The most important science in the world is linguistics, but she doesn’t know about it yet. There is nothing more important than language, for it is it that is the connecting link between man and the subtle world. In processes such as learning, creativity, thinking, feeling, the language our subconscious speaks to us largely determines the course and result of these processes.
Alexander Tikhomirov “Treatises”
Linguistic education in Russia has always been at the highest level - both during the USSR and in subsequent years. There are about 400 universities with a linguistic focus in Russia. In terms of quality and level of education, linguistic universities are considered the best compared to others:
- serious traditions of the Soviet school of teaching have been preserved;
- linguistics is a stable science; unlike technical sciences and the IT field, rules and teaching methods are updated quite rarely;
- there is no need for a complex material and technical base.
Only then do we feel the charm of our native speech,
when we hear it under foreign skies.
Bernard Show
As is the case with other universities, the best education can be obtained at Moscow universities. But several regional universities also made it into the top ten. The first three places are occupied by the linguistic faculties of Moscow State University according to the ratings of the “European Quality” and “100 Best Universities in Russia” competitions.
Top 10 linguistic universities in Russia
- Higher School of Translation (Faculty of Moscow State University).
- Philological (Faculty of Moscow State University).
- Foreign languages and regional studies (faculty of Moscow State University).
- Institute of Linguistics of the Russian State University for the Humanities (Russian State University for the Humanities).
- Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic State University named after. Dobrolyubova.
- Institute of Language Communication and Philology, Siberian Federal University.
- Faculty of Philology, Journalism and Intercultural Communication of the Southern Federal University.
- Pyatigorsk Linguistic University.
- Irkutsk Linguistic University.
- Moscow Linguistic University.
The new Federal State Educational Standard (Federal State Educational Standard) has defined a mandatory 4-year bachelor's degree program in the following areas of training:
- translation studies and translation;
- theory and methodological foundations of teaching foreign languages and cultures;
- theory of the foreign language being studied (or several languages);
- theory of communication between different cultures;
- studying foreign languages and cultures of countries in which they are native;
- application of linguistics in electronic information systems.
Educational programs are regularly updated in terms of new information about the cultures of countries and changes in innovative technologies.
Language is the history of the people. Language is the path of civilization and culture. That is why learning and preserving the Russian language is not an idle hobby with nothing to do, but an urgent necessity.
A.I. Kuprin
Russian language, history and philosophy are the basic subjects of the social and humanitarian cycle. The languages and cultures of ancient peoples are variable. The basis of the natural science cycle is the linguistics of information technology. The basic subjects of the professional cycle are the same for all areas and are represented by the basics of linguistics and the study of one foreign language (the second is chosen by the student).
Linguistic professions have not lost their popularity, but have changed due to the demands of the time and the development of IT technologies. New directions have appeared:
- intelligent systems in linguistics;
- applied linguistics.
Linguistic professions are extremely in demand in many areas: business, tourism, politics, economics, and PR. Linguistic education can be called universal. Linguists work in various fields: as teachers in schools and universities, translators in diplomatic missions and joint ventures, journalists, editors, writers, linguists in archaeological expeditions. World-famous linguists discovered ancient civilizations: the Mayans - by Yuri Knorozov, the Egyptian - by Jean Champollion.
Charles V, the Roman Emperor, used to say that it is proper to speak in Spanish with God, in French with friends, in German with the enemy, and in Italian with the female sex. But if he knew the Russian language, then of course he would have added that it is decent to speak with everyone, since he would have found in it the splendor of Spanish, and the liveliness of French, and the strength of German, and the tenderness of Italian, and richness, and strong figurativeness Latin and Greek.
M.V. Lomonosov
The income of linguists is very high. In addition, there is such a pleasant bonus as traveling around the world as part of the profession.
A philologist is a language specialist who professionally works with text (a general name for a profession that allows you to choose any specifics in the future). Educational programs and specialties in the “philology” profile can be different: from Romance-Germanic philology to journalism. Typically, there are two areas of activity among them: applied and research. The first deals with issues in the use of language, and the second deals with its research.
Personal qualities
First of all, philology is suitable for those who love to study and work with languages. This requires attentiveness, good memory, and the ability to quickly assimilate information. Well-developed abstract thinking is necessary in order to well assimilate theoretical information in the required volume.
Philologist - who is this?
Firstly, this is a person with a higher education; it is not necessary to graduate from the Faculty of Philology; you can graduate from the Faculty of Pedagogy or Cultural Studies in this profile. Secondly, this is someone who is ready to work with any text that does not always meet personal interests. Thirdly, the applicant needs to know that the program of the faculties where they teach to be a philologist includes the study of dead languages and an in-depth study of the history of literature. So, it turns out that a philologist not only studies a language and works with it, he speaks it professionally and expresses his qualified opinion on any issue.
The specialty of philology is available in large research, pedagogical and humanities universities. Training is carried out full-time according to the bachelor's program (4 years of study), after which you can enroll in a master's degree (2 years) or complete part-time (5 years) and also enroll in a master's degree.
Where to study
Faculty of Philology
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, history - Unified State Examination, literature (intra-university written exam)
Passing score (2015, full-time): 375
Faculty of Humanities (School of Philology)
Entrance exams: literature, Russian, foreign language - Unified State Exam
Passing score (2015, full-time): 275
Institute of Philology and History
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, foreign language - Unified State Examination
Passing score (2015, full-time): 263
Faculty of Philology
Entrance exams: literature, Russian language, foreign language - Unified State Exam, written exam (literature)
Passing score (2015, full-time): 271
Profession philologist
Pros and cons of professions
Career, places of employment
People with a philological education are most often required for the positions of “production editor”, “author of articles” and “copywriter”.
