Every GSEM students gets competencies useful not only for employment, but also in daily life. GSEM graduates have opportunities to get a job in many international companies. Study programmes and the School environment help develop quite special economic mindset. What it means to be a GSEM student — in conversation with the School Director Dmitry Tolmachev.
— Dmitry, what are the ways of attracting prospective foreign students to the School?
— We interact with prospective international students mainly at short-term programmes. They last for a week or two and give them an opportunity to get a taste of studying here, get to know the programmes and even potential employers, our corporate partners. For example, international autumn school Sustainable Business Development is held annually in November by the EPAS accredited Bachelor’s programme International Economics and Business. The School includes classes by programme staff and visiting professors, master classes by corporate representatives and field visits to partner companies. This year the School will be held on November 10-18, and we invite everyone interested to participate.
We also organize regular meetings with the School management and heads of particular programmes for the students of UrFU Preparation Year who learn Russian to study for a degree after that.
— Thank you! Please, tell about the degrees that GSEM offers.
— The School offers the following degrees: Bachelor in Economics, Management, Business Informatics; Specialist (5 year-programmes) in Economic Security and Customs; Master in Economics, Management, Business Informatics, Finance and Credit, Public Audit.
The leading Bachelor programme at GSEM is International Economics and Business. In June 2018, the programme was re-accredited by EPAS EFMD for another three years. This is a unique proof of education quality in the global level.
What also valuable in such accreditation, that during the EPAS peer review team visit in February 2018 we got a comprehensive external audit of the programme and the School as a whole. Representatives of top management from best business schools assessed education quality according to current international standards, GSEM development strategy, the faculty, level of students and graduates, and other important aspects.
In 2021 our development efforts led us to the position of the only one school in Russia with 5 year EFMD Programme Accreditation.
Since 2018 the IEB programme students have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get a second degree from KEDGE Business School (France), which is ranked 40th among the best business schools in Europe and has triple crown accreditation. The second degree will expand employment prospects of our graduates. Student of the International Economics and Business can get into this programme on a competitive basis, and what’s important, they do not have to pay tuition fees at the host business school. They will spend two years in Russia and two years in France with an internship in the international company.
Other opportunities for a double degree are provided by Bachelor and Master programmes International Management with HEC Liege (Belgium), Pforzheim University (Germany), Lingnan University (Republic of China).
— That’s impressive! What are the tuition fees? Are there any discounts?
— Specific fees for every programme can be found on UrFU web site in the section for prospective students. Average tuition fee is 2800 USD per year. Top programmes are more expensive. There are some discounts, you can contact our Center for International Student Mobility and Recruitment for more information.
— What are the living conditions for GSEM students?
— Many of our students are residing in the university dormitories. Last year UrFU opened a new dormitory for 1200 students. It’s a comfortable modern building with rooms for 2-3 people with shared kitchen and bathroom. We have recently build a co-working centre in the main campus building.
— Dmitry, please tell us about the faculty and teaching: what are their qualifications, quality of courses, are there any new teaching technologies?
— Lately we have put a lot of effort into formulating new teaching standards and implementing new teaching methods at our School. We have increased the use of non-traditional methods such as co-teaching, case study, serious games, business simulations, flipped classroom. GSEM became one of the pilot institutes that adopted project-based learning. Students and teachers actively use cloud technologies in their communications.
The faculty is the main asset of our School. Our teachers are professionals in teaching with extensive practical experience in their field. They are constantly improving their English and professional skills. More than 60% of our faculty have a PhD or a Doctorate.
Every year more than 20 visiting professors from leading European universities and business schools teach at GSEM to share their knowledge and experience. Our own faculty are mostly practical experts known not only for their teaching, but also for active research, which allows for integrating latest research results into study education.
In 2017 we made big progress in improving the infrastructure for students and faculty. We have a new campus building at 25 Gogolya St. in the very centre of the city. In the near future, this will be a modern European-style campus building following latest trend of the education market.
— What are the opportunities for continuing the studies: Master and PhD programmes, double degrees?
— The statistics shows that many Bachelor graduates remain at GSEM: in 2016, 71% of all Master students were graduates of our Bachelor and Specialist programmes. Another 29% are are those who decided to continue their education after a few years of work.
Choosing a Master programme at GSEM means to ensure fast career track and good salary, as well as realise your personal potential. As there is no age limit for Master programmes, we have a lot of students with working experience. Graduate School of Economics and Management is one of the few UrFU institutes with specialised Master programmes for corporate education in the fields of management and energy business.
Moreover, our School offers a great number of other programmes: from short-term seminars and trainings to professional retraining.
— Who are the partners of GSEM and what opportunities do they provide for the students?
— Our corporate partners include global corporations (Unilever, KPMG, Auchan, Gazprom), banks (Raiffeisen Bank, Sberbank, SKB-Bank, Otkrytie), government authorities — more than 80 partners in total. Representatives of our corporate partners hold regular master classes, business games, case studies for our students, as well as provide them with internship and employment possibilities. Communication with corporate partners gives us a chance to receive feedback for further improvement of education quality.
