Is a bachelor's degree a higher education or not? Features, description and capabilities. What is the difference between a bachelor's degree and a master's degree - how many years to study, how to get a diploma Education after college is called

It is precisely under this scheme - first a bachelor's degree, and then, if desired, either a master's degree or employment - that students in Western universities have been studying for a long time. When it came to the fact that Russia would enter the Bologna process (and this is necessary in order for diplomas from our universities to be recognized throughout the world), they started talking about the need to transfer our educational institutions to two-level education.

State Duma deputies legalized this system at the end of 2007. Every year more and more universities switch to it.

How many years do you have to sit at a desk?

The bachelor's program lasts 4 years. A bachelor's degree is a full-fledged higher education. The diploma of such a graduate will say: “awarded a bachelor’s qualification (degree) in such and such a field.” A master's degree is two more years at the institute. It is intended for those who want to go into science or become a teacher. That is, deepen your knowledge in your field as much as possible.

However, some universities will retain the traditional five-year program, or specialty. Specialist diplomas will be issued where there are “specialties that ensure the security of the individual and the state.” These are, for example, military and engineering schools. Medical universities will also retain their special system of training specialists.

By the way, in addition to this situation (11th grade of school - bachelor's degree - master's degree), there are others. For example, a boy or girl can first go to college after the 9th grade, and only then apply to a university. At the same time, you will then have to study for a bachelor’s degree not for four, but only for three years. If at a university a young man continues his studies in the same field as in college.

Will there be enough places in the master's program for everyone?

To enroll in a master's program, you will have to pass exams. It is clear that there will be fewer budget places there than in bachelor’s programs. For example, in one of the largest Russian universities - the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation, its rector Mikhail Eskindarov said at a recent online conference in "KP", this year there are 570 budget places in undergraduate courses (full-time) and only 100 in master's degree

One way or another, the number of places for master's degrees in all universities will be different. This depends on the quality of training, personnel and material capabilities of the educational institution.

The most talented young people will be able to study for a master's degree for free.

Those who pass the exams worse, if, of course, there are enough places, will be enrolled in paid training. It is quite possible for those who have studied at a university for 5 years to continue their studies in a master's program. But they will have to pay for this pleasure, since it is believed that for a specialist graduate this is already a second-level higher education.

Is this a normal education?

The two-tier education system has many opponents. Some are sure: bachelors are the same as dropped out students. Representatives of leading universities, which switched to the new training system without waiting for the law to appear, do not agree with this. Among the leaders are Baumanka, RUDN University, and MGIMO.

Professor, scientific director of the Faculty of Psychology at the Higher School of Economics Vladimir Shadrikov in an interview with KP noted that two-level education allows the introduction of more flexible courses. For example, at the Faculty of Psychology there are "towers" per bachelor's program. Another plus is that the “bachelor’s – master’s” system allows current students to think about a career much earlier.

And without compromising your studies. This is also confirmed by international experience: almost 80 percent of graduates of American universities graduate from their alma mater with a bachelor's degree.

What do employers think?

Many fathers and mothers of current applicants doubt whether they should send their beloved child to a bachelor’s degree. Will a young man with such an education then find a prestigious job? The director of marketing and PR group of HeadHunter companies thinks differently:

For an employer, it is, first of all, important to have higher education as such. When posting a vacancy, few people indicate: “Masters required” or “Bachelors required.” At the same time, applicants often avoid the word “bachelor” in resumes and interviews, focusing on higher education.

In these cases, they are guided by the consideration that a bachelor's degree implies an opportunity to obtain a master's degree, which may seem to the future boss to have been missed. Therefore, they try to avoid pressing questions from the HR manager.

Companies value the knowledge and experience of the employee they hire. And sometimes the line “master’s degree” can play a decisive role in choosing one of two applicants.

It is also undeniable that for many professional fields (particularly marketing and journalism), two years of practical experience is more important than two years spent in lectures. This situation is unlikely to change in the near future. Although for areas of activity where fundamental knowledge is needed - economics, law, pharmaceuticals, psychology - a master's degree should be a priority.

In the summer, many school graduates rush to apply to one or more selected universities to continue their studies and acquire their chosen profession.

Equal diplomas

Not so long ago, Russian universities graduated only specialists with diplomas. For example, a graduate of a technical university became an engineer, agronomist, or economist with the prefix of a certain specialty. They wanted to change this scheme back in the 90s of the twentieth century and make it similar to the Western one. Europeans and Americans produce bachelors and masters in their universities.

This innovation was established to ensure that the diplomas that students receive upon graduating from a Russian higher education institution are recognized in other countries. So that the graduate does not have to re-study abroad or confirm his education in any way. Thanks to similar duration of training and common titles, it becomes clear to any employer in the world what kind of education the applicant has received for the job.

Why a two-tier system?

To realize our plans, our country joined the Bologna Convention. This required bringing the higher education sector to the standards required by the participating countries. Today, the law on higher and postgraduate education establishes a two-level system of higher education: bachelor and master.

Why a two-tier model? The main reason lies in the fact that such a system of training specialists is better adapted to a market economy. This model has long been used in the USA, Canada, England and other countries, and it is this model that has determined their economic success.

The term "bachelor"

Where does this word originate? What is a bachelor's degree? From English the term is translated as:

• Young vassal knight.
• Lonely male.
• Bachelor.

If you think about it, it turns out that this is a young man looking for his place in the sun in this world. A completely appropriate name for someone who is at the beginning of their life’s journey.

The essence of the bachelor

What is a bachelor's degree? This is a graduate of a higher educational institution. Today, many people who graduate from a university have a “bachelor” in their diploma. Is this higher education or not? The graduate receives a completed higher professional education, only, unlike a master's degree, at a basic level. Preparation of a bachelor's degree takes four years, during which the student receives fundamental knowledge of a general scientific and general professional nature without narrow specialization.

Fundamental training makes it easier to adapt to the constantly changing labor market, where it is necessary to master related professions. Nowadays, most employers are satisfied with the basic higher education of the applicant. The rest will be shown and told to him on the spot.

Study or work?

Many future graduates are concerned about the question: is a bachelor’s degree a higher education or not? This is the first level of higher education. The student receives a bachelor's degree, then, without interruption in his studies, he can continue his studies at the institute and enroll in a master's program. What if he is tired of studying and wants to take a break? When a young man decides to take a break from his studies, basic vocational training and a bachelor's degree will give him the right, on an equal basis with other graduates of higher educational institutions, to apply for the corresponding position. After some time, when experience has been accumulated, he will be able to more consciously continue his studies in a master’s program at any university in our country or abroad.

The term "master's degree"

Translated from Latin it means “mentor”, “teacher”. Master's degree is the second level of higher education, it is focused, among other things, on teaching and research activities. To enter here you must pass exams. A master's degree provides an opportunity to enroll in graduate school.

How many diplomas do you get? After four years of study at a university, the student is given a bachelor's diploma, with which he has the right to enter a master's program; after two years of study, he receives a diploma. It turns out that after 6 years of successful study he has two diplomas in his hands.

Thus, answering the question of what a bachelor is, let’s summarize: this is a young man (or girl) who has acquired basic knowledge in the chosen specialty and received a university diploma.

The transition period ended in 2011, and now all universities have switched to a two-level education system “bachelor - master”. Only military, medical and artistic higher education institutions were not included in this list. Master's programs are mainly concentrated in state higher educational institutions, while bachelor's programs are present in non-state institutions. The list of university majors is very extensive. It depends on the name and direction of the educational institution itself.

So, we found out what a bachelor is. There are very different areas of preparation for this academic degree. For example, Bachelor of Economics. Having received such a diploma, a young person will be able to work in organizations of various industries and forms of ownership, providing economic, marketing, analytical, financial, production and economic services. Also, upon graduation, he is awarded a bachelor's degree or, in other words, a qualification.

From the history

In the pre-revolutionary period of Russian history, the title of “master” was introduced by Alexander I in 1803. A master's degree occupied an intermediate position between a candidate (a person who graduated from the university with honors) and a doctor. A master's degree made it possible to obtain the rank of titular councilor.

