Regional University’s Postgraduate: Problems and Ways of Solution

Abstract

Discussions on the functioning and effectiveness of the system of training scientific and pedagogical personnel do not leave the agenda of the academic community.

After changes to the system of postgraduate training in 2012—2013, a significant decrease in the number of postgraduate students who defended their dissertations is recorded. In 2020, the proportion of graduate students with a thesis was a record low 9%. From March 1, 2022, regulatory legal acts will come into force that establish the final certification, which assesses the degree of readiness of the dissertation for defense. Time will tell whether returning to defending a dissertation as the main outcome of postgraduate studies will yield results. This paper analyzes the picture of today.

The crisis state of postgraduate studies is especially acute in regional universities. Thus, about 50 people enter the postgraduate course of Dubna State University, but only a few reaches the defense. Within the framework of the article, an attempt is made to compare the situation in the postgraduate study of Dubna State University with other universities. Studies conducted by the authors in 2019 and 2021 have shown that the situation in Dubna is similar to the all-Russian one in terms of most of the key problems of postgraduate studies discussed in the scientific community. The low level of preparation of graduate students for scientific work, the high importance of non-academic motives for entering graduate school, insufficient financial support for graduate students, forcing the vast majority of them to combine their studies with full-time employment — all these problems are true both for graduate students of leading Russian universities and for graduate students of Dubna State University. At the same time, there are some peculiarities due to local — geographical and academic — specifics. In conclusion, possible measures are presented aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of the training of scientific and pedagogical personnel in Russian universities.