Practical Training
Practical training of the students is a form of organization of educational activities in the development of the educational program in terms of performance of certain types of work associated with future professional activities and aimed at the formation, consolidation, development of practical skills and competencies in the profile of the relevant educational program. Achievement of the goals and tasks of practical training is carried out through the implementation of elements of practical training (EPT). The implementation of practical training for HSE students is provided in the module of the curriculum "Internship".
You can also read about the organization of practical training for students at HSE in the Academic Handbook.
The conditions and features of the implementation of the EPT, provided for by the curriculum of the educational programm "Data Science" are described in the Internship Programme DS 2025 (PDF, 403 Кб)
Internship Programme DS 2024
Coursework (Term Paper) and Master's Thesis
Provision of Coursework/Master's Thesis hard copy is not required. All documents must be uploaded to the LMS.
Updated lists of Coursework Topics and Master's Thesis Topics.
Topics 2023-24 (XLSX, 33 Кб) (new)
Updated Coursework (Term Paper) and Master's Thesis Programme.
Methodological Guidelines for Implementing Thesis Works
Coursework (term paper)
Coursework (term paper) is a compulsory element of the curriculum. To accomplish the term paper students are to follow the steps listed below:
1. Choose a topic
You can choose one from the list of suggested topics.
2. Get in touch with the supervisor and discuss the topic.
3. Before November 17, 2025:
- Apply for a topic - Fill out the yandex-form
- Submit the application, ask the supervisor to sign it and send it to the study office.
Coursework (Project) application form
4. If your coursework topic or your academic supervisor was changed please let us know before April 20, 2026 and:
- To make changes, you need to fill out the form (will be sent later) and attach the application via the link (will be sent later).
Application for change coursework topic
Application for change of academic supervisor
5. Upload your coursework to LMS. The form will be closed June 20, 2026 (Study office check your thesis in our own system. If you have more than 20% of borrowing you supervisor have to check the report write an explanatory note and apply it to Study office)
6. Submit the final text of your coursework with the supervisor's review and borrowing report before June 13, approximately.
Supervisor's review
7. Coursework should be uploaded (link will be provided) by June 20, approximately.
Master's Thesis
1. Deadlines to follow unconditionally:
Before November 17, 2025:
- Apply for a topic - Fill out the yandex-form
- Submit the application, ask the supervisor to sign it and send it to the study office though the yandex-form.
before April 22 there is a chance to change the topic of Master Thesis, if needed (do everything in your power to use such possibility in case of real emergency only!)
before March 22 there is a chance to change the supervisor of Master Thesis, if needed (do everything in your power to use such possibility in case of real emergency only!)
To make changes, you need to fill out the form (will be sent later) and attach the application via the link (will be sent later).
Application for change coursework topic
Application for change of academic supervisor
before May 06 a student must submit the full text of the work (report) to his/her supervisor (in printed or electronic form as agreed with supervisor in person)
by May 23, till 18:00 a student must upload Master Thesis (report) to LMS and SmartLMS (detailed information was sent to students by email).
by June the full set of Master Thesis documents* must be submitted to the Study Office (SmartLms) *The full set of documents includes { (A) + (B) + (C) + (D) as indicated below
June 2026 – Master Thesis Defence
Master Thesis application form
(A) The text of Master Thesis
(B) Review form filled in by thesis’ supervisor
Supervisor's review
(C) Annotation – a brief characteristics of student’s Master Thesis
(D Second reader's review. A student can contact appointed by his/her Supervisor reviewer personally and discuss with him/her the procedure to hand over the work (and all supplementary materials, if any), but whatever the case is, the review form (report) must find itself in the Study Office before June.
Second reader's review
Please, be informed that Study Office doesn’t accept under no circumstances incomplete set of documents!
2. Plagiarism checking of submitted Master Theses
Plagiarism checking of submitted Master Theses is done by representatives of the Study Office using Turnitin system. In case the system reveals more than 20% of borrowing in the work (text), student’s supervisor should re-check the text once again and write explanatory note. The latter is submitted to the Study Office without delays and reminding.
