Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of PetrSU: Facts and Figures

The Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences is notable for the quality of education, accomplished faculty, highly qualified graduates.

The Institute is the principal center of Karelia for training university-educated specialists in the fields of history, political studies, international relations, social studies, social work, as well as teachers of history and social science.

The Institute has 580 students, including the international students from Senegal, Syria, the Czech Republic, and Tajikistan. The teachers read courses on history, philosophy, cultural and social studies to the students of other institutes of the university.

Results of the 2017 Admission Campaign

This year over 100 people became the students of the Institute. The competition for the program “Pedagogic Education. History and Social Science” was 8,5 applicants per place; “Social Work” – 8 applicants per place; “Social Studies” – 7,6 applicants per place; “History of the Nordic Countries” – 6,8 applicants per place; “History. Historical and Cultural Tourism” – 5,3 applicants per place; “International Relations” – 4,4 applicants per place.

Half of the first-year students are graduates of regional schools of Karelia. This is the result of consistent career orientation of the Institute. The teachers of the Institute take part in the events: “Science Days”, “Start in Profession”, “Socrates Club”, “Ilmarinen”, “Lomonosov Readings” etc., as well as regularly visit the regions of the Republic.

The programs of the Institute interested residents of Ulyanovsk, Perm, Murmansk, Novosibirsk, Leningrad, Arkhangelsk, and Vologda Oblasts.

Educational process

The Institute admits to the Bachelor and Master Degree programs, as well as postgraduate programs. Academic Bachelor Degree programs are “History of Russia”, “Historical and Cultural Tourism”, “History of the Nordic Countries”, “International Relations”, “Social Studies”, “Political Studies”, “History of International Relations”. The Master Degree programs offered at the Institute are “History of the Nordic Countries (history, culture, history of Finland and Sweden)”, “History of Russia”, “Social Studies”, “Social Work”. In March 2017 the Institute licensed the postgraduate program “Historical Studies and Archeology”.

The Institute is working on the development of Master Degree programs in the English language (“Social Work”, “Historical Studies”).

The teachers hold traditional lectures, seminars, curate work in pairs and groups, project activities, workshops.

The educational process involves distance courses on the Moodle and Blackboard platforms.

The unique features of the Institute are the diversity of specializations, possibility of studying several foreign languages and the prospects of Master Degree programs in English.

The students take an advanced curriculum in English, have the opportunity to study German, French, Finnish.

At the Department of National History the students receive fundamental training in the field of humanities and study national history, methodology and historiography, get knowledge of management, marketing in culture, technique and legal framework of entrepreneurship in tourism. Besides that, the Institute trains teachers of history and social sciences.

The students of the program “Social Studies” learn to work in special programs, conduct opinion polls, attend lectures read by practicing sociologists, get involved in the activities of the Sociologic Laboratory.

International activities                                                          

The Institute has long-term relations with the University of Lapland (Finland): international intensive schools, practical training in the neighboring countries, visiting teachers, and student exchange programs.

The students of the “Social Work” and “International Relations” can study on the Master Degree program in English, developed by PetrSU and the University of Lapland.

The Institute has cooperated with the universities in the U.S., in the states of Vermont and Minnesota in the framework of the sister-universities program. The students and teachers of the “Social Work” have repeatedly welcomed the guests from America to introduce them to the Russian system of social protection.

Teachers of foreign universities read lectures, for example, the lectures on the history of the Nordic countries are read by professors from Iceland, Finland, and Sweden.    

The students widely participate in exchange programs FIRST, ERASMUS, DAAD, Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary), and can study at foreign partner universities of the Nordic countries. Under the BCBU program the students undergo practical training in Finland.

Thus, this January a group of the students of the Department of History, Political Studies and International Relations visited Germany in the framework of academic exchange programs.

Putting knowledge to use

The students are introduced to their future profession during their first year of studies. The first-year students undergo practical training and learn about the activities of various organizations, institutions, leading specialists. During work experience internship the students work with documents, hold classes, conduct opinion polls etc. During teaching practice, they hold lectures and practical studies for the junior students.

Scientific research and achievements

The students are involved in scientific research: present reports at scientific conferences of PetrSU, other Russian universities and abroad, publish articles in scientific journals. The graduates who pursue research defend candidate and doctoral theses.

Wide range of professional activities

Upon their graduation, the students are awarded diplomas indicating their specialization. This document allows them to pursue a career in various fields: teaching and research, international and social projects, consulting. Among the organizations that employ the graduates of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences are the EU Center in Barents Region, Department of International Projects and Programs, Representative Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Petrozavodsk, Karelian Resource Center, the Federal Security Service, business (tourism, hospitality, domestic and overseas trade), educational institutions, municipal authorities, ministries, archives, museums, research centers, media, social organizations, Sociologic Laboratory etc.  

Feedback from students and graduates

Daria Dorshakova: “I am studying on the third year of the “International Relations” program. I have chosen this program because at school I had liked foreign languages, been interested in politics and history. In my opinion, this program trains specialists with a broad mind, rich knowledge of history, social studies, project management, cross-cultural communication etc. With a diploma of this program, students are in demand as the range of their expertise is incredible and such versatile people are valued by employers. By all means, I recommend enrolling in the “International Relations” program to everyone who is interested in studying foreign languages and wishes to use them in the future, to those people who identify themselves as humanitarians but do not know which career to pursue.

I have already had an opportunity to practice my English language and cross-cultural communication during a year-long studying in the USA. The YEAR program allows Russian students to live and study at one of the universities of America for a year, learn about the life of American people. In the course of this year, I have concluded that I had made the right choice by opting for the field of international relations, as it is so diversified that throughout your life you can try your hand in many spheres within just one field”.

Aleksey Rogozin, graduate of the “International Relations” program, Head of the Division of International Projects of PetrSU: “During my school years I have taken an active part in research, participated in conferences and at one point joined a team that was selected to take part in the All-Russian stage of the “Step to the Future” program in Moscow. Petrozavodsk University took part in our training, as it hosted workshops in teamwork, psychology, rhetoric, memory and logic development. So back in the 10th grade I wound up at PetrSU, attended classes, met students and teachers. These people have told me about the new program “International Relations”, so during my last two years at school, I have been intentionally preparing for the entrance examinations.

The curriculum is made in such a way that students develop the broadest mindset and holistic view of the world. Some courses are aimed at the development of analytical thinking; others focus on giving knowledge in various areas (history, the theory of international relations, statistics, economics, philosophy, international law, cultural studies). The second advantage was comprehensive language training: over 1000 hours of the English language, as well as three years of studying the Swedish and French languages. A big plus is that we were taught analytical thinking, critical approach to the information we receive, diligence. I would like to particularly note the courses related to the relations between Russia and EU, relations in the Northern Europe, internal affairs, and security policy, cooperation in the Barents region. As to how the studies have influenced my choice of career: the last six years I have been working at the Department of International Projects and Programs of PetrSU and every day we interact with people from different countries, implement joint projects, educational programs, organize reception of foreign delegations, send our students to study abroad. Over the years of my work here I have visited 27 countries, met representatives of dozens of peoples of almost all religious affiliation. The majority of the international projects and programs of PetrSU are implemented jointly with the European Union, exactly in the area, we have studied so the knowledge came in useful.”