Engineering Education in Russia
In this section, we will talk about the specifics of engineering educational programmes in Russia.
Engineering experts are popular among employers nowadays. And to no surprise, the constant development of new technologies grows the demand for precise competencies, necessary for many fields: energy, heat power engineering, mechanical engineering, electronics, metallurgy, mining, metallurgy, construction, rocket science, medicine and many others. In the process of study, engineering students take internships in their speciality at large construction, energy, oil and gas enterprises. Practical experience will simplify not only the educational process but also the employment search in the future.
Russia has a strong base in the field of education and science. For decades, the country paid close attention to the development of the engineering sphere and the preparation of qualified specialists. Affordable tuition fees, English-taught programmes, the versatility of educational organisations and the functional combination of theory and practice makes Russian engineering education so attractive for international applicants. Russian universities traditionally rank high in the Times Higher Education global educational ranking in Engineering and technology subject.
Russian education offers a great range of industrial programmes from aircraft construction to bioengineering. Many of them are in English. You can also enrol in the preparatory department to improve your Russian skills to have unlimited choice.
To enter a Russian university, you need to pass a competitive selection. Usually, for engineering programmes, you need to go through several exams: mathematics, physics, computer science, in some cases biology or chemistry. You can study on a contractual basis or with a state scholarship. For this, you would need to excel in relevant subjects or win a university Olympiad. See our page on Olympiads for further information.
Graduates of Russian universities are recognised all over the world and receive high paying jobs. Since 2020, international citizens who graduated from Russian universities and have officially worked for three years on the Russian Federation territory, are now eligible for Russian citizenship.
You can find engineering specialities in the majority of Russian universities. Find below a list of the most popular programmes in the field.
Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI is a tech university that prepares leading specialists in the fields of electronics, electrical engineering, radio engineering and instrumentation. Over the past 60 years, ETU LETI has certified more than 3500 engineers to work around the world. ETU LETI has a lot of engineering programmes, including English-taught ones. For example, students of the Efficient Electric Power Industry master's programme study modern electrical equipment that can produce more products with less energy. They gain unique experience in modelling power grid processes to optimise them and learn the principles of energy audit – the basic tool for energy consumption control. Another English-taught master's programme, Systems and Technologies in Digital Healthcare (in the field of Biomedical Engineering), provides students with practical skills in the area of remote monitoring systems outside hospitals for patients with chronic diseases. Students receive in-depth training in the field of electronics, information systems, registration and processing of biomedical signals, automated image analysis, the use of artificial intelligence and data science for processing large amounts of medical information. A fascinating programme in Russian is Mechatronics and Robotics. Specialists dive deep in the fields of modern design, research, production and operation of mechatronic and robotic systems. ETU LETI actively collaborates with many international research institutions and corporations in 35 countries. It allows students to be part of the most innovative global scientific projects.
National University of Science and Technology MISIS is one of the leading technological universities in Russia with a century of history. One of the most versatile programmes is Industrial Management for Mining and Oil & Gas Production. Students learn to operate high-tech analytical equipment that determines the quality of raw materials and products of natural resources processing. They learn to predict hazardous events of natural and technogenic essence and to assess the safety and effectiveness of production processes. After graduation, you will be able to work as an engineer in mining, oil and gas, transport and construction spheres. Among other engineering programmes are Geotechnologies for Subsurface Development, Information Systems for Mining and Geology, Industrial and Environmental Safety, Underground construction and others. NUST MISIS cooperates with leading state corporations Rosatom, RUSAL, Norilsk Nickel, Severstal and Metalloinvest for the best student internships.
National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod is a classic Russian university that received the status of a research institute in 2009. It has a large selection of educational programmes, including engineering. It cooperates with large international companies, where students undergo paid internships with the possibility of subsequent employment. Lobachevsky University leads one of the most popular engineering bachelor programmes – Nanotechnology and Microsystem Engineering. Students develop systems and devices using nanotechnology and nanomaterials.
National Research Tomsk State University is one of the fastest-growing classical universities in Russia. It offers applicants innovative engineering programmes such as the Industrial and Special Robotics for bachelors. TSU also has a double degree engineering programme Computational Mechanics and Computer Engineering in cooperation with the University of Strasbourg. Graduates of this programme receive two state diplomas, Russian and French, simultaneously.
You can study Nanotechnology and nanomaterials at the RUDN University, UrFU, Samara University, NUST MISIS, KFU, ETU LETI, TPU and SUSU. Choose programmes that include courses on engineering physics technologies in nano industry, nanoengineering, nanotechnology and nanomaterials, electronics and nanoelectronics.
If you are interested in Aviation and Rocket Engineering, pay attention to the programmes of leading universities in this area: Samara University, MIPT, TSU and ITMO University. Each of them offers several education programmes, both bachelor's and master's, in Russian and English. This field includes programmes in ballistics and hydrodynamics, innovative technologies for creating internal combustion engines, mechanics of liquid, gas and plasma, advanced space technologies and experiments in space, aircraft design and many others.
Another essential direction is Mechanical Engineering. Programmes in this field include courses on the automation of technological processes in metallurgy, laser technology engineering, IT for pressure processing in aerospace engineering, mechatronics and robotics, digital technologies in mechanical engineering. These programmes are available in many Russian universities: SibFU, ITMO University, TPU, TSU, SPbPU, UrFU, SUSU, FEFU, NUST MISIS, Samara University, RUDN University and KFU.
Applied Geology, Mining, Oil and Gas Engineering and Geodesy is another fascinating engineering field that requires vast expertise base and work experience in relevant areas. Programmes on the oil and gas business or the development of hard-to-recover and unconventional hydrocarbons will allow you to study in detail the operation and maintenance of oil and gas production plants. Consider programmes from KFU, TPU, RUDN University and SibFU.
The Electronics, radio engineering and communication systems field is also popular among students. You can study it at Samara University, HSE University, MIPT, ETU LETI, SPbPU, UrFU, FEFU, ITMO University, SUSU, MEPhI, NUST MISIS, IKBFU, TSU, Lobachevsky University, TPU.
If you are interested in Nuclear Engineering and Technologies consider programmes from MEPhI, UrFU, TPU and SPbPU on nuclear reactor building, design and engineering, nanoelectronic devices for modern physical installations and radiation safety of nuclear power plants. Universities regularly launch new programmes in the field of nuclear power.
For example, SUSU, together with the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre, is developing two new master's programmes: Physical and Mathematical Modelling of Fast Processes with Phase and Chemical Transformations and Programming Complex for Modelling the Behaviour of Continuous Media under Dynamic Loads.
The oldest classical multidisciplinary Kazan Federal University has been teaching international students for over 40 years. It also offers a master's programme in Petroleum Engineering. The graduates are highly qualified specialists in the oil and gas industry with the competencies and knowledge necessary to execute projects in Russia and abroad. Duration of the programme is two years: the first year in Kazan, the second year in London. In case of successful completion, graduates will receive two state diplomas from KFU and Imperial College.
You should also pay attention to double degree programmes in engineering. For example, the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University cooperates with the British Heriot-Watt Centre, which is one of the leading universities in the field of oil and gas business in the world.