3. The dates for Master thesis defense (June 09-10).
4. The guidelines for Master Thesis defense procedure are as follows:
- up to 20 minutes (15 min. for presentation + 5 min. for questions) are set aside for Specialist or Master’s Thesis defense;
- a student should present clearly and accurately, without reading from any pre-prepared written text, key points of his/her Thesis. Computer presentations, graphic material (tables, pictures, diagrams, etc.) or other visual accompanying sources can be used in the presentation to illustrate the work done and the results attained. After the presentation is completed, SCB members usually ask some questions that are related to both Thesis’ topic and respective domain of study (research). A student can advert to the text of his/her Thesis to answer the questions raised. To defend the thesis, a student shall obtain a review from his/her supervisor;
- after the discussion, a student shall present concluding remarks (closing speech) that embrace answers to issues summarized in the external reviewer’s report. Once the closing speech is over, the defense procedure of the Thesis is considered completed;
- SCB shall then make a decision on student’s final grade; such decision takes into account opinions and grades provided by (A) academic supervisor (quality of the work done, the text of the Thesis and its adherence to requirements), (B) external reviewer (quality of the work done, innovativeness of the topic/approaches used, their real-life applicability, as well as reasonability of the conclusions and recommendations, put forward by the Thesis’s author), and (C) SCB members concerning contents of the presented work thesis, defense qualification, quality of visual materials utilized, both completeness and exactness of answers to questions asked, and (A)+ (B) nuances expressed.
NOTE: The procedure that relates to Master Thesis’ preparation and defense is regulated by the document ‘Regulations for Term Papers and Theses Prepared by Students at the Bachelor’s, Specialist and Master’s level at HSE’
Types of EPT for each recruitment year
Enrolment 2024
| Year | EPT | Credits | Implementation period | Sign (mandatory/variable) |
| 1 | Term Paper | 3 | During the academic year, final assessment: Module 4 2024-2025 | mandatory |
| 2 | Preparation of Master's Thesis | 12 |
During the 2025-2026 academic year; defense at the State Final Examination in June 2026 Primary deadline for final text upload: mid-May |
mandatory |
| 2 | Defence of Master's Thesis | 3 | Module 4, June 2026 | mandatory |
Enrolment 2025
| Year | EPT | Credits | Implementation period | Sign (fixed/free) |
| 1 | Term Paper | 3 | During the academic year, final assessment: Module 4 2025-2026 | fixed |
| 2 | Preparation of Master's Thesis | 12 |
During the 2026-2027 academic year; defense at the State Final Examination in June 2026 Primary deadline for final text upload: mid-May |
fixed |
| 2 | Defence of Master's Thesis | 3 | Module 4, June 2027 | fixed |
Stages of submission/defense of TP and MT
Stages of submission/defense of TP for the 2024 recruitment
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Approval of the topic of the course work (Term Paper) and the supervisor There are two ways to confirm your choice: 1) Complete the form and attach your application. You can find the link to the form in your email newsletter. If you haven't received the email, please contact the academic office. 2) Submit a topic via LMS (instructions) Topics 23/24 Topics 22/23 Please review all available themes before making your choice. Students have the right to propose their own topic and supervisor. Failure to submit a coursework topic by the deadline constitutes an academic failure, which must be resolved by February 15, 2025. Only HSE University staff members (researchers, faculty, and professors), as well as graduate students, may supervise a research project. If necessary, a co-supervisor or consultant may be appointed from among the University's research staff or employees of external organizations whose professional activities and/or research interests are related to the topic of the thesis. |
December 2, 2024, 11:59 PM |
Application for coursework DS Application for Coursework (External Supervisor) (DS)
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Change of topic/supervisor of course work (Term Paper)/Master's Thesis To make changes, you must complete the form (will be added later) and attach your application via the link (will be added later). Applications will be accepted until April 22. We kindly ask that you not submit your applications later than the above deadline. You can begin working on a new topic/with a new supervisor now and submit your application later. |
no later than April 22, 2025 |
Application for change coursework topic thesis Application for change academic supervisor
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| Stages of submitting Term Paper | |||
| 1. |
Submission the final version of the coursework for review by the supervisor. |
Recommended deadline before June 13 | |
| 2. |
Upload the final version of the coursework in electronic, unscanned form to a special coursework support module in the LMS, after which the work is sent to the "Antiplagiat" system. You can upload to the LMS only once. Please do so only after your coursework supervisor has approved it. PLEASE NOTE! Term paper in English are reviewed separately by the study office. Therefore, the plagiarism percentage and report will appear in your account within a few days. Therefore, it's best to submit your assignment a day or two before the deadline. * If more than 20% of borrowings are detected, a written comment from the supervisor is required, explaining the reasons for the high percentage of borrowings. In the event of a proven fact of plagiarism in a coursework, a disciplinary sanction may be applied to the student (Regulations for term papers and theses |
until June 20, 5:00 PM |
QR code example
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| 3. |
Submitting coursework to the study office: Providing paper copies is not required. All documents must be uploaded to the LMS and to disk (a link will be sent to your corporate email). |
end of June 2025 (June 26, 2025) |
Term paper title Supervisor's review
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Stages of submission/defense of TP for the 2025 recruitment
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Approval of the topic of the course work (Term Paper) and the supervisor There are two ways to confirm your choice: 1) Complete the form and attach your application. You can find the link to the form in your email newsletter. If you haven't received the email, please contact the academic office. 2) Submit a topic via LMS (instructions) Topics 23/24 Topics 22/23 Please review all available themes before making your choice. Students have the right to propose their own topic and supervisor. Failure to submit a coursework topic by the deadline constitutes an academic failure, which must be resolved by February 15, 2025. Only HSE University staff members (researchers, faculty, and professors), as well as graduate students, may supervise a research project. If necessary, a co-supervisor or consultant may be appointed from among the University's research staff or employees of external organizations whose professional activities and/or research interests are related to the topic of the thesis. |
November 20, 2025, 11:59 PM |
Application for coursework DS
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Change of topic/supervisor of course work (Term Paper)/Master's Thesis To make changes, you must complete the form (will be added later) and attach your application via the link (will be added later). Applications will be accepted until April 22. We kindly ask that you not submit your applications later than the above deadline. You can begin working on a new topic/with a new supervisor now and submit your application later. |
no later than 22.04.2026 (change of manager before 22.03.2026) |
Application for change coursework topic thesis Application for change academic supervisor |
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| Stages of submitting Term Paper | |||
| 1. | Submission the final version of the coursework for review by the supervisor. | Recommended deadline before June 13 | |
| 2. |
Upload the final version of the coursework in electronic, unscanned form to a special coursework support module in the LMS, after which the work is sent to the "Antiplagiat" system. You can upload to the LMS only once. Please do so only after your coursework supervisor has approved it. PLEASE NOTE! Term paper in English are reviewed separately by the study office. Therefore, the plagiarism percentage and report will appear in your account within a few days. Therefore, it's best to submit your assignment a day or two before the deadline. * If more than 20% of borrowings are detected, a written comment from the supervisor is required, explaining the reasons for the high percentage of borrowings. In the event of a proven fact of plagiarism in a coursework, a disciplinary sanction may be applied to the student (Regulations for term papers and theses (PDF, 450 Кб)). |
until June 20, 5:00 PM | QR code example (DOC, 68 Кб) |
| 3. |
Submitting coursework to the study office: Providing paper copies is not required. All documents must be uploaded to the LMS and to disk (a link will be sent to your corporate email). |
end of June 2026 (June 26, 2026) |
Term paper title Supervisor's review |
Stages of submission/defense of MT for the 2024 recruitment
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Approval of the final qualifying work (Master's Thesis) topic and supervisor There are two ways to confirm your choice: 1) Complete the form and attach your application. You can find the link to the form in your email newsletter. If you haven't received the email, please contact the academic office. Topics 23/24 Topics 22/23 Please review all available themes before making your choice. Students have the right to propose their own topic and supervisor. Failure to submit a coursework topic by the deadline constitutes an academic failure, which must be resolved by February 15, 2025. Only HSE University staff members (researchers, faculty, and professors), as well as graduate students, may supervise a research project. If necessary, a co-supervisor or consultant may be appointed from among the University's research staff or employees of external organizations whose professional activities and/or research interests are related to the topic of the thesis. |
November 20, 2025, 11:59 PM |
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Change of topic/supervisor of course work (Term Paper)/Master's Thesis To make changes, you must complete the form (will be added later) and attach your application via the link (will be added later). Applications will be accepted until April 22. We kindly ask that you not submit your applications later than the above deadline. You can begin working on a new topic/with a new supervisor now and submit your application later. |
