Open Elective and Optional Courses

HSE’s flexible study system allows students to choose an individual educational track in order to acquire knowledge in the areas that are interesting and important for them.

Students choose subjects from the approved curriculum of the educational programme and form their individual curricula, which include:

• All subjects from the programme curriculum’s core (default)
• Subjects from the variable part of the programme curriculum, according to the list and to the rule of choice (1 out of 2; 2 out of 4, etc.).

As a result, a student’s individual curriculum for one academic year should include at least 60 credits.

Almost all programme curricula include a list of optional courses recommended for students in the programme. It is up to students whether to include a certain optional course in their individual curriculum. Credits for these subjects are accumulated above the necessary 60 credits a year, which means that a student is fully responsible for the grades received for these courses.

There are two types of subjects (courses) that are not included in programme curricula. They vary by target audiences and conditions of choice and assessment:

MAGOLEGO, or ‘elective courses from open university list’ – these are subjects from an obligatory list of elective courses to be chosen by first-year Master’s students in all educational programmes.

MINORS – an important part of the new undergraduate study model (launched in 2014). A minor is a combination of non-core subjects, which will add to a student’s educational track. Students are invited to participate in the Honors Track project with the ability to write Honors Thesis research work on the subject of the minor.