North-Western Russia

GENERAL INFORMATION


LIVE AND WORK IN RUSSIA


BUSINESS IN NORTH-WESTERN RUSSIA


LIFE SCIENCE IN NORTH-WESTERN RUSSIA

There are more than 30 research units specializing in life sciences and biotechnology in St. Petersburg and the vicinities. Some of those are faculties of universities and are carrying out their research along with accomplishing the educational programmes. To estimate the number of students graduating annually from various faculties and starting their careers as specialists in life sciences, one should exclude from that number some 1.2 thousand general practitioners and doctors of narrow specialization. Nevertheless the remaining amount is not a small one i.e. about 400 young biologists are expected to take their place at the lab benches every year. In reality some 40-50 per cent of those continue as researchers.

Strong life Science areas:

  • Computer sciences
  • Organic and pharmaceutical chemistry
  • Physics (including fundamental and applied laser physics)
  • Biophysics
  • Genetics (including molecular genetics in medicine)
  • Cell biology
  • Marine biology
  • Plant biology
  • Collaboration among researchers and networks

STUDY IN NORTH WESTERN RUSSIA

 Education and Research
Organisation: There are 721 state (including 45 regional public HEIs) and 369 accredited non-state HEIs in Russia. The Federal Agency for Education finances 338 state HEIs. The rest is financed by other Ministries or local authorities.

Qualifications: There are three levels of higher education: 1) incomplete higher education (2 years at least); 2) 4-year programmes leading to the Bakalavr's degree, the first final university degree; 3) postgraduate studies with duration of 1-2 years leading to the Specialist Diploma or the Magistr degree. HEIs are authorized to award the Magistr's degree after the completion of 2 years of study or the Specialist Diploma after 1 year of study following upon the Bakalavr's degree. Scientific degrees in Russia traditionally include two levels of doctoral degrees: the Candidate of Sciences (the first level, equivalent to PhD) and the Doctor of Sciences (the second, highest level).

Admission requirements: Students must hold the Secondary School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent. There are compulsory pre-academic programmes for those who do not have proficiency in Russian or/and for those with weak pre-university training. They must successfully pass entrance exams/tests. Foreign applicants entering universities should not be older than 28 (35 for doctoral studies in Aspirantura).
Source : International Association of Universities – IAU, Online Databases