For the first time NUST MISIS participated in the annual conference of the European Association for International Education, which was held from September 13th-16th, 2016 in Liverpool, England. The conference attracted more than 5000 participants from hundreds of universities worldwide. During the business forum NUST MISIS`s representatives talked about the university’s success attracting international students to English-language master`s programs.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Imagine...”. Speakers were invited to deliver speeches on thematic sessions devoted to the internationalization of education. This process can, to a large extent, determine the competitiveness of graduates in the labor market, as well as the competitiveness of universities in the world educational space.
Associate Professor Varvara Danilina, the head of the NUST MISIS English-medium master`s program for Communications and International Public Relations, delivered a lecture on the attraction of international applicants to English-taught master’s programs. The topic sparked interest and gathered more than 100 representatives from some of the world`s leading universities.
“Our program is unique, as it is the only English taught program for communications and public relations in Russia. Master`s degree students from Russia and from around the world study together in an English-speaking environment, develop intercultural communications skills in practice, and work on PR projects in international teams. Our know-how is to involve international students in the educational process as early as possible. Even before official enrollment and arrival at the university, international master`s degree students receive all the necessary learning materials and tasks, and start working in international project teams with those who are already at NUST MISIS. As a result, international students immediately feel part of the university and the program”, said Associate Professor Varvara Danilina.
According to Olga Ushakova, the head of the project for NUST MISIS international master`s degree programs’ development, “Any university that implements English language programs instantly becomes more attractive to international students and lecturers. Additionally, a school’s reputation also plays a significant role. Our university attracts international students due to our established reputation in the academic community. More importantly, the successful implementation of English language programs has led to the fact that international students recommend our programs to other applicants. As a result, the 2016 numbers far exceed last year’s, as NUST MISIS increased the number of applications and set of documents for English taught programs by 400%. The competition for every available student spot is up to 8 people, which is double last year’s amount”.
Thanks to academic mobility programs, the high percentage of international students, and English-taught master`s degree programs, NUST MISIS has successfully increased its competitiveness in the world educational space. The growth of the international students` ratio has become one of key factors allowing NUST MISIS to improve its positions in the QS World University Rankings — 2016, where the university rose 100 positions from its 2015 rank. Focusing on the development of English language studies, the university is planning to implement new short-term programs in addition to existing ones.