Where can you go to work with a philological education?
Since philology is a broad profile of training, it involves a variety of professional activities in the future. For example, a philologist can work in publishing houses, magazines, teach, work with archives, in libraries, engage in cultural and scientific activities, and write texts of various types. You can work as an editor, journalist, copywriter, translator, teacher or professor, librarian, archivist, speechwriter.
Each of the works in its degree implies applied and research activities. For example, the professions “editor” and “translator” are for those who are equally passionate about text research and its application; for those who like the scientific path, “teacher” and “author of articles” are suitable; for comparison, “journalist” and “speechwriter” are more suitable associated with the applied use of language.
The profession of a linguist is considered widespread. Although his activities are not related to the production of a specific product, the importance of this specialty should not be underestimated. Linguistics is a science with a long history, its roots going back to Ancient Greece and China, Arab countries and India. People with a thirst for knowledge, perseverance and an inquisitive mind can truly study it deeply.
Linguistic base
Even during the times of the Soviet Union, a serious linguistic “backbone” was formed, concentrated mainly in the capitals of its largest republics. Now these are linguistic universities of the CIS, closely interacting with each other and regularly taking part in the international scientific conference “Language, Society, Word”.
So, the list of these friendly universities is presented:
1. In Russia:
- Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages;
- Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic University named after. ON THE. Dobrolyubova;
- Pyatigorsk Linguistic State University;
- Irkutsk State Linguistic University.
2. In Ukraine - KNLU.
3. In Belarus - MinSlu.
4. In Uzbekistan - UGML and SIYA (Samarkand).
5. In Armenia - Yerevan University. Bryusova.
Let's take a closer look at the largest linguistic universities.
MSLU
Created in 1930, it received its current name in 1990.
MSLU specializes in the study of thirty-six foreign languages, 75% of the teaching staff are holders of academic degrees. Every year the university publishes a large number of scientific monographs and textbooks for secondary and higher schools in the Russian Federation. The university maintains partnerships with many leading universities in 35 countries, thanks to which students have a wide choice of internships, as well as the opportunity to receive a second diploma from a “partner” university of MSLU.
Moscow State Linguistic University provides multi-level education: primary higher (lyceum), higher (university) and postgraduate. The university graduates bachelors (4 years) and masters (2 years) in accordance with the provisions of the Bologna Convention.
No other linguistic universities can boast as many specialized specialties as MSLU. Here, 13 large faculties offer a choice of training in 70 areas of training.
Admission conditions
MSLU conducts admission to study:
1) For the Bachelor and Specialist programs:
- on the basis of secondary school education - based on the results of the Unified State Exam;
- on the basis of secondary vocational education - based on the results of entrance exams.
2) For the Master's program - based on the results of entrance exams, which the university sets and conducts independently.
Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic State University named after. ON THE. Dobrolyubova
The history of this university dates back to 1917 after the opening of provincial courses in foreign languages and literature in Nizhny Novgorod. And today this institution is one of the largest in the country in this area: more than three thousand students, three dozen educational programs, a teaching staff of 250 people, two thirds of whom have a candidate or doctorate degree. The university provides the opportunity to study nine languages, maintains international partnerships with major universities in Europe, Asia and America, and is famous for its large research projects.
The Linguistic University (Nizhny Novgorod) provides admission to three forms of study (full-time, evening and correspondence).
The “Linguistics” direction includes the following profiles:
- Theory and methods of teaching foreign languages and cultures.
- Translation.
- Theory and practice of intercultural communication.
Admission to these specialties is based on the results of entrance exams. For bachelor's and specialist's degrees, these are exams in foreign, Russian languages and literature; for master's degree - the first foreign language.
Ukrainian alma mater of linguists
Kyiv Linguistic University was created in 1948. Today, at seven faculties, the university prepares full-time graduates in the following areas:
- secondary education - includes 6 languages;
- philology (language and literature) - 8 languages;
- philology (translation) - 15;
- psychology;
- marketing;
- management;
- right;
- tourism.
The correspondence course involves studying only English in the specified specialties.
Competitive selection to KNLU is carried out based on the results of entrance exams:
1) To obtain a Bachelor's degree (based on complete secondary education) - in the form of an external independent assessment, entrance exams or interviews in individual cases.
2) For admission to a master's program (based on the degree of higher education obtained) - in the form of an exam in a foreign language and specialized entrance tests.
Minsk Linguistic University
The formation of the MinSLU dates back to 1948, when the Faculty of Foreign Languages was expanded into a pedagogical institute, and the university received its current name already in 1993.
During its operation, the university has graduated more than 25 thousand teachers and two and a half thousand translators from foreign languages. MSLU collaborates with leading domestic scientists, as well as with colleagues from Russia, Canada, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
Minsk Linguistic University is represented by 8 faculties, one of which (the Faculty of Spanish) is unique; it remains in a single copy in the vastness of the former Union.
Admission to the university is carried out based on the results of centralized testing.
Sixteen foreign languages are taught at MSLU. Any full-time student is required to study two of them. Once every 5 years, enrollment is carried out for the Asian group of languages. If desired, students can learn additional languages, for which the Department of the 3rd Foreign Language operates on a paid basis.
Conclusion
Linguistic universities are widely represented in the CIS. The variety of faculties with a large number of foreign languages, as well as developed forms of international cooperation, provide a wide choice for future linguists. When choosing a university in this category, the decisive factor will probably be geographic proximity to the applicant’s place of residence, since the educational programs of each of the universities described are equally worthy and diverse.