‘Combining the Strengths of Different Universities’
In the 2025/26 academic year, students graduated from 14 joint degree programmes—eight bachelor's and six master's programmes—delivered by HSE University in partnership with other universities across Russia and neighbouring countries at the campuses of those partner institutions. Admissions to these programmes are managed by the partner universities, and graduates receive diplomas from both the partner university and HSE University.
HSE University has been running joint programmes with other Russian universities since 2008, with the initiative expanding significantly from 2018 onwards.
There are several reasons for launching such programmes. First, in line with its mission, HSE seeks to share the educational methods and expertise it has developed with other universities, including those located in remote regions. Second, they make it possible to bring together two outstanding academic teams to create distinctive, high-quality degree programmes. As a large university, HSE cannot expand its campuses indefinitely, so joint programmes also provide a way of overcoming these natural limitations.
During the academic year that has just concluded, graduates of eight bachelor's programmes delivered jointly by HSE and seven partner universities received joint bachelor's degrees. These programmes were offered in partnership with Southern Federal University and Don State Technical University (Rostov-on-Don), the University of Tyumen, Pacific National University (Khabarovsk), Far Eastern Federal University (Vladivostok), North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk), and the Russian University of Transport (Moscow).
Graduates of six master's programmes jointly delivered with partner institutions also received double degrees from HSE and their respective universities. These programmes were offered in collaboration with Pskov State University, the University of Tyumen, Pacific National University, Chuvash State University (Cheboksary), the Banking and Finance Academy (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), and Central University (Moscow).
This academic year also marked the first graduating cohorts for four bachelor's and two master's programmes.
Sergey Roshchin
'Double degree programmes have become an important element in the development of modern higher education. They combine the strengths of different universities, create opportunities for the exchange of educational practices, and foster long-term academic partnerships. These initiatives involve far more than the joint delivery of degree programmes: they are built on sustained efforts to establish trust, align approaches, and strengthen collaboration between university teams,' said Sergey Roshchin, HSE Vice Rector.
According to him, over the years these programmes have become a source of new educational approaches, joint research initiatives, and closer collaboration between academic staff. Their significance extends well beyond the graduation of individual cohorts, as the experience gained is gradually integrated into the educational and research activities of the participating universities.
HSE places particular emphasis on developing joint programmes with universities in Siberia and the Russian Far East. This year, the University of Tyumen celebrated the graduation of students from three such programmes: the bachelor's programmes in Media Management and Production (graduating its first cohort) and Economics and Data Science, as well as the HSE–University of Tyumen double degree master's programme in Education Management.
Marina Giltman
'This is already the third graduating cohort of the HSE–University of Tyumen double degree programme in Economics and Data Science, and at the same time it marks the completion of a major seven-year chapter of our work. That is how long my colleagues and I have spent designing, launching, and delivering this programme. Our greatest achievement is, of course, our graduates. It is both rewarding and inspiring to see how successfully they are building careers in economics and data analytics. I wish the Class of 2026 every success in their professional and career journeys,' said Marina Giltman, Academic Supervisor of the Economics and Data Science programme at the University of Tyumen.
In the Russian Far East, HSE diplomas were awarded to graduates of the HSE–Far Eastern Federal University Joint Bachelor's Programme in Economics, the International Bachelor's Programme in Economics and Management at Pacific National University (which celebrated its first graduating cohort this year), and the HSE–Pacific National University joint master's programme in Education Management.
Elena Gafforova
'With the fifth graduating cohort of our joint programme, we are bringing to completion a highly valuable project for the School of Economics and Management at Far Eastern Federal University: the creation of a modern model of economics education in the Russian Far East. We are proud of our graduates and confident in their future success, but what we value most is our partnership with HSE. Thanks to our open and genuinely collaborative relationship, we have built a team of lecturers who will continue to uphold the highest standards in training future economists. We are certain that many more exciting joint projects lie ahead,' emphasised Elena Gafforova, Vice President for Education at Far Eastern Federal University.
In Rostov-on-Don, the first cohort graduated from the HSE–Southern Federal University double degree programme ‘The Caucasus and the Middle East in Regional Relations.’ Degrees were also awarded to graduates of the Neuromedia bachelor's programme, delivered jointly with Don State Technical University.
Stepan Buryakov
According to Stepan Buryakov, Acting Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Don State Technical University, inter-university collaboration makes it possible to combine educational resources, adopt best practices, exchange expertise, and continuously update curricula in response to changes in the professional landscape. ‘Neuromedia is an excellent example of this collaboration between Don State Technical University and HSE. For us, the programme demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnership and serves as an important element of the university's innovative development,' he added.
Denis Dubover
'Each new intake presents fresh challenges for us: expectations evolve, projects become more ambitious, and students tackle increasingly complex research and practical case studies. This year, for the first time in the programme's history, some final thesis defences were conducted in English. The research component of Neuromedia helps students develop analytical thinking, tackle complex problems, and make informed decisions in conditions of uncertainty,' said Denis Dubover, Head of Project-Based Learning and Research at the Institute of Creative Industries of Don State Technical University.
In his view, the programme provides an excellent foundation for further study at the country's leading master's programmes and for professional careers in the media and information technology sectors.
In partnership with Russian and international universities, HSE also offers a number of joint degree programmes for which admissions are managed directly by the university. These include the HSE–New Economic School Joint Bachelor's Programme in Economics, one of the strongest economics programmes in Russia, which has now graduated 13 cohorts of bachelor's students, and the master's programme in Cognitive Neuroscience, delivered jointly with Skoltech, which celebrated its first graduating cohort this year.
Full information on HSE's joint double degree programmes—both those with admissions managed by partner universities and those admitting students directly through HSE—is available on the university's website (in Russian).
