DOUBLE DEGREE DIPLOMA | Kuban State University

Kuban State University in cooperation with its foreign partners is actively developing a network of joint higher education programmes and the joint programmes of additional training.

The Double Bachelor’s Degree programme, realized since 2004 in cooperation with Berlin University of Applied Technical and Economic Sciences in the field of Management and Economics, gives both the students of Kuban State University and the students of Berlin University an opportunity to obtain simultaneously two national diplomas – Russian and German.

The International Double Master’s Degree programme "Economics and Management" (in the field of Economics), taught in English, started at Kuban State University on September 1, 2014.

Russian students attend classes at Kuban State University for their first academic year and spend their final year in a Partner University (Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague). According to the results of Master's thesis defense under the supervision of Russian and Czech professors in both universities, the graduates obtain two national diplomas – Russian and Czech.

In 2006, the joint additional training programme of Kuban State University and the European Business School of Karlsruhe (Germany) was established. While studying majors students of all faculties of Kuban State University have the opportunity to be taught by leading professors and lecturers of the European Business School and then to train and practice at German enterprises and firms. Everyone who has completed the training programme of the European Business School is awarded the Certificate of «Business Administration Assistant».

68 students of Kuban State University have obtained an additional qualification of "Business Administration Assistant" at the European Business School.

INTERNATIONAL MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM “ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT”

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS:

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, CULS (Czech Republic)
Porto Accounting and Business School of Polytechnic of Porto, ISCAP (Portugal)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

General information
The Program advantages and benefits of employment
Information of the KubSU foreign partner universities
Curriculum

GENERAL INFORMATION

International Master's Double-Degree programs are the programs, which main distinguishing feature is to save time and money, i.e. for two years of study, a student can receive two diplomas/degrees at the same time – Russian and European. This means that the first year of study takes place at the home university, the second – at the partner/host university. Wherein, partner universities accept and recognize all academic courses / disciplines mastered at the sending and receiving universities on the basis of a joint integrated or agreed curriculum. Based on the results of two defenses (at the home university and at the host university – CULS) or a joint defense (recognized by both parties – KubSU and ISCAP) of the Master's thesis under the supervision of Russian and foreign professors, the student receives a Russian Public diploma, and in a foreign university he is awarded the corresponding degree.

In other words, Double-Degree educational program (hereinafter referred to as a DDP) is a unified program of two institutions of higher education with integrated and synchronized curricula and calendar training schedules, with clearly defined responsibility of participants for the resource provided at each stage of its realization. The legal basis for a DDP is an agreement on its development and implementation.

To see a video about KubSU go to https://youtu.be/akmrtWOLTCc

Duration of the Master's Double-Degree program: 2 academic years
Form of study: full-time
Total workload for the whole period of study: 120 credits (60 credits per year).

THE PROGRAM ADVANTAGES AND BENEFITS OF EMPLOYMENT

At Kuban State University, one of the main advantages of the Master's Double-Degree programs is the regular classes are taught in English (both in Russia and abroad), providing unlimited opportunities and equal rights to all candidates from any country around the world, if they fluently speak English – no less than B2/Upper Intermediate level according to the Pan-European Scale for determining the level of language competencies (see Common European Framework of Reference, CEFR: https://englex.ru/english-levels-table). Thus, to be admitted to the DDP, foreign applicants do not need to take a nine-month course of the Russian Language. There are other advantages of studying under the KubSU Double-Degree programs. Here are just a few of them:

Tuition fee for the whole period of study (i.e. for 2 years) is covered only at the home university. Students do not pay any tuition fee in the host partner university;
High level of teaching staff, including professors invited from foreign universities;
The courses of the DDP are provided with specialized literature in English from the library stock of Kuban State University and electronic resources (for example, Scopus-a multidisciplinary abstract database, Web of Science (WoS) – a database of scientific citation, scientific electronic library (SEL), full-text archives of leading Western scientific journals on the Russian platform of scientific journals NEICON, etc.);
Major work training takes place in Russian and foreign/joint companies;
Teaching is focused on the methods and style of international companies’ work;
Classes are held in the evening on weekdays (4 times a week) and on Saturdays without interruption from the main job;
The remote technologies are also used In the educational process (the Moodle and Microsoft Teams platforms);
As an additional document to the Russian diploma and its supplement, the graduate can receive a European Diploma Supplement in Russian and English, which is not included in the tuition fee and requires an extra expense.
Experience culture and national traditions of Russia and European countries.
Demand and recognition of diplomas/degrees at the international level, including the possibility of further study in postgraduate/doctoral studies and employment with a higher probability of career growth in any country of the world;
A variety of areas of professional activity (economics, marketing, management, finance, law, information technology, business, trade, entrepreneurship etc.).

