Joint MA programmes: a view from Italy

A press conference on discussion further development of the double degree programme took place at the University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. University Rector Alessandro Rugieri said that, in Italy people understand how important cooperation with Russia is – in particular cooperation with HSE in Nizhny Novgorod – which is home to over a million residents and plays a key role in the country’s economic life. 

‘The agreement about a double diploma with HSE Nizhny Novgorod was signed several years ago, and we already have our first graduates. We carry out preparation for students in both universities, and thus this agreement fully covers the full cycle of education.’ 

‘This project has its roots in the distant past, in 2006,’ Professor Mauricio Mazzi said. ‘The University of Tuscia sought to take part in the Erasmus programme, and that kickstarted our cooperation. We carried out several joint conferences and working meetings, which created the foundations for our future work.’ Russian students arrive in Italy with a good knowledge of the Italian language – having studied it in Russia, and then continuing with classes at the university in Italy.

‘We try to do the same for our Italian students who go to study in Russia,’ Mazzi said. ‘And there is the option of studying in English in Russia.’

‘The HSE website is in Russian and English,’ Professor Giuseppe Iannello notes, ‘which is very important’.

Cooperation between the universities is developing dynamically, and we now offer expanded student choice.

‘There are students that can study individual subjects, while some are part of an Italian MA diploma course,’ Professor Pavel Malyzhenkov said. From this year, this cooperation also includes marketing-related subjects, and students from Viterbo attended a summer-school at HSE Nizhny Novgorod. In March, Professor Iannello visited HSE Nizhny Novgorod to give a series of lectures on financial reporting.

Italian students are also very pleased with how this project is developing.

‘This initiative has been a great success,’ said student Sara Manzi. ‘I have the opportunity to immerse myself in Russian culture. It would be great to expand this to other specialties.’