— The list is quite big. Does it motivate students? What else can they earn for successful studies?
— We implement a support programme for talented students. They can get employment assistance for unique positions at our partner companies, get funding for their research, personal scholarships from the corporates. Ten students of International Economics and Business can get a grant for international mobility to go abroad for a semester. Another ten best students can get a double degree with KEDGE business school.
— How is research organised at GSEM?
— There are numerous opportunities to develop students’ research potential at GSEM. Each student has a research supervisor. Every year we host large-scale research events: Youth Forum in the framework of our annual conference Russian Regions in the Focus of Changes that also includes sessions in English, Spring Research Days especially for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young researchers. Students can participate in UrFU Case Club to test their skills of solving business cases and win prizes.
GSEM is a well-recognised expert in applied research, particularly in elaboration of development strategies for regional economies in Russia. We are actively investing in basic and applied research, encourage young researchers and engage students in high-profile projects. For example, now we are working on a smart region concept for the Sverdlovsk region. Young researchers have a chance to work on grant projects together with their supervisors, and apply for their own grants.
The international conference «Russian Regions in the Focus of Changes» has been one of the biggest discussion platforms covering issues of regional development, human capital and education and gathering business representatives (large industrial enterprises and successful medium-sized businesses), government authorities, academics and international experts. More than 500 participants meet at the conference annually. The event is held with the support and personal participation of the former Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Academic Supervisor of Higher School of Economics Evgeniy G. Yasin and Deputy Chairman (Chief Economist) — Member of the Board of Vnesheconombank, Andrey N. Klepach.
— Tell us about international partnerships of the School.
— The network of GSEM academic partners is constantly expanding and now includes universities and business schools in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Among our partners, there are such high-ranking institutions as Grenoble School of Management, Humboldt University in Berlin, HHL Graduate School of Management, and others. We are aspiring to become an international business school with students and staff from all over the world. At present, we have more than 280 students from 38 countries. A number of our programmes are taught fully or partially in English, it’s more than 70 courses per year. Students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the multi-cultural environment studying in international groups.
— The studies keep students busy, and what can you say about social activities?
— Students’ lives at GSEM are not only studies of course, it’s bright and unforgettable social life that appeals to any student’s tastes. Everyone can find something for themselves: creative groups, sports, projects. They can implement their own ideas, as in cases of GSEM Reading Contest, Mister and Miss GSEM, Active Student’s School, and others. It helps remember your student years for the rest of your life.
Besides, at GSEM you can try a role of event manager. We hold conferences, round tables, and research seminars with representatives of business, authorities, academia and the youth.
GSEM also offers support for the students to participate in conferences, including international ones, different competitions, such as Global Management Challenge, Leaders of Russia, Management Cup, youth forums. A good example is participation of our students in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi in October 2017 with over 20 thousand young people from all over the world. Our students were not only participants, but also contributed to the event organization.
— Your students are certainly very creative! How do they find jobs?
— In 2017, GSEM was ranked among 30 faculties in Russia whose graduates are the most in-demand on the labour market. Our alumni work as middle and top managers in financial corporations, IT companies, industrial sector and government authorities. GSEM Career Centre offers support for the students in finding interesting internships and planning their career paths.
This is one of our main tasks — helping students with professional careers and supporting our graduates. We have developed a broad network of corporate partners that includes about 80 organisations. They participate in education, organise internships, contribute to students’ assessment, and so on.
GSEM regularly conducts career paths research. According to our statistics, more that 82% of Bachelor and 94% of Master graduates find a job right after completing their studies. And many start working while they are still at university. 58% of Bachelors and 79% of Masters work in their degree field. On the average, 14% of young specialists hold leading positions. A number of our graduates work and live in the US, Germany, China, Canada, the CIS and other countries; 2,2% of Bachelor and 7% of Master graduates have a job abroad.
About a third of our graduates work in the production sector, another 19% are employed in the financial sector, consulting and audit, and 12% in the IT. Among our graduates, there are successful industrialists, politicians, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and researchers. They work in big, often international companies, such as Unilever, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Raiffeizenbank, CITI Group, UMMC, Sberbank, Auchan, Leroy Merlin, Decathlon, VTB24, Rostelecom, Russian Copper Company. You can read some of their success stories here.
— And the last question. Why is GSEM a prestigious place to study?
— Graduate School of Economics and Management is a traditional leader in education in the fields of economics, management and business informatics in the region. We are in top 30 most in-demand faculties of big universities according to employers. There are no business school of our level in the Urals. The level of opportunities we offer isn’t matched by any other university in the region. There are a lot of great universities in Russia with high-level education, but many of them do not have such resources for academic mobility and research. Only a handful of Russian universities have these capabilities, and most of them are in Moscow. We have it all here in Ekaterinburg, and we adhere to the global standards.
That’s why studying at Graduate School of Economics and Management is prestigious and interesting.
Created / Updated: 21 August 2018 / 11 February 2022
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