The brief information of the Program can be obtained from the booklet and video.

INFORMATION OF THE KUBSU INTERNATIONAL PARTNER UNIVERSITIES

Kuban State University successfully implements two Master's Double-Degree programs in partnership with the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Economics and Management (CULS, the Czech Republic) and with Porto Accounting and Business School of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISCAP, Portugal).

Kuban State University and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS) are the partner universities of the Master's Double-Degree program "Economics and Management" since 2014. CULS is one of the leading public universities in the Czech Republic, where 30 bachelor's and Master's degree programs are taught in English (https://www.pef.czu.cz/en/). CULS has its own large industrial base for experience and research work; CULS is a member of the Association of European Universities of Natural Sciences and a member of the EU Erasmus+grant program (see video). The number of graduates who received 2 diplomas/degrees in this program as of 2020 is 22 people.

Kuban State University and Porto Accounting and Business School of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISCAP) are the partners in the Master's Double-Degree program, the major of which is "Entrepreneurship and Internationalization", since 2017. ISCAP belongs to the largest and most prestigious public Polytechnic Institute in Portugal: Porto Polytechnic (P. PORTO). ISCAP is located in S. Mamede de Infesta (Matosinhos), very close to the P campus. PORTO, the school offers students a wide range of innovative undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting, international commerce, marketing, business communications, tourism and hospitality, management and administrative assistance and translation, creativity and business innovation, human resources and library and information science, and technology. ISCAP is equipped with modern and technologically advanced multimedia, educational and marketing centers (https://www.iscap.pt/gri/site/index.php/incoming-mobi-students/about-iscap). ISCAP is a regular participant in national and international grant programs, including Erasmus+. In 2020, graduates who received two national diplomas/degrees were 2 people. it is expected that in 2021, there will be 2 graduates as well (see video).

CURRICULUM

In this section the following curriculum programs are represented: the core curriculum of KubSU in the field of study 38.04.01 Economics, major “Economics and Management” , integrated curriculum of KubSU and CULS "Economics and Management”; a competency-based curriculum agreed by KubSU and ISCAP.

