Does it make sense to go to a magistracy?

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Daniil Barabanov

PhD in Psychology, assistant professor.

It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally, since there are several factors. To begin with, it is worth considering the ratio of bachelor's and master's degrees in general. This system is not our "native", the classical system in the USSR and Russia is a five-year specialization. Although the first bachelor's and master's degrees appeared in our country back in the 1990s, they were widely adopted during the inclusion of Russia in The Bologna Process in 2003, which aimed to unify education programs and facilitate labor migration between participating countries.

Unfortunately, Russia entered into this agreement for purely political reasons, and our academic community was faced with a fact. This led to the fact that domestic professors, employers and students initially did not understand the essence of division into bachelor's and master's degrees and what level of qualifications is required to perform certain other tasks. This incomplete understanding and sometimes sabotage of this system persists to this day.

The original idea is based on the fact that the modern world and the labor market are rapidly changing. Every year new professions appear, and some become a thing of the past. In this context, teach students a fixed set of knowledge, skills and skills it is unreasonable, since the information is rapidly becoming outdated: to the point that what was learned in the 1st year may be inadequate by the 5th. Therefore, the division into bachelor's and master's degrees is based on a different learning logic.

The task of the bachelor's degree is to form general skills in working with information, the ability to learn, think critically and motivate oneself. These competencies help a person independently collect, analyze and evaluate information after graduation. The task of the master's degree is in-depth specialization in a certain area. In this sense, the master's degree provides more professional knowledge and skills that are superimposed on the base of the bachelor's degree.

However, the idea and implementation in Russia, unfortunately, differ. Many students enter college for ill-considered reasons: family pressure, poor understanding of the labor market and wages, or lack of understanding of their own needs and requests, which, for example, could be satisfied at the expense of an average professional education. In addition, the gap year practice, popular in the United States, has not become widespread in our country, when students after school take a break for a year. I think that such a gap year would help many to take more balanced decisions.

It is quite obvious that four years of a bachelor's degree is not enough for mastering very many professions, for example, an engineer or a psychologist. Therefore, it is worth applying for a master's degree if you want to build a career in the chosen specialty, as well as if you plan engage in teaching and scientific activities in this area (then after master's degree you need to enter graduate school).

If your task was to get a diploma, and you do not plan to work according to the initially chosen specialty, the graduation from the master's degree will not bring you much benefit (first of all - salary and status).

However, many employers do not understand the difference between bachelor's and master's degrees and may mistakenly assess a bachelor's degree as "incomplete education" - this is also wrong. It's just that each level of education (bachelor's, master's, postgraduate studies) is tailored to its tasks, and you must understand them when making decisions.