HSE Master’s Students Received Double Degrees
On July 10, 2015, students of the master’s programme in Finance majoring in Audit and Consulting successfully defended their master’s theses at Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy.
As part of the joint programme, during the first year, the participants studied at HSE in Nizhny Novgorod and spent the second year in the partner university. As a result of successful viva voce processes in Russia and Italy, the students received degrees from the two universities. Olga Afanasieva, Maria Morozova, and Anna Pokh shared their impressions.
‘On July 10, we successfully defended our master’s theses at Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy. We’ve been working towards this goal for the whole academic year, improving our Italian, passing examinations, learning more about Italian culture and traveling during our leisure time. The education system here is different from what we are used to: there are no practical classes, and students have to attend a course of lectures throughout the semester and pass examinations at the end of it. But some lecturers prefer to assess the knowledge before the examination, by means of giving the students the opportunity to present their research projects. The examinations usually take place in two stages: the first stage includes a test with open and closed questions, and the second one – an oral interview on the whole course material, without either a preliminary list of questions or preparation time.
During the academic year, we studied the specifics of Italian accounting, audit, and consulting, the practice of mergers and acquisitions, and some aspects of the tax law. We also learned financial econometrics and international economics in depth. It was exciting to hear the Italian professors’ opinions on the current economic situation and the prospects for Russian economy. The study process was difficult, since it was totally in Italian, but we overcame this and received our cherished degrees with excellent results! We want to thank Higher School of Economics for the opportunity to study in Italy and everyone who supported us and helped with any problems. This year was truly unforgettable!’
You can find more information on the master’s programme in finance on its website.