N. B. the curricula of the University and its partners are periodically reviewed and updated.

1. Core curriculum of Kuban State University: field of study 38.04.01 Economics, major " Economics and Management»

№	The course code (ID)	The course title	Semester: Winter or Summer	Number of academic hours / ECTS credits
1^st Year of study
1	Б1.О.01	Management	Winter	144/4
2	Б1.О.02	Skills of Business Negotiations and National Culture	Winter	144/4
3	Б1.О.03	Econometric Modelling	Winter	144/4
4	Б1.О.04	Economics of Industries (Sectoral Economics)	Winter	108/3
5	Б1.О.05	Introduction to Research	Winter	108/3
6	Б1.В.01	Advanced Methods of Economic Research	Winter	108/3
7	Б1.В.02	Economics of Public Sector	Winter	108/3
8	Б2.В.01	Research work (obtaining primary research skills)	Winter	216/6
Total for the semester				1080/30
9	Б1.В.03	Planning, Forecasting and Macroeconomic Analysis	Summer	180/5
10	Б1.В.04	Human Resource Management	Summer	144/4
11	Б1.В.05	Economic Policies	Summer	144/4
12	Б1.В.06	Project Management	Summer	144/4
13	Б2.О.01.01(П)	Practice (internship) according to the profile of professional activity (part 1)	Summer	108/3
14	ФТД.01	English (optional)[1]	Summer	72/2
*Elective Courses of Module 1[2]*
15	Б1.В.ДВ.01.01	General Economics – International Economics	Summer	180/5
16	Б1.В.ДВ.01.02	IT in Electronic Commerce	Summer	180/5
17	Б1.В.ДВ.01.03	Psychology of Organizational Behavior	Summer	180/5
*Elective Courses of Module 2*
18	Б1.В.ДВ.02.01	Corporate Accounting and ISFR[3]	Summer	180/5
19	Б1.В.ДВ.02.02	Modern Methods of Algorithmization and Programming	Summer	180/5
20	Б1.В.ДВ.02.03	Environmental Change Management	Summer	180/5
Total for the semester				1080/30
Total for the first academic year				2160/60
2^nd Year of study
21	Б1.В.07	Corporate Finance	Winter	180/5
22	Б1.В.08	Marketing	Winter	180/5
23	Б1.В.09	World Economy	Winter	144/4
24	Б2.В.02.01(П)	Practice (internship) according to the profile of professional activity (part 2)	Winter	216/6
25	ФТД.02	Czech (optional)	Winter	72/2
*Elective Courses of Module 3*
26	Б1.В.ДВ.03.01	Theory of Trade and International trade	Winter	180/5
27	Б1.В.ДВ.03.02	Modern Methods of Statistics	Winter	180/5
28	Б1.В.ДВ.03.03	Business Strategy	Winter	180/5
*Elective Courses of Module 4*
29	Б1.В.ДВ.04.01	Regulation of Economy in EU and WTO Conditions	Winter	180/5
30	Б1.В.ДВ.04.02	Information systems management	Winter	180/5
31	Б1.В.ДВ.04.03	Rural development	Winter	180/5
Total for the semester				1080/30
32	Б1.В.10	Managerial Economics	Summer	144/4
33	Б1.В.11	Strategic Management	Summer	144/4
34	Б1.В.12	Scientific Seminar (workshop)	Summer	72/2
*Elective Courses of Module 5*
35	Б1.В.ДВ.05.01	International Finance	Summer	144/4
36	Б1.В.ДВ.05.02	Economic analysis	Summer	144/4
37	Б1.В.ДВ.05.03	Cluster Economy	Summer	144/4
*Elective Courses of Module 6*
38	Б1.В.ДВ.06.01	Modern International and Russian Law	Summer	144/4
39	Б1.В.ДВ.06.02	Computer security	Summer	144/4
40	Б1.В.ДВ.06.03	Management of Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnership	Summer	144/4
		Dissertation/thesis defence
41	Б2.В.02.02(П)	Research Work	Summer	216/6
42	Б3.01.01	Preparation for the thesis defense procedure	Summer	144/4
43	Б3.01.02	The thesis defense	Summer	72/2
Total for the semester				1080/30
Total for the second academic year				2160/60
TOTAL FOR THE WHOLE PROGRAM: 120 ECTS credits
Note: 1 ECTS (European) credit= 36 Russian academic hours

[1] Credits for this course are not included into the curriculum load

[2] Each module consists of three elective courses. One can take only one of three from each module.

[3] ISFR – International Standard of Financial Reporting

2. Core curriculum of CULS, field of study: "Economics and Management» can be downloaded here

3. Joint curriculum of KubSU and ISCAPб field of study: "Entrepreneurship and internationalization» can be downloaded here and here.

TARGET GROUP AND TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

Basic requirements for participants
Admission procedure and rules
Conditions of study and stay at CULS
Conditions of study and stay in ISCAP
Conditions of study and stay in KubSU

Basic requirements for participants

Russian and international applicants can be admitted to the Master's Double-Degree program if they have a higher education diploma of at least a bachelor's degree in the following fields: Economics, Management, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Information Technologies, Physics, Geography, Law, Foreign Languages, and others. An essential requirement is fluent English at least of level B2 (Upper-Intermediate), confirmed by a Certificate of IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English exam or equivalent (for example, a diploma of additional qualification of an interpreter, etc.). Applicants who have a higher education diploma with a major in foreign languages do not need a certificate confirming their English proficiency.