Academic degrees could only be given by the following universities: Moscow, Dorpat, Kazan, Kharkov. The degree was awarded after the student passed the master's exam. Preparation for it took about 4 years. The pre-revolutionary master's degree can be approximately equated to the current candidate of sciences. The requirements for obtaining a master's degree were comparable and comparable to the doctorate of philosophy in Europe at that time. In most Russian universities, at the end of the 19th century, the candidate degree was abolished and the “master - doctor” model began to exist. After the revolution in Russia, all academic degrees were eliminated, and they did not exist until 1934.

Bologna Declaration

European education ministers signed a joint statement in Bologna in 1999. The declaration speaks of the creation of a single European higher education area and the intention of the countries that signed it to promote the European HE system throughout the world. Our country joined this movement in 2003; it became the 40th country to sign it.

Naturally, there are also opponents of the pro-Western education system. It is not without reason that the Russian model of education in a number of areas of training is not only not inferior to the Western one, but even superior to it. Therefore, the unification of education will not have a positive effect on its improvement. There is also an opinion that the equivalence of diplomas will push graduates to leave the country. The imperfection of the base of many universities will not give them the opportunity to participate in the Bologna process.

Bachelor's, specialist's and master's degrees are levels of professional higher education that differ in content and duration of study. To master bachelor's or specialist's programs, you must have a secondary general education, for master's programs - higher education. In the future, the bachelor can continue his studies and obtain a master's degree.

Bachelor's, specialist's and master's degrees as levels of professional higher education

Currently, in the Russian Federation, in particular, the following levels of professional higher education have been established (clauses 2, 3, part 5, article 10 of the Law of December 29, 2012 N 273-FZ):

Bachelor's degree;

Specialty, master's degree.

Moreover, each of the bachelor's, specialist's and master's programs belongs to an independent type of the main professional educational program of higher education. Admission to training is carried out separately for each of these programs (clause “b”, clause 2, part 3, article 12, part 5, article 69 of Law No. 273-FZ).

Persons with appropriate education are allowed to master these programs. Thus, for bachelor's or specialist's programs it is necessary to have a secondary general education, for master's programs - higher education of any level (Parts 2, 3 of Article 69 of Law No. 273-FZ).

Features of specialty, bachelor's and master's degrees

A specialty is an education system familiar to the Russian Federation. Specialists are trained for professional activities in a particular industry. The period for obtaining the first higher education is, as a rule, five years. However, many universities have switched to the Bologna (two-level) education system, which involves the preparation and graduation of bachelors and masters.

A person who intends to obtain his first higher education at a university that has switched to the Bologna education system enters a bachelor's degree program. Subject to successful completion of the final certification, he is awarded the qualification “bachelor” and issued a diploma indicating that he has a higher education (clause 2, part 5, article 10 of Law No. 273-FZ).

Bachelors can continue their studies and obtain a master's degree. It is not necessary to enroll in a master's program at the same university. Admission to master's programs is carried out on a competitive basis based on the results of entrance examinations. Conventionally, a bachelor's degree can be characterized as a basic higher education, and a master's degree as a further specialization (Parts 3, 5, 6 of Article 69 of Law No. 273-FZ).

Unlike bachelor's and specialist's programs, not only universities, but also scientific organizations can carry out training in master's programs (clause 4 of the Procedure, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated April 5, 2017 N 301).

A significant difference between a bachelor, specialist and master is the duration of study, which is established by federal state educational standards. As a rule, to obtain a specialist’s diploma, students study for five years, a bachelor’s diploma for four years, and a master’s diploma for two years (part 4 of article 11 of Law No. 273-FZ; clause 3.3 of the Standard, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated September 12, 2016 N 1173; clause 3.3 of the Standard, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated 08/07/2014 N 943; clause 3.3 of the Standard, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated 08/17/2015 N 827).

What is a bachelor's degree? A bachelor is a university graduate, but does he have Bachelor's degree or not? Just 21 years ago, such a question did not even arise for students, and now, with the transition to Western education standards, we have bachelor's, master's and specialist degrees in higher education.

