Higher education in Ukraine

The first higher education institutions (HEIs) emerged in Ukraine during the late 16th and early 17th centuries under the Kingdom of Poland.

After gaining independence Ukraine retained the Soviet principle of having a post secondary education system that its population could afford.

Trade schools (Technikums), which are analogous to community colleges in the US and award the junior specialist degree, continued to remain freely accessible for most citizens.

Hence the classification of educational qualification corresponds to the occupational structure, leading to the introduction of the term ‘educational-proficiency’ level.

During their at the Master’s or Specialist's level, students are required to write their final work on a selected subject and make presentations, to be able to collect, analyse and summarize, synthesize and to communicate study and practical material.

Training specialists of the level of Specialist or Master in such fields as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, teaching is carried out on the basis of complete secondary education within the period of 5–6 years (301-360 ECTS credits), as is common in Western Europe for state registered professions.

[8] Higher education graduates are awarded qualifications of the appropriate educational-proficiency levels and they are granted diplomas of the state format.

The Law on Higher Education (2002) establishes the following types of documents that confirm higher education qualifications: The national system of quality assurance (QA) in Ukraine is one by means of licensing and accreditation procedures carried out by the Department for Licensing, Accreditation and Nostrification of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, through the State Accreditation Commission, the State Inspectorate of HEIs, and the Higher (Supreme) Attestation Board.

These standards refer to: physical infrastructure, equipment and facilities, the learning resources (library and other media materials), the logistical, scientific-methodological and information base, and the number and qualification level of its staff, appropriate to the area of education and research in which it intends to offer programs of study.

This status brings with it added powers in relation to immovable property, facilities, enterprises, institutions and other structural sub-units of the HEI; the award of professorial status; and ‘symbiotic’ and material incentives and rewards for employees of the HEI.

On the other hand, it also covers a wide range of educational courses designed for: ‘second chance’ students; for those who wish to change occupations; for on-the-job training for citizens in employment; for updating professionals; for second diplomas where only the specialist part of the curriculum needs to be followed; and to provide secondary school certificate for those who left school without qualification.

The first qualification is the Candidate of Sciences (scientific degree of Kandydat Nauk) which normally requires at least three years of study after the award of the Specialist or the Master diploma and is achieved by submitting and defending a thesis (dissertation), as well as following post-graduate studies (aspirantura) in the specialist field.

Doctoral study programs (post-graduate course, aspirantura – for Kandydat Nauk degree and doctoral course, doktorantura – for Doktor Nauk degree) can be opened in higher education institutions of the third and fourth levels of accreditation or in research institutes and their branches.

As a result the majority of the Ukrainian graduates do not possess even a basic level of professional knowledge when they leave their schools.

Due to extremely ineffective educational policy of the Ukrainian government and ubiquitous corruption, the everyday life of society has significantly changed.

[15] According to Frances Cairncross (in April 2010) “There are too many small universities, the majority of which are ineffectively governed and mired in corruption.

They are not able to withstand existing global challenges.”[16] According to Anders Åslund (in October 2012) the quality of doctoral education is bad, particularly in management training, economics, law, and languages.

[23] In 2012, Ukraine's Higher Education system was ranked as the top in Eastern Europe by Universitas 21, ahead of Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Russia and Slovakia.

The research group cited high education spending as a proportion of GDP compared to other nations as a likely cause of Ukraine having the best post secondary system in East Europe.

[24] According to Global Competitiveness Report in 2008-2014 Ukraine ranked at 41-50th places among 130 countries by pillar ″Higher education and training".