The Educational System of Russia

The structure of the educational system in Russia is very similar to that of the United States. Schooling is state sponsored and available to all. Completing compulsory education from ages 6-15, the order of the schooling is Primary, Basic, Complete Secondary, and vocational or another form of higher education.

There are four popular forms of Complete Secondary Education. General schools, or Общеобразовательная средняя, are comparable to public schools with a Kindergarten through eleventh grade education. Общеобразовательная с уклоном are intensive general schools that offer a more specialized education in a specific area of study. Next, gimnaziya- Гимназия, Gymnasiums, offer specialized education in the humanities. Very similar to the Gymnasium is the Lyceum, licej– Лицей, which only differs in terminology, rather than content and curriculum (The System of Education in Russia). There are also private schools in Russia, however, they are not very common. Of all of these forms of schooling, general schools are the most heavily attended. After completing Secondary Education, students receive certificates stating the completion of general education (Russia).

After finishing their Secondary Education, about half of all Russians go on to complete some sort of tertiary education, a college degree in the United States. The number of adults completing higher education in Russia is one of the highest in the world (Frohlich). These schools are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Science. At these Universities, students can receive degrees equivalent to an associate’s degree (incomplete higher education), bachelors (Bakalavr’s degree), masters (Specialist diploma or Magistr), or doctorate (Candidate of Sciences or Doctor of Sciences) (Russia).

The education system of Russia is very similar to that of the United States, making it very easy to understand and relate to. Russians complete various levels of schooling culminating in the attendance of some form of tertiary education for most individuals.

Works Cited

Frohlich, Thomas C. “The most educated countries in the world.” USA Today. 13 September 2014. Web. 16 September 2014.

“Russia.” The European Education Directory. IAU. 2006. Web. 16 September 2014.

“The system of education in Russia.” NORRIC. Norric Recognition Network. February 2005. Web. 16 September 2014.