Clarification of the work topic - no later than April 22 Change of supervisor/topic - no later than March 22 |
| Stages of submitting Master's Thesis | |
| Submission the final version of the Master's Thesis for review by the supervisor. | It is recommended to do this 2 weeks before the final qualification work upload date. |
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Upload the final version of your master's thesis electronically, without scanning, to the dedicated coursework and final thesis support module in your learning management system (LMS), after which the work will be sent to the "Antiplagiat" system. You can upload to the LMS only once. Please do so only after your coursework supervisor has approved it. PLEASE NOTE! Term paper in English are reviewed separately by the study office. Therefore, the plagiarism percentage and report will appear in your account within a few days. Therefore, it's best to submit your assignment a day or two before the deadline. * If more than 20% of borrowings are detected, a written comment from the supervisor is required, explaining the reasons for the high percentage of borrowings. |
May 22, 2026, until 6:00 PM |
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Submission of Documents List of Documents: · Final version of the Master's Thesis · Abstract in Russian · Abstract in English · Review by the Master's Thesis supervisor · Registration form from the LMS regarding the work being checked in the Antiplagiat system The entire set of documents must be uploaded to Google Drive no later than 6 days before the Master's Thesis defense |
no later than 6 days before the defense of the Master's Thesis |
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Submitting your Master's Thesis to a Reviewer for Review. You or your supervisor can submit your work for review (copy the academic office). Please note that you must receive the reviewed documents two days before the defense so you can review the comments and prepare your responses. |
no later than May 22 |
| The defense of the Master's thesis includes a demonstration of slides (PP, PDF, etc.) on the Master's thesis lasting up to 20-25 minutes, including questions. | Dates to be confirmed (first half of June) |
Term Paper 1st year
The goal of the coursework is to acquire and apply new knowledge and deepen the skills and abilities acquired by the student during theoretical and practical classes. The coursework can be completed as a theoretical, experimental, or mixed format.
Theoretical coursework aims to acquire and apply new knowledge in both fundamental and applied research in data science. The result of the theoretical coursework is the solution to a specific theoretical problem in data science.
Experimental coursework aims to solve a specific applied data analysis problem using the best classical and modern data science methods. A mixed format combines features of theoretical and experimental coursework.
Document templates:
Term Paper application
Suoervisor's Review TP
Term Paper title
List of proposed topics for TP/MT:
Topics of the TP / MT 23/24
Topics of the TP / MT 24/25
Preparation of a Master's Thesis
The final qualifying thesis (master thesis) is evidence that the knowledge and skills acquired by the student during the course of study make it possible to conduct theoretical, experimental or mixed research in accordance with the requirements that meet the modern level of science and technology.
The result of the theoretical work is a complete solution to a specific theoretical problem. The objectives of experimental research are to solve a specific problem of data analysis using the best classical and modern methods of data science. The mixed type of research combines the features of theoretical and experimental work.
Thesis preparation is assessed on a pass/fail basis. Students must upload the required documents and the supervisor's review of their final thesis by the established deadlines electronically (via the Electronic Educational Information System).
The supervisor will assign a pass/fail rating for the "Final Thesis Preparation" electronic program based on the available, unfinished final thesis, which includes the following: work plan, bibliography, literature review, problem statement, preliminary experimental results, and preliminary conclusions. The report (including the supervisor's review) for the "Final Thesis Preparation" electronic program is due April 2026 (April 16, 2026).
Methodological Guidelines for Implementing Thesis Works
Document templates:
Master's Thesis application
Supervisor's review
Second reader's review
Master's Thesis title
List of proposed topics for TP/MT:
Topics of the TP / MT 23/24 (XLSX, 33 Кб)
Topics of the TP / MT 24/25 (XLSX, 49 Кб)
Defense of a Master's Thesis
The Master's Thesis defense takes the form of a public presentation. In the report, the student must justify the relevance of the topic, provide an overview of the subject area, and clearly formulate the problem statement, goals, and ways to achieve them. They should then briefly describe the proposed methods, developed software, and the results of computer experiments, and finally, evaluate the completeness and quality of the results obtained.