Admission to the program is carried out on a competitive basis after passing the entrance exam in theoretical economics for all specialties/majors, except economics, for the latter an interview is applicable. You can prepare for the entrance test yourself by studying the test topics attached.

The entrance oral test or interview can be taken in both Russian and English. To get additional advice on all organizational issues before submitting documents to the admissions committee, fill out the application form and send it to: interdep@mail.kubsu.ru.

Admission procedure and rules

The procedure and rules for admission to the Master's Double-Degree program in the field of study 38.04.01 ECONOMICS, Major “Economics and Management” (taught in English), Russian applicants can find on the website of Kuban State University in the section "Applicants" - tabs "Admission campaign 2021" and "Contractual form of study".

The information about the procedure and rules for admission to the Master's Double-Degree program in the field of study 38.04.01 ECONOMICS, Major "Economics and Management" (taught in English) for foreign applicants is available on the website of the Kuban State University in the section "Admission for Foreign Citizens".

If you have any questions regarding the submission of foreign documents on previous education to the University's admission committee, please contact Sergey Odintsov, an Assistant Director of International Affairs Department, by phone. +7 861 2199534, by email: odintsov@kubannet.ru or interdep@kubsu.ru.

Admission to the Master's Double-Degree program “Economics and Management” of international students from CULS and ISCAP for the second year of study at KubSU is carried out automatically, and the sending institution must provide the following documents for each student:

a nomination letter and a list of students participating in the Master's Double-Degree program (in English);
a copy of each student's passport, as well as a translation of the passport into Russian, certified by a notary in the Czech Republic/In the Portuguese Republic, at the Embassy of the Russian Federation or at a notary in the Russian Federation;
transcript for the first year of study in English;
documents confirming English proficiency;
application electronic form (sent on the request of the partner university);
a copy of the bachelor's degree along with Diploma Supplement or its equivalent;
translation of the Bachelor's degree or its equivalent, including the Diploma Supplement, into Russian, certified by a notary in the Czech Republic/In the Portuguese Republic, at the Embassy of the Russian Federation or at a notary in the Russian Federation;
Certificate of recognition of the Czech / Portuguese higher education documents in the Russian Federation. Students must obtain this Certificate through the National Information Center of the Russian Federation http://nic.gov.ru/en/proc/nic.

Upon the completion of the Master's Double-Degree program, KubSU provides international students-participants with a Master's Degree Diploma in Economics and Diploma Supplement of the Russian standard model in target dates.

Students of academic mobility are welcome to the Program for a semester or full academic year. At the end of study period, a transcript of records of the courses learnt is to be issued.

Conditions of study and stay at CULS

Students-participants of the Master's Double-Degree program who go to a Czech University of Life Sciences Prague for the second year of study automatically agree to follow the terms and regulations established at CULS. To be enrolled in CULS for the 2nd year of study, KubSU students must follow the attached instructions.

Accommodation
Basically, all students live in dormitories, although there are cases of accommodation in rented apartments. The cost of one place in the dorm is about 4 000 CZK per month (about 14 thousand rubles or 155 euros). This amount does not include the use of a washing machine (25 CZK or 1 euro), a kitchen stove, Internet (60 CZK or 2.3 euros), etc. It is very important to register in advance on the dorm’s website using the link provided by the CULS international office immediately after the nomination of students in their home university (KubSU).

Other expenses
Medical insurance for the entire period of stay in the Czech Republic – about 1000 CZK per month (purchased in the Czech Republic). Daily expenses, including intra-city transport, are approximately 3500-4000 CZK / month.

Important to know
Participating students pay for their studies at the home university. At the host university, students DO NOT pay tuition fees, nor do they pay for textbooks that can be used in the educational process (all students have access to the CULS library resources). However, to be enrolled in the university, one must pay a registration fee of 500 CZK. Students must also pay for recognition (nostrification) of their bachelor’s degree diploma at the host university, the cost of which varies from year to year (https://www.pef.czu.cz/en/r-9396-study/r-17273-internal-evaluation).

Conditions of study and stay at ISCAP

The KubSU students who go to a Portugal institution for the second year of study automatically agree to the terms and conditions of their stay at ISCAP.

Accommodation
There are no student dormitories in ISCAP. During the study period, students are placed in rented apartments, which are supported by the international department of the faculty, as well as the student community "COMAP" - buddy program: https://comap-portugal.com, email: comap.iscap@gmail.com. The main goal of COMAP is to contribute in every way to the socialization of international students at ISCAP. The cost of accommodation is approximately up to 350 euros per month.

Other expenses
Daily expenses are 120-150 euros per month. The total monthly expenses can vary from 500 to 700 euros, depending on the individual needs and possibilities of incoming students. An international medical insurance policy is purchased in Russia for the entire period of stay in Portugal (obligatory provided when applying for a Portuguese visa), the cost is 1.10-1.20 euros per day. The insurance is possible to be obtained at the Department of International Affairs of KubSU.

Important to know
Students participating in the program pay for their studies at the home university. At the host university, students do NOT pay for tuition, as well as for textbooks that can be used in the educational process (all students have access to ISCAP library resources). Incoming students participating in the program do NOT have to pay for the recognition of educational documents, nor do they have to pay the registration fee at ISCAP.

Conditions of study and stay at KubSU

International students-participants of the Master's Double-Degree program who go to KubSU for the second year of study automatically agree to the terms and conditions of their stay at Kuban State University.

Accommodation
International students participating in the Program are accommodated at the KubSU dormitory on the campus in two-or three-person sectional rooms. Due to the limited space in the dorm, a participant must notify the program coordinator in advance of his/her intention to stay in the dorm. The cost of one bed in the dorm is about 70 euros per month = 5400 rubles. (depends on the rate of the euro against the ruble) - https://kubsu.ru/en/node/2009. Payment for the accommodation can be covered by semesters.

Other expenses
On the territory of the university campus and in the buildings of the university there are cafes and buffets where students can get three meals a day at the following cost: breakfast-100-120 rubles, lunch-200-300 rubles; dinner-120-150 rubles. The dormitories have kitchens, including dishes, where students can prepare their own meals. The average food costs are 500-700 rubles a day. In general, daily expenses, including intra-city transport and payment for living in a dormitory, are approximately 20 000- 25 000 rubles or 200-300 euros/month.

International students can come to Kuban State University with their national insurance valid in the territory of the Russian Federation for the entire period of study. At the same time, it is possible to purchase an insurance upon arrival at the university in the Department of International Affairs, the cost is 5000 rubles /a year or 55-60 euros.

Visa support (Letter oа Acceptance) for international students is issued free of charge on the basis of an application for participation in the Program through the international department of the sending university. The validity of the invitation is 1 month, during which the student must enter the territory of the Russian Federation, then the receiving university extends the Russian visa, but on a paid basis, the cost of which is about 1600 rubles.

Important to know
International students participating in the program pay for their studies at their home university. In the host university, students do NOT pay for tuition, as well as for textbooks that can be used in the study process (all students have access to the library resources of Kuban State University).

ATTENTION: transportation costs, medical insurance, accommodation and living expenses of students in the country of the partner university, visa and service fees, as well as the costs of organizing the recognition or nostrification of educational documents are paid by students participating in the program from their personal funds.

PROGRAM COORDINATORS

Kuban State University
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS)
Faculty of Accounting and Business School of Polytechnic of Porto (ISCAP)

Kuban State University

General management:

Igor V. Shevchenko – Professor, Doctor of Economics, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Honored Economist of the Russian Federation, Honorary Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Chief Editor of the scientific journal "Economics: Theory and Practice".
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel. / fax: +7 (861) 219-95-54, 219-95-53, email: decan@econ.kubsu.ru, The Faculty website: http://econ.kubsu.ru

Kostetsky Andrey Nikolaevich – Associate Professor, Candidate of Economic Sciences, PhD, Head of the Department of Marketing and Trade, Honorary Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Public portfolio.

