Frequently Asked Questions

Each program is unique, and each has something to offer. You will not be mistaken in choosing any program on data analysis offered at HSE. However:

Mathematical statistics - will teach you how to prove the theorems, but we will teach you how to apply the results of these theories to real cases.

Data science programs will teach you how to write code, lots of code. In our program, coding is not the end goal. You can learn how to encode but not apply this skill to a specific research problem. 

Traditional approaches to teaching statistics allow you to expand your knowledge of methodology and create analytical methods, but we will teach you how to apply them to real data. 

We use a problem-oriented approach to data analysis, where you start by formulating a question. You will then learn how to find the data that would answer the question. Then, based on the problem and the data, you choose the appropriate method.

You will learn that there are many solutions to the same problem. You learn to find the best one. You will discover that sometimes you need to run several tests before finding a solution. You learn that you will never find a solution, and that is the answer in itself.

What is the difference between a paid program?

1. Flexibility. We can invite world-famous professors from all over the world. Budget programs can not afford it - they do not have enough money.

2. Quality. We have the best foreign education, which you can buy for money without leaving Russia. This is because we invite the best international professors from all over the world. Few programs can boast that their courses are taught by international experts in their field. Most programs have 2-3 stars, maximum. We have stars who teach most subjects.

3. Choice. We offer many more courses than many comparable programs. For example, you need to choose about ten courses of your choice - any course of your choice. You will choose from a minimal list (say three courses out of 4 for each section). We offer you over 30 different courses in all areas of data analysis.

What's more, students in our program choose their path of study, whether business oriented or academic, to gain only the knowledge and skills they need. 

4. Opportunity. Academic mobility, including international conferences, exchange programs, and dual degree programs. Scientific supervision by world-renowned professors (yes, they do not just teach us) work with our students on their master's theses). Work in the largest network analysis laboratory in Russia (yes, this is our home - ANR).

5. We open more doors than any other program we know.

After three years of the program, we realized that many of our graduates are engaged in business. They work for large international companies where good analytics is of paramount importance. It became clear that to help them succeed; we must offer targeted training in applied business analysis.

Our program offers degrees in applied mathematics and computer science. You are primarily an analyst, so that you can work in any field, not just management.

Business schools offer management degrees.

1. Many analysts must "prove their value" to obtain the desired position as an analyst.

Worse, if they want to be good analysts, business degrees are not enough. This is because business schools offer one or two basic statistical courses that are no longer sufficient for serious analysis.

Why do we think we offer business analytics?

We cooperate with the Business School of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg to provide our students with access to business applications of their choice - human analytics, sports analytics, marketing, or strategy. But we offer a unified, structured approach to data analysis that is applicable everywhere.

Our curator Elena Beylina is not only our very successful graduate. She quickly became a very successful business analyst, already taking on leadership roles in this field. If she is quick to succeed, she can mentor others - from a practical rather than theoretical perspective, as business schools do.

As with business analytics, we found that quite a few of our graduates were looking for ways to improve their chances of entering an excellent postgraduate program.

This track is not easy to understand from the title itself, especially if you are new to the academy. For those who want to continue their careers in science, this track offers various education in all computing things.

Why social sciences?

Because it is the most difficult field of scientific research.

1. Science is determined by theory and method. All-natural sciences have clearly defined theories; they have agreed on methods. For example, the world has been running with Newtonian physics for some time; nowadays, the relativity theory is better.

2. Nothing is agreed upon in the social sciences. Although physicists face many problems, no one seems to question the theory of gravity in the same way that people challenge the theory of leadership or social movement.

3. Think about the method. I can hardly imagine a method that could prove that the Earth is flat and not flat. In the social sciences, various studies often find the opposite, contradictory results. This is because the data is unreliable but worse, the methods are often inaccurately applied.

So, what do we teach? We teach how to formulate problems, how to find data, how to choose the right methods. We base our education on model thinking and modern methodology. Against this background, any postgraduate program will be easy.

At the moment, we offer only two specialized areas - business analytics and computational social sciences. No, you don't have to choose one of them, because you can stay in the "general" track (or "network track" as we call it). This is a general MASNA education that has been in the whole program for three years. You will have access to a wide range of courses, including network analytics.

However, our students are free to take courses on other tracks or as part of their track, but they are not enrolled, one of the main advantages of our program.

You have a choice - to get an education and a master's degree upon successful completion or to take courses and get an official HSE certificate upon successful completion. More information can be found here.

All DASS students are eligible to participate in HSE exchange programs. By the way, many people win competitive slots.

All couples attend mainly on weekdays in the evenings. Some courses may take place on Saturday.

Short answer, no. There are many reasons for this, including that most of our world-famous professors don't allow us to record their lectures.

Yes! You will have to send a script of your current grades by the application deadline and submit your diploma when you receive it.

Of course, you can! You can study in our program if you already have a master's degree.

You will receive a letter at your post office with the results of an evaluation of your portfolio and the results of a job interview in which you will be asked to sign a contract. 

There are many scholarships available, but you must apply for them. We have had students who have managed to get not one but several scholarships as part of our program. Check our program website for more information on scholarships and terms. 

There are paid competitions that you can participate in. Are they easy to win? It's hard to say. Two of our students have won two Kaggle international competitions for a total of $18,000.

We can help you find a job in data analysis. 

We can hire you as a researcher or analyst at the ANR-lab.

Many students work during the day, as our classes are held in the evenings.

There are also educational credits: no interest while you study, a reduced percentage after graduation.

Of course. First, you pay one semester at a time. Second, you must pay a small down payment, and you can split the rest of your payments on a convenient schedule for the rest of the semester.

Many have managed to get a tax refund on the money paid to the institution. Please contact the Federal Tax Service of Russia for information.

Of course, you can. 

Of course. Our discount policy reflects the discount policy for HSE employees. Depending on the amount of time worked at the HSE, you can get up to a discount to pay for our program.