Blog of the International Sociological Association (ISA)

Higher Education in Armenia: Challenges and Achievements

March 31, 2010 161 Comments

By Gohar Shahnazaryan, Yerevan State University

Education has always played a significant role for Armenians. Throughout history and until today it remains among one of the most important values of the Armenian population. According to a sociological survey conducted last year “Education” is among three main values for young Armenian people after “Family” and “Health”. Furthermore, for Armenians, education has always implied higher education and being educated means having a university degree.

During the past 20 years the higher education system in Armenia has gone through major transformations, which have had both positive and negative outcomes.  Inevitably, there is a scarcity of educational resources, specialists, professional networks and associations in almost all spheres, but at the same time there are some positive developments, which could serve as a basis for more effective and deeper changes.  For example, the data of recent surveys among young people in Armenia show the constant increase in the proportion of people who think that success in a career depends on personal knowledge and skills (70% agree with that statement) or that in order to be successful in business one should rely on his/her “good” name, quality of production and trust among colleagues and clients (86 %).

Today in the Republic of Armenia there are 22 state and 73 private higher education institutions (HEI), among them 34 are accredited institutions, 31 – non-accredited, 3 branches of the state HEI of the CIS countries (former Soviet Union) and 5 branches of the private HEI of the CIS countries. The main education programs of higher professional education are conducted through various types of teaching:  full-time, part-time, distant or external education.  The main education program for preparing specialists with a Bachelor’s degree includes required courses and practice in the humanities and social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences, and special professional disciplines, as well as elective and optional courses.  To enter the first degree, i.e. Bachelor’s degree, at higher education institutions, applicants should have at least received a full secondary general education.  The duration of study is at least 4 years — for medical specializations it is 5 years. The program ends with a summary assessment and requires the defense of a final paper.  The first degree gives a right to practice the relevant specialization (except medical specializations) and continue education to the next level – Master’s studies. Master’s qualification is awarded to persons holding a Bachelor’s or Specialist Diploma degree based on the results of a 2-year higher professional education program. Graduates completing a Master’s program  have the knowledge, capacities and skills necessary for scientific-research and scientific-pedagogical activity, as well as management and self-improvement of their profession. It offers the possibility of continuing education to the post-graduate Doctorate (Aspirantura) studies, access to which is based on the results of the entry examinations of applicants.

The qualification of Researcher is awarded to graduates holding Master’s or a Specialist Diploma degree who pass through a further 3-year education program. Graduates holding Specialist Diploma or Master’s degrees may study for the Candidate of Sciences post graduate qualification, which requires expanding theoretical and professional knowledge and obtaining skills to prepare a scientific dissertation. Doctor of Sciences is a scientific degree which is awarded to persons holding a degree of Candidate of Sciences who conduct further independent scientific activity, and then successfully defend a thesis. .  

Among the many serious problems that higher education system in Armenia is facing today, I would like to address those which are more visible in comparison with US universities. Some of them are more global problems and need deep institutional and structural reforms, while others are more social-psychological and could be solved through joint efforts of university administrations, faculties and students.  

At present one of the main problems in Armenian higher education institutions is that our universities are not considered to be research institutions.  Professors and faculties mainly provide lectures, seminars and supervise student theses. The majority of professors are expected to work in other places due to the low salaries in the universities.  In this situation, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain one’s status within the university and at the same time look for opportunities to do your own research.  Research opportunities are usually tied to international and non-profit organizations and/or scholarships and grants from different funds.  This creates a very ambiguous situation, wherein faculties are supposed to divide their time and energy between 2 or even 3 jobs. As a result their professionalism and motivation decrease significantly.

Another major problem is that many departments remain very conservative and resistant to updating old courses, implementing new ones or introducing contemporary teaching techniques. Along with low salaries this conservatism is more and more holding back young professionals, especially those who have MAs or PhDs from Western universities.

Among the more social-psychological problems, the one which becomes much more vivid when we compare our universities with those of the US, is the absence of a collective Self among students, professors and administrative staff, and the lack of a sense of being affiliated with the university, and with little identification or pride in being a part of the higher education system. The development of a collective Self, arising from a university’s prestige, requires the implementation of programs which encourage faculties and students to feel more affiliated with  universities, which in turn could help to solve more global problems facing Armenian higher education today.