Research supervisor of the Program (questions of the courses content, scientific topics and defense of master's theses)

Zhuravleva Elena Aleksandrovna – Professor, Doctor of Economics, PhD, the Department of Marketing and Trade, author of more than 90 scientific articles; about 14 advanced training courses; 12 diplomas, certificates, letters of appreciation of national and regional competitions; a bronze medal for scientific development; 3 certificates of intellectual property for software development in the field of economics.
Public portfolio.
The Program's website in social networks: https://vk.com/double_degree.
Contacts: tel. +7 918 441 9129, email elzh0677@mail.ru, elzh0677@gmail.com.

Administrative Coordinator (administration support)

Irina V. Rayushkina –Candidate of Philological Sciences, PhD, Deputy Director of the Department for International Relations, Institutional coordinator of the Erasmus+ program, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Linguistics and New Information Technologies of the Faculty of Romance-Germanic Philology.
Public profile.
Contacts: tel. +7 861 2199 535 (rub.), +7 961 584 06 18 (mobile), email interdep@mail.kubsu.ru, irina.rayushkina@yandex.ru.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS)

General management:

Martin Pelikán – Ing., Ph. D., Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management.
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel. +420 22438 2367, +420 22438 4344, email: pelikan@pef.czu.cz.

<Karel Tomšík – Doctor, ing., Doctor of Philosophy, Deputy Dean for International Relations of the Faculty of Economics and Management.
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel. +420 +420 22438 2297, email: tomsik@pef.czu.cz.

Research Supervisor/Administrative Coordinator

Výlupek Oldřich – ing., mag., Doctor of Philosophy, Administrator of the International Department, teacher
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel. +420 224 382 314, email: vylupek@pef.czu.cz.

Faculty of Accounting and Business School of Polytechnic of Porto (ISCAP)

Overall management:

Fernando Magalhães – Professor-Coordinator of the scientific field of mathematics, PhD in Statistics, University of Sheffield (United Kingdom). Currently Dean of ISCAP. Deputy Vice-President of the IPP (Polytechnic University of Porto).
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel. .+351 229 050 021, email: pea@iscap.ipp.pt.

Research Supervisor

Maria Clara Dias Pinto Ribeiro – Doctor of Economics (PhD), Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Internationalization (MEI), head of the Master's program "Entrepreneurship and Internationalization", coordinator of the scientific direction "Economics" at ISCAP.
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel.+351 229 050 050, fax number +351 229 025 899, email: mclara@iscap.ipp.pt.

Administrative Coordinator

Alexandra Albuquerque – Doctor of Linguistics (PhD), Head of the International Department of ICCUP (www.iscap.ipp.pt), member of the editorial board of the journal "Modern Trends in Teaching and Learning Translation" and the translation magazine edited by Mike Garant and Larry Walker, published by the Department of Translation Studies of the University of Helsinki, as well as President of APCOMTEC-the Portuguese Association of Technical Communications and TCEurope-the Federation of Technical Communications Associations.
Public portfolio.
Contacts: tel..+351 22 905 0028, email: alexalb@iscap.ipp.pt, gri.iscap.coord@eu.ipp.pt.

All personal data is taken from open sources.

REVIEWS, OPINIONS, COMMENTS

Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, 2021

… I basically applyiny almost everything taught.
I remember Elena Alexandrovena taught us how to prepare all kinds of budgets i.e (sales budget, purchases budget, production budget, fixed assets budget and master Budget etc) using microsoft Excel.
Apart from the Excel, the Government of Ghana use a software called GIFMIS (Generated Integrated Financial Management Information System) which is almost similar. I can say that what Kubsu taught us has been helpful.
Another one is the application of the theories of Public Private Partnership ( PPP) by Elena Elena Votchenko. Before the Government undertake any project with partnership, we chack if the project is viable and cost effective by comparing budgeting with actual cost. I apply most PPP principles at the work place.
Again, the course Negotiation is also helpful,
That is, We educate the Government consultants on how to negotiate for cost of projects hence, negotiation skills.
Marketing theories by Ilya Bogdashev is also applied at the Ministry of Local Government in Ghana especially at the Budget Department.

