Azernews.Az

Starting September 1, 2026, Russia will abolish the traditional bachelor's and master's degrees, replacing them with a new system of basic and specialized higher education, Azernews reports.

The announcement was made by Ksenia Goryacheva, First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education (New People). The changes will apply to students entering universities in the 2026–2027 academic year. Current students will continue and complete their studies under the existing programs.

According to Goryacheva, basic higher education will last four to six years, depending on the specialty, while specialized higher education will take one to three years. She described the specialized programs as an updated master’s degree format offering professional, managerial, and research tracks.

“Previously, graduates of specialized programs could not apply for state-funded master’s places,” Goryacheva explained. “Now, graduates of any basic program will be eligible to compete for budget-funded positions, while postgraduate studies will remain a separate level of professional education.”

She emphasized that the transition has been carefully planned over several years, and is not a sudden change.

“We began discussing a replacement for the Bologna system back in 2022,” Goryacheva said. “We prepared a transition program and launched a pilot project at six universities, testing the model in real academic conditions. Now we are expanding this experience nationwide.”

The new system is expected to have the greatest impact in engineering and science-intensive fields, where four years is often insufficient for comprehensive training.

“Employers frequently have to retrain employees on the job because university programs are not always flexible or up-to-date,” Goryacheva noted. “The new model will give universities more freedom to design programs that meet real-world demands, while maintaining strong academic foundations.”

The move is part of a broader trend in higher education reform worldwide. Countries like Germany and Japan have experimented with integrated degree models that combine undergraduate and graduate studies, aiming to streamline education while keeping it closely aligned with industry needs. Russian experts hope that this shift will make graduates more job-ready and competitive in global markets.