Research Seminar and Projects

A research seminar is a key active method of acquiring professional competencies

needed by graduates in their future activities. It is a compulsory part of the educational
curriculum and is held on a regular basis.

The research seminar allows students to work with leading researchers and experts and
adjust their individual curricula, helps students refine their skills of research, text
processing, searching scholarly information and presenting their work. Students also
improve their understanding of study design, which includes defining the hypothesis,
providing a rationale for it and selecting a line of argument. Students then write term
papers to showcase and review the results obtained during research seminars.
is one of the options.Research seminars help students refine their skills of research, text
processing, searching scholarly information and presenting their work. Students also
improve their understanding of study design, which includes defining the hypothesis,
providing a rationale for it and selecting a line of argument. Students then write term
papers to showcase and review the results obtained during research seminars.

Research seminars are taught in a cross-cutting pattern throughout both years of study.
Research seminars help students develop research skills and prepare for writing the
term paper and Master’s thesis.

The main goal of the research seminar is to help students develop research skills and
competencies, acquaint them with contemporary real life aspects of public
administration, and improve the effectiveness of their independent research work, which
is required for the successful preparation of the term paper and Master’s thesis.
Research seminar objectives:
1. Professional orientation of students to help them choose the field and topic of their
dissertation
2. Inculcating academic skills, including preparing and conducting research
3. Involving students in project activities and R&D for government
4. Writing and publishing student papers and articles
5. Teaching students to gather, systematize, and process information and prepare
analytic reports and documents
6. Acquainting students with the standard workflow in government bodies and public
organizations

In addition, students combine their studies with research (particularly, with the Institute
 for Public Administration and Governance and Solovyev Institute of Procurement and
Sales Management), conferences, seminars, research project competitions and work in
research labs (such as the Centre for Studies of the Civil Society and Non-Profit Sector
and the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research in the Non-Profit Sector).
Apart from research seminars, students on the Programme participate in
specific projects. They complete specific tasks set by the project owner, collect and
assess data or provide expert analysis of a situation identified by the project owner.
Project workis an important element of Master’s training at NRU HSE. Its objectives
are twofold: to connect students with actual employers and to gain experience in
applying knowledge and skills to yield tangible results.
Thus:
 The project owner develops a specification, provides information and establishes
the workflow of the organization/division
 A project lead is selected from among the Master’s students, and a project
coordinator from among the faculty members
 HSE publishes the specification on its information portal (Projects Fair)
 MPA students (and students from other programmes, depending on the project’s
topic) choose a project based on the published specification; students that best match
the specification are then selected
 The project coordinator and lead form a group of students to work on the project
 The project is implemented in collaboration with the project owner and with input
from the coordinator
 The project group reports the outcomes to the owner who provides assessment
of their work
 The project coordinator assigns grades to the students based on the project
owner’s assessment.
Project work is structured as follows: