School of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University: Key milestones, achievements, and challenges (dedicated to the 30th anniversary)

Abstract

Pivotal trends in the life of our country in the late 1980s and early 1990s were the sharp increase in international activity at all levels, which required the training of a significant number of specialists in international affairs, and the growth of interest in social sciences. The establishment of the School of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, the oldest university in Russia, reflected these trends. In a short period, it has become one of the leading Russian and World centers for studying international relations. Using the best Russian and foreign experience, from the beginning, the School staff set a course to create its original model, capable of successfully competing with other centers for the study of international relations. Its distinctive features included the setting of the highest goals for the School to rapidly transform into a leading center for international relations studies in both Russia and the world, and to maintain that status. The entire academic and research work has been characterized by interdisciplinarity, and the School’s life and activities have been marked by maximum of internationalization. The Federal Law “On Lomonosov Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University” (2009) created favorable conditions for the implementation of a original development model. The main achievements have been the creation of a dynamic teaching staff and the involvement of motivated students (including international students from 109 countries), the organization of the educational process at a high level, especially in the Master’s program (most of the 16 Master’s programs are the first and sometimes the only ones in Russian higher education), the holding of major scientific conferences, including two Saint-Petersburg Congresses on International Studies, the constant growth of publication activity, engaged participation in analytical and expert work, and the activity of Russian and international professional associations. Graduates of the School successfully work in government bodies, business structures, scientific, cultural, and educational institutions, media outlets, and other areas.

Keywords:

St. Petersburg State University, School of International Relations SPbU, SPbU educational standards in the field of “International Relations”, master programmes