VSUES Master

• Sorokin M.A. Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service. Vladivostok. Russia . Vladivostok. Russia

• Sorokina L.V.

  Sorokina L.V. Vladivostok Branch of Russian Customs Academy. Vladivostok. Russia

Tertiary education has always been in demand in Russia, but recent years saw a dramatic increase in number of people willing to boost their educational attainment. Moreover, current economic and social developments have made it urgent for them to obtain new ever-changing aptitudes and qualifications. To respond to the challenges Russian universities have evolved and adopted a two-tiered approach in higher education. On the other hand, the process of turning universities into businesses that sell their commodity – educational services – has been sped up. Thus, many Russian universities are facing stiff competition at home and abroad. Master’s degree programs and their competitiveness have been the subject of recent research. However, many research papers have failed to produce an evaluation model that would take into account such factors as regional and industry-based peculiarities of education market. Those papers that did produce such a model turned out to be purely theoretical as they offer criteria that are hard to apply. The article seeks to identify and analyze factors that contribute to competitiveness of master's degree programs offered at Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service (VSUES). Firstly, high competitiveness of the programs in question has been proved statistically. The authors have compared the numbers of Master's degree students who study on a contract basis and those enrolled on a state-funded basis. Secondly, the number of Bachelor's degree graduates and number of graduate students who can continue their studies on a state-funded basis (adjusted to the time lag) have been compared. The analysis showed that there are good opportunities for Bachelor's degree holders to study for a master's degree. Although, 2014-2018 years saw a decrease in public funding of degree programs, the number of Master's degree students enrolled on a contract basis has increased significantly. The approach to competitive analysis of Master's degree programs given in the article aims to ensure that high demand for such programs will last.

Keywords: Master's degree, education program, academic program, degree program, competitiveness, educational service, labour market