The graduate school - ways of improving efficacy

This conceptual article is based on the analysis of dissertation research quality problems and offers suggestions on developing higher education and university academic activities management. The aim of the article was to evaluate functioning peculiarities of post graduate education as a new level of higher education in Russia. The article demonstrates statistic data concerning postgraduate education performance in the Russian Federation that on the one hand shows sufficient attention to postgraduate students training on behalf of the state but on the other hand unveils society's concern with increasingly low dissertation process performance related to insufficient dissertation quality and other reasons. The article analyses legal basis of postgraduate study and demonstrates results of university postgraduates' activities monitoring that were used as a basis for developing mechanisms for upgrading efficacy of preparing postgraduate students for further research and pedagogical activities. Conducted activity monitoring of university postgraduate students covered 600 postgraduates from 13 state universities. The research gave the following principal results: - For most of the respondents postgraduate course was an opportunity to improve qualification level. - 69,5 % of respondents valued opportunity to research interesting and complex topics during their study; 64,3 % valued opportunity to work in the capital or a regional center; 63,9% valued a chance to defend candidate thesis; 58,5 % felt the need to realize their creative potential in the field of science - Only 39,3 % of postgraduate students planned to become university lecturer at the moment of enrolling to the course. - According to postgraduates opinion, the main problem causing difficulties in the study is related to financial difficulties. 84,9 % of postgraduate students feel the lack of time for research because they need to get part time job. - Pedagogical work attracts only 21,1 % of postgraduate students. Research work interests 36,2 % of postgraduate students, whereas 39,7 % of postgraduate students like both research and pedagogical work. - 40,5 % of respondent feel no desire to remain at teaching positions at the university; 22,2 % have not made up their mind and 37,2 % would like to continue working at the university. - Only half of all postgraduate students own books on how to work on their thesis and study at a postgraduate level. In general analysis demonstrates deterioration of postgraduate courses efficacy: there is a lower number of theses defended on time and growing number of postgraduate students leaving the course before its completion. These facts demonstrate the need to improve postgraduate student selection system, strengthen student preparation for research work; facilitate continuity in higher education programs. There is a need to introduce higher requirements to those entering postgraduate courses. Most part of postgraduate students did not really have a competition when entering the course and this had negative influence on dissertation quality and postgraduate course efficacy. The article develops and suggests mechanisms for upgrading efficacy of postgraduate training for independent academic and pedagogical work: a) work with student elite starting from the first year of study; b) preliminary training in academic work methodology for postgraduate students; c) improving motivation of postgraduates for academic and pedagogical work; d)methodic support of postgraduate training; e)improving quality of academic supervision over postgraduate students; f) preparing postgraduate students for working in market economy competitive environment; g) improving self-organization level among postgraduate students. Value and importance of the article are determined by the following: monitoring results give a relevant picture of postgraduate education problems' demonstrating both positive and negative trends in the work of university postgraduate students. The article also suggests mechanisms and instruments for improving postgraduate training efficacy in terms of independent academic and pedagogical work. The article provides recommendation on managing the process of such changes at the university.