There are also numerous problems related to the artificial transmission of American, Western European and Russian knowledge into the classroom and into research projects without real analysis of their relevance to the local Armenian context. This approach is creating serious obstacles for the “localization” of the social sciences, especially in the field of political sciences, sociology, social welfare and public policy. At the same time, there is a tremendous need to establish long-term professional contacts with foreign universities and to exchange our knowledge, skills and perspectives on different social, economic, political, cultural processes with colleagues from different parts of the world.

The Department of Sociology at the Yerevan State University is among those few departments at YSU which conducts various surveys on different social issues and uses the data to design academic courses. Numerous projects have been conducted by the Department of Sociology, analyzing various problems of Armenian society and as a consequence they are generating practical outcomes and proposals. Today the Department has three major research directions: Theory and History of Sociology, Research Methods and Public Relations and Conflict Studies. All three directions have separate courses covering Armenian, Regional or Post-Soviet contexts.

Among the main research projects are:

  1.  Social Transformation and, in particular, educational reforms, national identity, human rights, migration, social policy, social-psychological transformations and gender issues
  2. Political Processes, including elections, image making, political participation, military sociology.
  3. Conflict Studies that include regional and ethnic conflicts
  4. Communication Studies that include information security, sociology of mass media, public relations.
  5. Economic Research and Marketing.
  6. Theory and Methodology of Sociological Research that include methodology of qualitative research, evaluation research, methodology of quantitative research.

Most of the faculty, besides their national PhDs, have foreign academic degrees and different types of affiliations with such world-renown universities as The London School of Economics and Political Science, Harvard University, Tufts University, the Central European University, University of California, Berkeley. This provides many opportunities for the development of academic curricula based on international standards. On the international level the Department of Sociology collaborates with various scientific and educational institutions such as the Berlin Humboldt University, Potsdam University, Ruhr University in Bochum, Swiss Peace,, George Mason University, Uppsala University. The Department is a member of the International Sociological Association.

The results of active academic and methodological research have been published in number of scientific journals. The establishment of the Department itself has been carried out through various short term and long term exchange programs in the most advanced scientific centers around the world, particularly in American, German, French, Italian, Hungarian, English, Indian, as well as in the CIS universities.

Since 2006 the Department of Sociology holds an Annual Sociological Conference and the papers presented are being published in the yearbook of the Department and last year the 39th  World Sociological Congress with the symbolic title “Sociology at the Crossroads” was hosted by the Department of Sociology of Yerevan State University. The entire higher education system in Armenia could take advantage of its position at the crossroads of different civilizations and culture by developing unique academic curricula and training specialists with a broad understanding of developments taking place in the whole region.

161 Comments → “Higher Education in Armenia: Challenges and Achievements”

  1. Arthur Miller 13 years ago   Reply

    Thank you for your contribution, very interesting article.
    I have been to Armenia, in relationship with Yerevan State University, Department of Sociology you write in particular, and may say it is distinguished one not only among other departments in Armenia, but having wider perspective.
    What is needed for those Departments like Sociology Department of the Yerevan State University is proper PR project which would make its advantages more visible for International academic community.
    Thank you, looking forward for further publications.

  2. Shushanik Petrossian 13 years ago   Reply

    I agree with the article and the previous comment. We need to be positive in what we do, especially while reforming higher education, which makes an impact on the future achievements. Positive approach is very important and is present in what the author of the article says about higher education reforms in Armenia and the good example of Sociology Department in the State University of Yerevan. I think most of the students at the Department of Sociology are happy to be there.
    Good luck to you, guys.
    And, by the way, hope to see more articles of this author.

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  3. Erik Grigoryan 10 years ago   Reply

    A very interesting piece and I agree with all points with the author.
    As a graduate of the Sociology department, and an international student in Norway, I want to point out though, that Department of Sociology, as well as other departments and Universities need to invest in the English and other foreign language capacity among students and faculty, and offer courses in English language only, set up exchange programs with partner institutions and within the ESN system. This will elevate the department within the international educational and research community, add to visibility, contribute to internationalization of student community and curricula. The department of Sociology should also promote research projects, and writing skills by staff and students, help them get published in international journals and publications. While there is a serious Conflict Resolution program at YSU, unfortunately there is no solid Armenian presence in the research arena on Nagorno Karabakh conflict for example.

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