Research Seminar

One of the Programme’s objectives is to train professionals fit for positions in civil service and public sector organizations.

As such, the Programme attaches particular importance to the interplay of theory, research and practice. Master’s students undertake placements in public bodies and NGOs to cover core areas of public administration in accordance with the original educational standards and educational programme curricula.

Students develop practical skills in line with the Regulations for Project Work, Research and Internships of HSE Students. 

A research seminar is a key active method of acquiring professional competencies needed by graduates in their future activities. It is a compulsory part of the educational curriculum and is held on a regular basis.

The research seminar allows students to work with leading researchers and experts and adjust their individual curricula, helps students refine their skills of research, text processing, searching scholarly information and presenting their work. Students also improve their understanding of study design, which includes defining the hypothesis, providing a rationale for it and selecting a line of argument. Students then write term papers to showcase and review the results obtained during research seminars.
is one of the options.Research seminars help students refine their skills of research, text processing, searching scholarly information and presenting their work. Students also improve their understanding of study design, which includes defining the hypothesis, providing a rationale for it and selecting a line of argument. Students then write term papers to showcase and review the results obtained during research seminars. 

Research seminars are taught in a cross-cutting pattern throughout both years of study. Research seminars help students develop research skills and prepare for writing the term paper and Master’s thesis. 

The main goal of the research seminar is to help students develop research skills and competencies, acquaint them with contemporary real life aspects of public administration, and improve the effectiveness of their independent research work, which is required for the successful preparation of the term paper and Master’s thesis.

 Research seminar objectives:

1. Professional orientation of students to help them choose the field and topic of their dissertation

2. Inculcating academic skills, including preparing and conducting research

3. Involving students in project activities and R&D for government

4. Writing and publishing student papers and articles

5. Teaching students to gather, systematize, and process information and prepare analytic reports and documents

6. Acquainting students with the standard workflow in government bodies and public organizations

In addition, students combine their studies with research (particularly, with the Institute for Public Administration and Governance and Solovyev Institute of Procurement and Sales Management), conferences, seminars, research project competitions and work in research labs (such as the Centre for Studies of the Civil Society and Non-Profit Sector and the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research in the Non-Profit Sector).

Apart from research seminars, students on the Programme participate in specific projects. They complete specific tasks set by the project owner, collect and assess data or provide expert analysis of a situation identified by the project owner.

Project workis an important element of Master’s training at NRU HSE. Its objectives are twofold: to connect students with actual employers and to gain experience in applying knowledge and skills to yield tangible results.

Thus:

• The project owner develops a specification, provides information and establishes the workflow of the organization/division
• A project lead is selected from among the Master’s students, and a project coordinator from among the faculty members
• HSE publishes the specification on its information portal (Projects Fair)
• MPA students (and students from other programmes, depending on the project’s topic) choose a project based on the published specification; students that best match the specification are then selected
• The project coordinator and lead form a group of students to work on the project
• The project is implemented in collaboration with the project owner and with input from the coordinator
• The project group reports the outcomes to the owner who provides assessment of their work
• The project coordinator assigns grades to the students based on the project owner’s assessment.

Project work is structured as follows:

The main distinctive feature of project work within the Programme is that students contribute to tackling practical tasks which require them to utilise the knowledge, discipline and responsibility developed throughout their studies. These tasks can be set by HSE subdivisions as well as by external parties.

Project work is assessed on the basis of the end result and each student’s contribution.

1^st year Research Seminar

2^nd year Scientific Research Applied Seminar