How these gradations differ, what they give to the graduate and what they do not give, we will examine in this article.

Bachelor's and Master's degrees - what are they?

During the Soviet period of history and until 1996, domestic education standards remained unchanged, and all universities trained only and exclusively specialists. The standard for the duration of education was uniform: almost everywhere the program was designed for 5 years. So, by modern standards, we had only a specialty in the whole country and nothing more. Let's see if this is good or bad.

With the adoption of the law “On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education” in the Russian Federation in 1996, a new era of higher education began. Time-tested fundamentals have been shaken in favor of following pan-European standards.

True, the reforms turned out to be somewhat one-sided. So, if in Europe the curriculum for achieving a bachelor's degree is different and takes from 4 to 6 years, then in Russia for some reason in the vast majority of universities a bachelor's degree is achieved only in 4 years of study.

Since this is a whole year less than the recently standard five-year period of study, many applicants have a reasonable question: is a bachelor’s degree a higher education or not? Maybe this is an unfinished higher education? Bachelor's degree programs are taught in higher educational institutions, but 4 years is still 4 years, so the prestige of this degree among our students was mainly somewhere at the level of secondary vocational education, or technical school. Compared to a bachelor's degree, a specialist's degree looks much more prestigious.

She underwent the next step in reforming the education system in 2003, introducing a new level into the country’s higher educational institutions - master’s degree, when Russia signed the Bologna Declaration of June 19, 1999. Now the choice of three levels has become even more confusing. What to expect? What to strive for? What to do?

What is the difference between a bachelor and a master in the European education system?

In Europe, bachelor's and master's levels have existed since time immemorial, and interestingly, both belong to higher education. But there are still differences, since the names are different. Master's programs at European universities have a more complex study program with a longer duration. Therefore, the master’s level of training is still higher. And a bachelor’s degree is like an initial higher education.

This is confirmed by Federal Law No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation” dated December 29, 2012, Article 10 of which directly states that a bachelor’s degree is a first-level higher education of the three existing today.

What is the difference that a master's degree earns more than a bachelor's degree? For a master's degree, a more in-depth training program in the specialty and specialization is provided. That is, if a bachelor receives knowledge sufficient for professional work in the chosen specialty, then the master’s knowledge should allow him to have sufficient qualifications for theoretical developments and scientific work in the chosen specialization. For a bachelor, scientific activity is still too tough.

This shows the purpose of this division: to obtain specialists who will be able to practice in their chosen specialization at enterprises (bachelors), and those who will be able to develop and enrich the theoretical basis of this specialization, these are masters and specialists.

This makes a bachelor's degree less prestigious for our students, whose fathers all received a much deeper specialization. But not everyone needs it. Having carried out the education reform, we received more practical training, giving different types of people exactly the knowledge that will be useful to them in practical life. And a bachelor’s degree provides the minimum necessary level of knowledge that allows you to successfully work in your specialty, no more.

What is a specialty that we have not yet considered?

What is the difference between a bachelor and a specialist?

As we have already mentioned, a specialty is precisely the education we have been accustomed to since Soviet times, with a curriculum designed to be completed in 5-6 years. A master's degree lasts an average of 6 years, and a bachelor's degree lasts 4 years. These are three levels of higher education. But it’s not just the duration of training that distinguishes these three types. They also have different training programs, because the learning objectives in each of the three cases are different.

We have already found out that bachelors are focused specifically on the practical side of the knowledge they receive and therefore bachelor graduates can fully work in their specialty.

But a student will not be able to enroll in graduate school after graduating from a bachelor’s degree. To do this, he will need to either complete a master's degree or a specialty degree. Only a master's and specialist's graduate can continue scientific work in graduate school. A bachelor is a pure practitioner, not allowed to do scientific work.

It must be said that the specialty is ending its existence today, since it largely overlaps with the master’s program. In the upcoming reform of the Bologna Declaration, it is expected that the form of training for specialists will be replaced by a master's degree to eliminate duplication.

So far, the specialty to a large extent exists as a transitional form from the old Soviet education system to an even older one to the point of confusion with the traditional, European one. And since the European system initially had only two gradations, they will remain in the Russian Federation: bachelor's and master's degrees.

