Russia begins abolishing bachelor's and master's degrees, Yaroslavl universities to follow
In September 2026, Russia will begin mass testing a new higher education system. From 2027, bachelor«s, master»s, and specialist degrees will be replaced with basic, specialized, and professional higher education in all universities across the country, as confirmed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to 76.RU.
“The mass transition to the new system is planned for the 2027/2028 academic year and will affect all universities in the country regardless of their departmental affiliation or form of ownership,” clarified the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in response to our portal«s query.
It is worth noting that since 2023, six Russian universities have already joined the pilot project. Among them:
Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University;
Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI);
National University of Science and Technology MISiS (MISiS);
Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU);
Saint Petersburg Mining University;
Tomsk State University.
These institutions are admitting students for programs in basic and specialized higher education.
As clarified by the Ministry of Science and Education, a new list of universities to join the pilot project is being developed. If universities in Yaroslavl Region are included, the modernization of the higher education system in the region will begin in September 2026. Otherwise, local universities, like all in the country, will transition to the updated model with basic and specialized higher education from the new academic year in 2027.
What will change
In Soviet times, the main form of higher education was the specialist degree. Study under this system lasted five to six years, giving the student qualification as a specialist in a specific profession. This was equivalent to modern bachelor«s and master»s degrees, but without division into two levels.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transition to a market economy in the 1990s, Russia«s higher education system began to change. In 2003, the country joined the Bologna System, leading to the implementation of a two-tier education model — bachelor»s and master«s degrees — with the assumption that Russian-style diplomas would be recognized in most European countries. However, the specialist degree as a traditional form of study remained in some universities (for example, in medical, creative, and military higher education institutions).
The Bologna education system — is a system created to standardize and improve the quality of higher education in Europe. It was founded and signed in 1999 in the Italian city of Bologna. Dozens of countries have joined this system. The essence of this system lies in bringing educational standards to a uniform type, which was supposed to simplify the process of recognizing diplomas and qualifications, as well as facilitate the mobility of students and teachers.
Russia, while participating in the Bologna Process, retained its own system of academic degrees. The country continued to award the degree of Candidate of Sciences — after postgraduate study and defense of a candidate«s dissertation, and then Doctor of Sciences — after defense of a doctoral dissertation. There is also the academic title of Professor, which is awarded to specialists with an academic degree, more than 10 years of scientific and pedagogical experience, and significant scientific achievements.
Whereas in the Bologna system of higher education, three levels of academic degree are distinguished: bachelor, master, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The latter — is the highest academic degree in this system, which approximately corresponds to the Candidate of Sciences in Russia.
In May 2023, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on launching a pilot project to change the levels of professional education. The main goal — is to move away from the Bologna model of higher education and create its own system. The Ministry of Education and Science explained this decision by the need to create a «nationally oriented system of higher education».
“It will adopt the best practices of the Soviet system and recent decades. Its task — is to prepare professionals with broad horizons, creative, critically thinking, loving the Motherland and ready to work for its good.”
New levels of higher education
The new model of higher education involves moving away from bachelor«s, master»s, and residency degrees. Now there will be basic and specialized education. For those wishing to engage in scientific activity, a level of professional education is provided.
1. Basic higher education: study lasts from four to six years. Upon graduation, the student is ready for professional activity in the profile specified in the diploma.
Admission conditions for basic higher education will not differ from the current admission to bachelor«s or specialist degrees.
2. Specialized higher education: study lasts from one to three years. It is intended for graduates of basic higher education who wish to deepen their qualification or obtain a new one. Specialized training includes master«s programs, residency, and assistantship-internship.
Assistantship-internship — a type of training aimed at mastering the skills of teaching creative disciplines and improving one«s main creative qualification, and the graduate work is a performance, concert, show, exhibition, or film depending on the specialization. Study period: two years.
3. Professional higher education: study lasts three to four years. This level is intended for graduates of specialized higher education who are aimed at scientific activity and obtaining the academic degree of Candidate of Sciences after successful defense of a candidate«s dissertation.