NEWS

In KubSU, for the first time, the defense of Double Degree Master theses was held online

On June 30, 2020, on the KubSU on the platform of MS Teams the graduates of the International Master's Double Degree programme “Economics and Management” (hereafter MDD) successfully defended their master theses. This year they are expected to be awarded Master’s Diplomas and Master’s Degrees in Economics by the following Partner Universities: Kuban State University (KubSU, Russia), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS, Czech Republic), the Porto Accounting and Business School of Polytechnic of Porto (ISCAP-P.PORTO, Portugal). Moreover, if for a joint program with a Czech Partner this is already the sixth graduation of students, then for a similar program with a Portuguese University this is the first experience.

The State Final Certification procedure was held online in English. To start with, Dr. Andrey N. Kostetsky, the head of the Department of Marketing and Trading Business, Associate Professor, warmly greeted all participants of the online meeting, and then he marked the great importance of such experience of international cooperation between universities, referring to the joint double degree programmes.

The defense of master theses was carried out with the participation of two State Certification Committees - KubSU and ISCAP-P.PORTO. Each of the Committees evaluated the students’ master dissertations without taking into account the opinions of the other (Partner) side. The ISCAP-P.PORTO Committee included the academic supervisors of graduate students – participants of the MDD programme – professors Ines Alexandra Barbosa and Alcina Augusta Sena, as well as Prof. Maria Clara Dias Pinto Ribeiro – the scientific supervisor of the Master's Partnership Programme “Entrepreneurship and Internationalization”. The Committee members from Portugal asked master students many questions and actively participated in debates and discussions. The Kuban State University Committee consisted of the University staff and external experts, namely: Chairman – Yuliana Y. Perederiy, PhD in Political Science, Director of European Businesses Association (branch in Krasnodar); members – Prof. Elena A. Zhuravleva, PhD, Doctor of Sciences in Economics - the scientific supervisor of the MDD Programme “Economics and Management” at KubSU; Olga A. Kopylova, Director of Customer Relations at VTB Bank; Prof. Alexander A. Polydi, Doctor of Science in Economics, Head of Strategic Consulting Business Group – Senior Partner of Arka Group LLC; Dr. Alexander S. Yevtushenko, PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Oriental Studies (KubSU); the Committee Secretary – Dr. Yelena S. Votchenko, PhD in Politics, Associate Professor of the Marketing and Trade Business Department (KubSU).

Our students – Antonina Lobova and Alexander Kazmin – were lucky to present their master theses to both (so considerable!) Certification Committees at the same time, and to successfully defended the dissertations despite their intense excitement.

It is worth emphasizing, that when the master students’ defenses mentioned above were over, the Portuguese colleagues didn’t hurry up to leave the online meeting at Teams, wishing to take part in the discussion of other graduate students’ dissertations as well.

Among the students who defended their graduate qualification works there were three ones from the Czech Partner University (CULS) – Angelina Bespalykh, Petr Valchuk, Svetlana Kivi. In the beginning of 2019 academic year, they came to Krasnodar to complete the second year of MDD programme at KubSU, and then – to obtain the KubSU diplomas of Russian type. So far, the Master’s double degrees/diplomas of KubSU and CULS have been awaded only to KubSU students. It is noteworthy that the first graduates of the program from the Czech Partner University will become the holders of Russian diplomas in the year of the 100th Anniversary of KubSU.

The information technologies introduced into the educational process of KubSU made it possible to simplify the procedure of joint defense of master's theses, reduce the distance between countries and overcome barriers in intercultural scientific and educational communication between specialists from Russia, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
Because of hardworking of colleagues, professors, supervisors and students of KubSU, CULS and ISCAP, despite the most difficult epidemiological situation, in 2020, diplomas and master's degrees in Economics will be awarded to:
• Svetlana Belykh, Lika Berulava, Alexander Kazmin, Antonina Lobova, Angelina Bespalykh, Petr Valchuk, Svetlana Kivi – by Kuban State University;
• Lika Berulava, Angelina Bespalykh, Petr Valchuk, Svetlana Kivi – by Czech University of Life Sciences Prague;
• Alexander Kazmin, Antonina Lobova – by Porto Accounting and Business School of Polytechnic of Porto.

The representatives of the KubSU Authorities, the Faculty of Economics, the Department of International Affairs congratulate all graduates of the Master’s Double Degree programme-2020, and sincerely wish them successful professional career in future.