Contemporary Issues of Economics Post Graduate 

      Studies

Key words: Bologna process, student-centered education, doctoral studies,

                   Post graduate education Salzburg principles          

The scope of postgraduate professional education issues is more than that of Bachelor’s or Master’s programs, which is caused by a number of circumstances. First, post-University education is a relatively new filed in our Republic. As early as two decades ago it was not functioning and postgraduate one was operating instead.  However, in fact, it could not be considered as education, as it was mainly directed to a student’s research activities where educational component (2-3 qualification examinations) did not have a significant stake in a student’s academic load. Educational component has a major role in the postgraduate educational system, according to which a postgraduate student should accumulate about 40% of academic credits not from research but from education sector.

In addition, a postgraduate student used to previously study in a teacher-centered system having an academic supervisor and being mostly overwhelmed by preparation and defense of thesis mostly implementing local activities. However, postgraduate educational system, which is also called doctoral studies in Western countries, does not imply just localized frame of a postgraduate student’s activities. Here, the major players are regularly organized workshops, debate clubs, which imply a team work, especially when team working practice and joint postgraduate activities are also included in the curriculum of doctoral studies (see figure 1).

And, finally, postgraduate educational system also requires active collaboration of the University research departments and employers, when postgraduate students strive to commercialize their scientific elaborations and improve Universities’ financial stability.

Figure 1

Student Workload Comparing  in Doctorial Between Aspirantura Study Systems  

In this regard, Salzburg principles have not lost their relevance. They are as follows:

1. The core component of doctoral training is the advancement of knowledge through original research. At the same time it is recognized that doctoral training must increasingly meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia.

2. Embedding in institutional strategies and policies: Universities as institutions need to assume responsibility for ensuring that the doctoral programs and research training they offer are designed to meet new challenges and include appropriate professional career development opportunities.

3. The importance of diversity: The rich diversity of doctoral programs in Europe – including joint doctorates – is a strength which has to be underpinned by quality and sound practice.

4. Doctoral candidates as early stage researchers:  should be recognized as professionals – with commensurate rights – who make a key contribution to the creation of new knowledge.

5. The crucial role of supervision and assessment: In respect of individual doctoral candidates, arrangements for supervision and assessment should be based on transparent contractual framework of shared responsibilities between doctoral candidates, supervisors and the institution (and where appropriate including other partners).

6. Achieving critical mass:  Doctoral programs should seek to achieve critical mass and should draw on different types of innovative practice being introduced in universities across Europe, bearing in mind that different solutions may be appropriate to different contexts and in particular across larger and smaller European countries. These range from graduate schools in major universities to international, national and regional collaboration between universities.

7. Duration: doctoral programs should operate within an appropriate time duration (three to four years full-time as a rule).

8. The promotion of innovative structures: To meet the challenge of interdisciplinary training and the development of transferable skills.

9. Increasing mobility: Doctoral programs should seek to offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation between universities and other partners.

10. Ensuring appropriate funding: the development of quality doctoral programs and the successful completion by doctoral candidates requires appropriate and sustainable funding.

Economic postgraduate studies in our Republic has been considered not as education but as reasearch activities. After the admission a postgraduate student had to pass three or four qualification exams, one of which had traditionally been a professional examination. They also had to be engaged in pedagogical activities. The center of gravity of postgraduate education was always inclined to Economics, as a result of which a number of articles have been published and thesis was written by a postgraduate student. Nevertheless, the scope of academic freedom in post graduating study is larger (see figure 2), then in previous levels of professional education, as an masters and bachelors.

                 Choosing Processing                                Authorization

                          Extension                                          Enlargement

                            The Scope of Academic Freedom and Authorization

Figure 2  The Specific Tools in Post Graduating Study Organizational

              System

In this regard, postgraduate economic studies in our Republic has a great problem, as  Bergen communiqué proposed a three-degree system adding Doctorate to Bachelor's and Master's programs.  Moreover, at the third stage the participants are considered both as students and researchers, the normal educational load was 3 years.  Doctorate level qualifications should fully comply with European Higher Education Area  (EHEA ) qualifications framework.

Therefore, postgraduate economic academic programs/ imple¬men¬ted in our Universities/ currently need to be seriously reformed.   For this purpose new educational blocks typical of researcher's training should be proposed, such technologies should be introduced as participation in scientific conferences, organization of debate clubs, active pedagogical activities.

In addition, the rules for applying to researcher's academic degree should be clearified. Postgraduate admission exams, which, frankly speaking, do not have anything in common with a certain profession, should be replaced with necessary minimum academic credits accumulated by a researcher at previous educational levels.

It is also necessary to simplify the process of thesis defence completing a researcher's academic program, and degree awarding process, the centralized regulation of which by RA Higher Attestaion Commission, now becomes ineffective.  Actually postgraduate education sphere should be seriously reformed  through making corrections in the list of economic professions, academic programs, making them in concord with EHEA standards.

           Джугурян А.Г.                                     Срапян Н. Н.

д.э.н., проф. Северного                             Заведуюший отделом

университета Армении                международных связей Северного

                                                                университета Армении

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ  ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ В АСПИРАНТУРЕ

Ключевые слова: Болонский процесс, студенто – ориенти¬рованное обучение, докторантура, зальцбургские принципы поствузовского образования

        Болонский процесс внес свои коррективы на третьем уровне профессионального образования. Ныне аспирантура постепенно представляется не как сугубо научно - иссле¬до¬вବ¬тельский процесс, но и как обучение, требующее накопление академических кредитов. В статье, рассмат¬ри¬ваются проб¬лемы трансформации аспирантуры в докто¬рантуру, тем самим, обосновывая применение студенто – ориенти-рованных методов обучения экономистов и необходимость гармо¬низации образовательных услуг по стандартам Болон¬ского процесса.

Ճուղուրյան Ա. Գ                                                     Սրապյան Ն.Ն

Հյուսիսային համալսարանի                         Հյուսիսային համալսարնի

պրոֆ., տ.գ.դ.                                                   միջազգային կապերի բաժնի պետ      

ՏՆՏԵՍԱԳԻՏԱԿԱՆ ԿՐԹՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԺԱՄԱՆԱԿԱԿԻՑ

ՀԻՄՆԱԽՆԴԻՐՆԵՐԸ ԱՍՊԻՐԱՆՏՈՒՐԱՅՈՒՄ

Բանալի բառեր. Բոլոնիայի գործընթաց, ուսանողակենտրոն ուսուցում, դոկտորանտուրա, հետբուհական կրթության Զալցբուրգյան սկզբունքներ

Բոլոնիայի գործընթացը իր ճշգրտումները մտցրեց մասնա¬գիտական կրթության երրորդ մակարդակում: Ներկայումս, ասպի¬րան¬տուրան աստիճանաբար դիտարկվում է ոչ թե զուտ գիտահե-տազոտական գործընթաց, այլ նաև որպես կրթություն, որը պա¬հանջում է ակադեմիական կրեդիտների կուտակում: Հոդվածում քննարկվում են ասպիրանտուրայից դոկտորանտուրային անցման կազմակերպչական  հիմնախնդիրները, հիմնավորելով տնտեսագի¬տա¬կան կրթական համակարգում ուսանողակենտրոն ուսուցման մեթոդները և Բոլոնիայի գործընթացին համահունչ կրթական ծա-ռայությունների մատուցումը: