Prof. Ekaterina Streltsova, who taught Research Methods for STI, is the teacher that comes to mind. Her explanations were clear and she was very supportive, even outside of the classroom.
Finally, I would also highlight Prof. Stanislav Zaichenko, who is my supervisor this year. He has dedicated many hours to working with me, which I appreciate because his advice leads me from vague ideas to a concrete research topic and the right approach to it. His standards are high, so I had to work very hard in order to meet them, especially now that we are about to deliver the final version of my term paper.
Future Plans
My plans for the nearest future are quite big and ambitious. First, I want to finish my Master´s degree, but I am also planning on getting Russian citizenship, or at least a permit that allows me to work without trouble.
Many things have changed since I came in 2015 and the fact that I can work as a foreign student without any restrictions was a game changer
I got a job shortly after the law was enforced in 2020. I work at RetailCRM, in the international branch, as an analyst. And now one of my goals also is to grow inside the company I work for and get settled in Russia on a long-term basis.
Zhang Xiaoqian (China), second-year student
Choosing HSE
In 2019, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at Shandong University, China. Being a language major, I was very interested in technology and innovation in language-related fields such as machine translation, speech recognition, etc. I participated in several related projects during my undergraduate years and wanted to know more about technology and innovation in general.
I got to know about HSE when I was a sophomore studying at Perm State University as an exchange student for one year. HSE has a campus there. My Russian friends told me that HSE is very cool and international. I learnt more about it on its official website and found that HSE is a young and dynamic university with many extraordinary professors and talented students from all over the world.
Studying Governance of STI
The English-taught Programme in Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation is exactly what I wanted for my Master’s studies, plus I love learning in a multicultural environment.
I just went for it and now I’m glad that I made this choice
Everything’s going well with my studies—I’m doing my Master thesis research right now. I plan to work in the ICT industry, but I do not rule out a career in academia.
Currently, I unfortunately cannot go back to Moscow due to COVID, so I am in China. I really miss Moscow. To be honest, I prefer in-person education where students and professors have more interaction.
There are many interesting subjects in this programme, such as Economics of Innovation, Measurement of STI, Competitive Intelligence, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Foresight, Research Seminar, etc. The teachers are all supportive and inspiring.
Everyone has their own style and great expertise in a certain field. I enjoy their lectures and seminars very much
Besides full-time HSE lecturers and professors, we also have many guest lecturers from other universities such as MSU, from other countries such as Netherlands, USA, Canada, Korea, France. They always bring fascinating perspectives.
HSE University welcomes applicants from all over the world and offers not only different levels of study, but also different formats in English and Russian, online and offline. International applicants can apply for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in a separate admissions process for foreign applicants and receive scholarships with full or partial tuition fee coverage.
Undergraduate applicants can test their chances of admission now by taking mock tests. Master’s applicants also have the opportunity to get a preliminary assessment of their portfolio and communicate with their programme of choice online.
To learn more about HSE University, its admission process, or life in Moscow, please visit International Admissions website, or contact the Education & Training Advisory Centre. The staff are happy to advise applicants and their parents via e-mail at inter@hse.ru, by phone +7 (495) 531 00 59, or WhatsApp +7 (916) 311 85 21, as well as on social media in Russian and in English: Vkontakte, Facebook, Telegram and Instagram.
Stanislav A. Zaichenko
Leading Research Fellow, Laboratory for Economics of Innovation
Jonathan Larry Calof
Leading Research Fellow, Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies
Vitaliy Roud
Deputy Head, Laboratory for Economics of Innovation
Ekaterina Streltsova
Deputy Director, Centre for Statistics and Monitoring of S&T and Innovation
See also:
Over 56,000 Participants from 196 Countries Registered for Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project
The first stage of the Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project for prospective master’s and doctoral students has concluded. The winners of the competition get an opportunity to study at Russian universities for free. HSE University is among the most popular universities on the project.
Record Number of Participants Register for the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project
More than 56,000 international participants from 197 countries have registered for Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project organized by Association of Global Universities for master’s and doctoral programme applicants.Registration for the competition closed on December 10, 2020.
‘I Can Definitely Recommend HSE University to International Students’
Rakib Hassan Pran, from Bangladesh, is currently doing his Master’s in Applied Statistics with Network Analysis at the HSE International Laboratory for Applied Network Research. Before enrolling at HSE, Rakib worked in information security wing of a Bank (Exim Bank BD) in Bangladesh. He got a leave from his job to study at HSE University in Moscow.
35,229
Students have registered for the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project for international graduate applicants. The results of the first competition round will be announced December 30, 2019.
Open Doors Scholarship Competition for International Applicants: Register Now!
More than 40,000 participants from 183 countries have already registered for the Open Doors Scholarship Competition. The competition, which is held by the Association of Global Universities, gives international applicants the opportunity to enroll tuition-free in a Master’s programme of a participating Russian university of their choice without having to take entrance exams. The deadline to submit your portfolio for consideration is December 18.
‘I Would Strongly Recommend Studying in Russia’
Abrar Riaz has come to Moscow from Pakistan to study in theCognitive Sciences and Technologies: from Neuron to Cognition Master’s programme at HSE University. He was accepted to the programme through Russia’s Open Doors Scholarship Project. Abrar spoke with the HSE News Service about why he chose HSE University and what it was like to participate in the competition.
From Law to Linguistics: How a Columbian Student Came to Study at HSE University
What’s the best way to learn Russian? Is it difficult to get used to the Siberian winter? Can you teach Russian language if you’re not a native speaker of it? Andres Cuéllar, a student of the Master’s programme ‘Russian as a Foreign Language in Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Perspective’, has discussed these and other issues with HSE News Service.
'I Am Very Happy to Have the Opportunity to Study at HSE University'
This fall, Madhavi Karunarathne came to HSE University from Sri Lanka, where she earned her bachelor’s in finance at the University of Colombo. She is now beginning her studies in the Master’s Programme ‘Strategic Corporate Finance’. The new master’s student came through Russia’s Open Doors Scholarship Project for international prospective master’s students, which allows scholarship recipients to study at one of 21 participating Russian universities tuition-free. Madhavi spoke with HSE News Service about why she chose HSE, what it was like to participate in the Open Doors Scholarship competition, and how she is liking her studies.
Master’s Programmes in Russia Welcome Talented International Students
Registration for the Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project for international applicants to Russian Master’s programmes is open until December 18. The competition consists of two online rounds. The first round is a portfolio competition.
> 20,000
participants from 158 countries have already registered for the Open Doors Olympiad, an international competition organized by the Association of Global Universities. This event gives participants a chance to get tuition-free admission to English or Russian-taught Master’s programmes at Russia’s top universities.