Whose diploma is better: specialist, bachelor's or master's?

This is a question that doesn't make much sense without introducing just one unknown into the equation: Who are we considering higher education for? For a practitioner for whom turning nuts and servicing a boiler room is the height of his aspirations, or for a person capable of developing a theory and discovering something fundamentally new, for example, in the creation of new plastic materials?

Now they are not looking at the “prestige” of the profession as such, but at the degree of its applicability to the development of our country. It is for this reason that we chose the European education system: the Soviet one was very good, we had millions of educated specialists, but which of them worked in their specialty?

And the division of higher education into 3, and in the future into 2 gradations - for practitioners and theorists, creators and competent performers - solves the problem of more adequately filling the existing market for blue-collar and engineering professions.

Bachelor, as the first level of higher education out of three, which are listed in the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” in a form that clearly indicates that there are essentially two of them, that is:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Specialist and Master's degrees.

The bachelor's, specialist and master's degrees received by graduates have different levels of in-depth specialization. But they all have higher education. We remind parents that your children.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Despite the fact that the transition from education according to Soviet standards, that is, training of specialists in universities to European standards, implying the training of bachelors and masters, began quite a long time ago, many are still concerned about the question of whether a bachelor’s degree is a higher education or not. At least search engines are asked about this quite often.

Let's try to figure it out and look at this issue from the point of view of the law, employers and the very idea according to which 2 options for studying at universities were invented. Let's start with it

Bachelor and Master difference

The difference, oddly enough, is very significant. Initially, the Bachelor's degree involved obtaining basic level knowledge, which would be sufficient to work in the specialty acquired. The duration of study, which in Russian universities is usually 4 years, is shorter compared to master's and specialty programs, but the knowledge gained should be sufficient to work in the specialty.

A master's degree involves a longer and more in-depth study of subjects in the specialty. As a result, after 6 years of study, a student who has received a master's degree can not only work in his specialty, but also continue to engage in scientific activities.

The specialty is currently being eliminated from universities; if I remember correctly, in 2011 there was only one specialty left at my university, after completing which one could obtain a specialist diploma. The specialty is the most prestigious. By the way, a specialist and a master are people with the same level of education and, accordingly, opportunities, for example, they can enter graduate school and engage in science, but about the levels of higher education a little lower.

But this is how it should have been and this is how it is in European universities. With ours, as always, “options are possible.”

Is a bachelor's degree a higher education or not? From the employer's point of view

Even from the point of view of the idea it is easier to understand than from the point of view of the employer. But in the last 5-7 years, employers have begun to treat people with a bachelor's degree better.

Bachelor's degree

And all the same, when applying for a job, a bachelor’s degree will rather be a disadvantage, although it is also important how well you show yourself at the interview. About 7 years ago, many people probably heard something like “Who is a bachelor anyway?”, and even after explaining that this is also a higher education, the answer could have been a nod and a promise to call back.

Is a bachelor's degree a higher education or not? From a legal point of view.

Finally, it is possible to give an answer, supported not by views on the lives of individual people or an ideal idea, but by the law of the Russian Federation. To do this, let us turn to the document called Federal Law of December 29, 2012 N 273-FZ (as amended on July 3, 2016) “On Education in the Russian Federation” (as amended and supplemented, entered into force on July 15, 2016), The answer to the question to which the article is devoted is contained in Article 10 of this Federal Law:

1. The following levels of vocational education are established in the Russian Federation:

1) secondary vocational education;

2) higher education - bachelor's degree;

3) higher education - specialty, master's degree;

4) higher education - training of highly qualified personnel.

And, as it becomes clear, a bachelor's degree is a higher education. However, higher education has 3 levels, bachelor's degree is the first level.

So, we figured out the structure of higher education in Russia, the Federal Law helped with this, by the way, it is very new and has recent changes and additions.

The conclusion to the entire article will be this - yes, a bachelor’s diploma confirms a higher education, but it is a first-level education, so it would not be superfluous to get an education in a specialty or master’s degree. Read more about the master's degree in the article.