Nine Finnish and Russian universities planning joint degrees

Aim is to establish English-language masters’ programmes
Antti Kalliom?ki

Five universities in Finland and four in Russia are planning to establish cooperation which would allow students to complete common degrees.
The Cross Border University project began this year, and its results are to be assessed in late 2007, when the possibility of common doctorate programmes is to be considered.
Minister of Education Antti Kalliom?ki (SDP) met with Russia’s Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko in Moscow on Tuesday.

Finland and Russia are trying to establish equivalent academic degrees that follow the principles of the Bologna Declaration, which urges the establishment of common degrees between different countries.
Russia joined the process of establishing a European region for higher education in 2003.
The schools involved in the joint project with Russia are the universities of Helsinki, Tampere, Kuopio, and Joensuu, as well as the Technical University of Lappeenranta. The project is being coordinated by the University of Joensuu.
Russian participants include St. Petersburg State University, the St. Petersburg Technical State University, the European University of St. Petersburg, and the University of Petrozavodsk.

English-language masters’ programmes are planned for international politics, information technology, commercial science, public health, history, as well as forestry and bioenergy technology.
Nuclear physics, cryogenics, nanotechnology, space research, and information technology are seen as promising areas in scientific and technological cooperation.
The two ministers feel that more cooperation is needed in the commercial applications of research and technology.

Ref: Helsingin Sanomat News