Final Assessment
Master’s in Public Administration is governed by HSE educational standards. The Programme uses assessment procedures prescribed by HSE. Each course has interim and final assessment (exam).
Cumulative mark is based on the interim assessment results. It depends on the results of homework and in-class assignments, essays, reports and other ongoing assessment. Attendance at lectures and seminars can also influence the cumulative mark. This mark is calculated using a formula specified in the course syllabus before the exam (if applicable) and cannot prevent the student from proceeding to the exam, even if the cumulative grade is very low.
The final course mark is based on the exam results. Exam assessment criteria must correspond to the competencies students are expected to develop through the given course.
The final mark to be entered into the student performance record is calculated as a weighted total of the cumulative mark and exam mark.
The weights of the exam mark and cumulative mark are specified in the course syllabus. The weight of the exam mark must be between 20% and 80%. The final mark, cumulative mark and exam mark are expressed as whole numbers.
If there is a final exam for the course, students who fail to pass it on the first attempt can have two more retakes. The first retake is conducted by the same examiner. If the first retake fails, the second retake is conducted by a special examination board consisting of at least three examiners including the one who conducted the initial exam.
If a course syllabus does not include an exam and only allows for one retake of a term paper, the retake must be conducted by the examination board.
Student performance is measured on a 10-point scale. Course marks are used to calculate the current and cumulative ratings that reflect student performance. HSE (including MPA) uses a 10-point grading scale. Table 1 demonstrates how it translates to the 5-point grading scale and ECTS scale. Any of these scales can be used for ongoing assessment.
Table 1. Conversion table for different grading scales
|
HSE’s 10-point scale |
Descriptive 5-point scale (used for exams jointly with the numeric 10-point scale) |
ECTS scale (used in the Diploma Supplement) |
English-language descriptive scale of the Diploma Supplement |
|
10 |
Excellent |
A+ |
Excellent |
|
9 |
A |
Very good | |
|
8 |
A- |
Very good | |
|
7 |
Good |
B+ |
Good |
|
6 |
B- | ||
|
5 |
Satisfactory |
C+ |
Satisfactory |
|
4 |
C- | ||
|
3 |
Fail |
F |
Fail |
|
2 | |||
|
1 | |||
|
0 |
HSE grading system and grade calculation: https://www.hse.ru/en/studyspravka/kontr/