The center will create a unique environment for higher and additional education based on the principles of project work, problem-based learning and interdisciplinary approach by involving experts from different fields within the SAU “EcoOil”. The close correlation between the scientific and the educational process with the help of highly developed research facilities will enable students to become bearers of professional competences and future technologies. The main goal of the center is to create a new generation of professionals, researchers and engineers working in the oil and gas industry as well as other related fields, who are willing to further develop their skills and enhance creative thinking within the concept of recurrent learning. The center is to be founded in liaison with KFU leading international partners (IFP Energie Nouvelles – French Institute of Petroleum, USA Stanford University, Schlumberger, etc.). The majority of master’s programs will be in English language in order to attract students from countries exporting gas, oil and other natural resources.
To increase the number of students applying for main education and also to engage more experts from Russian and foreign companies in retraining and advanced training we plan to significantly expand the distance education program. It will be done by creating incubators of distance education projects in the university (market research, infrastructure development, recruiting professors, setting up online resources, attracting school graduates) within the strategic academic units.
A new innovative system of project-based learning is being inculcated: “Working in a team pays for your education”. Within this concept, students conduct their qualifying papers while working on specific projects with a team of professionals, thus drawing a salary and getting significant experience without stopping learning. It makes them successful and sought-after specialists.
Another step to develop educational operations is to produce specialized master’s and reatraining programs on demand from major Russian and foreign companies. Motto of this course is “New skills and new competences for you and your company”. This concept is likely to attract practicing specialists to study in KFU. Our first experience in this field is the international program on modern technologies of heavy oil prospecting and developing in cooperation with a petroleum company CUPET (Cuba).
By 2020 we plan to launch no less than 18 unique educational programs, among them 12 in English language, 6 double degree programs and 5 internationally accredited programs . As for the further education, no less than 9 brand new retraining programs will be developed. Moreover, about 30 further education programs in oil-an-gas industry will be implemented annually.