‘With the Skills That Our Graduates Receive, One Can Build a Career in a Variety of Fields’
Admission to HSE University’s paid and online Master’s programmes continues. Representatives of the English-language programmes Applied Statistics with Network Analysis and Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development told us about how the training goes, how students practice, and what graduates get as a result. Make sure to apply before September 15.
Ivan Klimov,
Academic Supervisor of the Applied Statistics with Network Analysis online programme
Teachers and programme heads try to respond to students’ needs and interests. We see the three most popular requests.
First is the applied nature of learning, solving practical problems, and gaining experience in real projects, research, and development. Students can get involved in the projects of ANR-Lab teachers and staff, or they can bring their own tasks and projects and recruit teams for them.
Second is the interest in network analysis. This is not analysis of already existing platforms such as Twitter or VK, but a branched methodology for analysing all kinds of connections and interactions—for example, communications between companies, joint publications, and even simply words in texts. Since the programme is implemented at the ANR-Lab, students can benefit from the expertise of both HSE University researchers and our colleagues from the University of Ljubljana.
Third is the interest in data analysis, in mastering statistical methods. Forty per cent of students on the programme are people with work experience, well-established professionals. Their interest is to complement their experience and knowledge with data skills, to understand how the use of statistical methods should be integrated into both the logic of research and the logic of decision-making based on data. That is why you can meet not only bachelor’s degree graduates among the students, but also university teachers, financial analysts, medical specialists, and even entrepreneurs or faculty deans. While working on projects, very interesting teams come together sometimes.
Since last year, the programme has been transferred to an online format. Classes, like in most other master’s programmes, begin in the evening, at 18:30 Moscow time, and last about three hours with a break. The teacher and assistant hold seminars in real time, so students can ask questions, clarify assignments, sort out points of confusion, and arrange personal consultations.
All lectures, seminars and classes are recorded and made available for viewing the next day.
The participants include students from Mexico, Argentina, Ireland, Slovenia, Israel, and China.
We try to take this factor into account, and support and engage students in the learning process. According to our estimates, the workload is not excessive—about 20 hours a week. The final grade for the available courses is based on the results of the completed project, test, or assignment. A term paper or graduation paper includes a text with a specific structure, logic, conclusions, and applications—just like in on-campus programmes.
In order to study without stress in our programme, it is worth evaluating and upgrading some of your skills.
The programme is in English, so you need to be fluent in the language. Lectures and a significant part of professional communication are held in English.
Applicants must also have at least a basic knowledge of R and Python. These languages, especially R, are quite actively used by our teachers. In the first module, we have two adaptation courses—mathematical statistics and an introduction to R and Python. But I repeat that you will help yourself a lot if you look into this field within the next month.
As for practical preparation, there are three interdependent components. Firstly, most teachers expect students to master a certain method or approach and make a project within the course. Secondly, there are obligatory elements of preparation: a term paper and a final paper, a master thesis. They are also focused on the execution and defence of an applied project. A supervisor works with the student, and, if necessary, we engage other experts and researchers as consultants. And the third element is the project itself. It comes in the format of a project seminar, practice, or consultation between programme participants and other students who need advice on data analysis. However, the key element of all these options is participation in real projects and tasks.
Students of the programme can get involved in the current projects of laboratory staff, colleagues from other HSE University departments, or from the research industry as a whole. We are looking for those who have real demand.
For RIA Novosti, we conducted work on how people watch interactive videos; for the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo, we segmented Russians by their attitude towards entrepreneurship; for another Skolkovo team, we analysed publications about China in the Russian media; for HSE University’s Centre for Language and Brain, we solved the problem of distinguishing between dyslexic and normotypical adolescents; for Kontakt InterSearch, we analysed the gender specificity of leadership among the leaders of large Russian companies. There are many more examples, but the principle is clear: we try to connect programme participants with teams from the research and analytical industry.
As a result, with the skills that our graduates receive, one can build a career in a variety of areas: business analysis and consumer segmentation, analysis of business processes, logistics, and broad HR issues. Also, the ability to work with data is in demand in the IT industry. We try not to overlap too much with other master’s programmes that are more focused on IT aspects and topics in such a large area as data science. But still, we give courses on machine learning, data mining, and working with large text arrays. It is difficult to get by without these skills now. But our programme is more about statistical data analysis and how to combine it with the network analysis methodology.
Ekaterina Makarova,
Academic Supervisor of the Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development programme
The Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development programme involves a combination of deep academic training and the opportunity to try your hand at real practical projects. The programme is implemented in cooperation with Rosbank PJSC, Severstal PJSC, DRT JSC, and HSE University’s Research Laboratory for Climate Change Economics, which allows students to be involved in solving problems within the framework of business projects and scientific research.
The programme's key principle is an individual approach. We have students with different backgrounds, and we try to organise the educational process in a way that takes into account the needs of each of them, allocating time for additional consultations or, conversely, developing complex assignments for those who are ready for more serious tasks.
In addition, project activity is the most important block of the educational programme.
Representatives of partner companies conduct workshops, give specialised courses, and engage students in projects with the opportunity to become part of the team in the future.
Students can take an internship at the Research Laboratory for Climate Change Economics and become part of its team in carrying out fundamental and applied scientific research. That is, even during their studies, students have the opportunity to gain practical experience and begin to realise their career potential in the field of sustainable development. Some students of the first enrolment have already started working with the programme’s partners within their speciality and successfully combine study and work.
The programme is carried out entirely in English. Students study in an international group, and foreign specialists are engaged in the training.
Classes are held in the evenings on weekdays and on Saturdays, which allows one to combine studies and work. A significant part of the lectures is held in the form of an open discussion with the audience, thus ensuring maximum student engagement and the most thorough discussion of the topics that require more serious attention. But sometimes, for convenience, classes are also held online.
Graduates of the programme have all the necessary knowledge and skills to work in sustainable development departments and interact with investors of various companies, to work in the analytical units of relevant ministries and departments, as well as research and non-profit organisations.
I advise all applicants: if you want to start working in the field of sustainable development and gain new knowledge, or you are already a specialist in this field and want to strengthen your competencies, studying on the Master’s programme is the best solution and investment in your future.