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General Information
Higher Chemical College of the Russian Academy of Sciences is an elitist educational institution, controlled directly by (under supervision of) the Russian Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1990, it became one of the most remarkable Schools of Chemical Education in Russia. Not only because of its unique curriculum, wide connections with world renowned scientists, universities and academic research centers, but also because of its friendly climate and atmosphere of creativity and pure science. The College has effective collaborations with leading Russian research and educational centers. Principal courses are given by lecturers of M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as acting researchers of A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds, N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, N. S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, and Russian Mendeleyev’s University of Chemical Technology.
The College is a part of a three-stage educational complex, consisting of the Moscow Chemical Lyceum of the Russian Academy of Sciences (secondary level), the College (higher level) and research institutions of the Academy. Students take university-level courses in the Lyceum and then continue advanced studies in the College. Such unique integration enables the College to provide leading academic centers with top-quality specialists. One of the key advantages of the education at this college is the early implementation of regular research work that allows students to get extensive experimental experience. Most of the College staff are not only world-renowned scientists but are also active researchers thus enabling students not only to get the most up-to-date knowledge in different fields of science but also to build upon general research methods to develop their own specialized one.
Admission to the College
Annual admission to the College is 30 students. The majority of the enrollees are the best graduates from the Moscow Chemical Lyceum RAS, winners of Regional, All-Russian, and International Chemical Olympiads. The College is also opened to other applicants from Russia and the CIS provided that they pass the entrance examinations and an interview testing their educational level and creative ability. At present there are over 120 students and 50 staff members in the College. The high ratio of the number of faculty staff to the number of students gives HCC a significant advantage of greater individuality of education. Basic undergraduate education, that is equivalent to international Bachelor’s Degree, is given after 4 academic years. Generally after successful presentation of a research diploma thesis after 5-5.5 years College students are qualified for the award of the Specialist Diploma in Chemistry that corresponds to Master’s Degree according to international standards.
The College Administration
The College educational policy is determined by the Scientific Council, which consists of all the Faculty, the Dean, the Vice-Chairman and is headed by the Chairman. The Council meets several times a year and discusses principal aspects of College academic life. It is noteworthy that every student group has its representative who participates in Scientific Council meetings. The Council takes into account students’ opinion on various questions and problems and this results in more thorough control and optimized balance of the educational process. The most general organizational questions (such as financial aspects, collaboration with other academic centers etc.) are discussed by The Board of Trustees which consists of the President and the leading scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Professor Roald Hoffmann (Cornell University, USA) and the Moscow major Yuri M. Luzhkov have been honorary members of the Board of Trustees since the foundation of the College.
The Curriculum
The College basic educational program covers many fields of chemical sciences: inorganic and organic chemistry, physical chemistry and physical methods of analysis, quantum chemistry and material sciences, chemistry of macromolecular compounds, ecological and analytical chemistry, catalysis and chemical technology. These courses build up a considerable base of knowledge but College students have also an opportunity to attend advanced facultative courses, originally developed by leading lecturers. Many world-renowned scientists give lectures in the College, and just to name a few, these include Prof. W. A. Smit (organic synthesis), Prof. V. B. Kazansky (catalysis), Prof. D. A. Lemenovsky (theoretical inorganic chemistry, chemistry of organometallic compounds), Prof. V. P. Pavlov (theoretical physics), Prof. N. A. Plate (chemistry of macromolecular compounds), Prof. B. V. Lokshin and Prof. M. Yu. Antipin (physical methods of analysis).
It’s noteworthy that a number of courses were developed especially for the College and are kept in compliance with requirements of contemporary science. Because of this, College graduate students are well-informed about modern state of theoretical and experimental research methods, and aware of recent achievements in science. The programs and curricula of the chemical courses are constantly being innovated and improved.
The Higher Chemical College education is not limited to natural sciences and mathematical disciplines. There are a number of humanitarian courses, such as sociology, economics, psychology, history, philosophy, and foreign languages. Students have several choices in studying foreign languages. However special attention is drawn to English lessons.
On admission to the College, students are split into three groups depending on their language knowledge and have six hours a week to study English. After the first two years students are able to freely communicate, use international scientific literature and write their own scientific works in English. This is also very important for summer internships in English-speaking countries. Students have also an opportunity to study one more foreign language for two years – either French or German. In the latter case, much attention is devoted to scientific language which allows students to read early works in chemistry, mostly published in German.
It is remarkable that the College curriculum has very strong computer courses, including practical work with the most up-to-date software for quantum-chemistry calculation. During two-year long basic course, students gain general computer knowledge, fundamental principles of preparing manuscripts and presentations and essential facts about scientific databases. Jointly with the general course of quantum chemistry, the practical study using latest Gaussian, Gamess, Mopac/Ampack and Molden software is given. Students also have the opportunity to attend advanced courses on the UNIX operating system and computer visualizations in science which are becoming vital for present-day researchers in the swiftly growing world of scientific data.
Research Work
It is the most important fact that the principal emphasis in the College is on experimental studies and original scientific research. From the very start of their education in the College, students work in laboratories in various leading Russian academic institutions. Every student has an opportunity to find a laboratory where he or she one wants to work depending on areas of interest. One of the main concepts of the College is to let students begin research activities as early as possible. This means that they become trained researchers by the time they graduate. For the students, this is a significant advantage in their further doctoral studies. Many laboratories are interested in engaging College students in their work. An effective online informational system has been developed for the College web site to give information about new vacancies and job opportunities. Many College students work with the most leading Russian chemists, such as Prof. Oleg M. Nefedov, Prof. Yuri N. Belokon, Prof. Sema L. Ioffe, Prof. William A. Smit, Prof. Michail Yu. Antipin and Prof. Vladimir B. Kazansky. Experimental work and participation in regular laboratory research allow students after graduation from the College to do original research using modern methods of experimental and theoretical chemistry and prepare results for international conferences, and publication in leading chemical journals.
Life Besides the College
For the majority of the College students the research work is the most vital part of life, but most of them do not forget about being socially active and do not put out of their minds other activities such as singing, writing lyrics, drawing, playing musical instruments, acting in drama clubs and others. Many College students are involved in extensive creative activities of the Moscow Chemical Lyceum, such as Vocals Studio, Drama Club and Orchestra. There are also several rock bands created by the College students; some of them give concerts in rock clubs. Thus, students are not totally immersed in their scientific work but keep their minds wide open and this helps them to develop creativity and non-standard ways of thinking.
The Road Ahead
The unique experience of the Higher Chemical College has appeared to be a success. Started as a bold experiment, it has become a prospering educational institution. College students get Soros’ and Chembridge Corp. scholarships as well as Russian government scholarships every year. A significant proportion of winners of the All-Russian Mendeleyev Competitions on student scientific work are College students. The average number of students’ publications is over 70 annually, which is the highest ratio of the number of publications to the number of students among national educational institutions. The overwhelming majority of the College graduates continue working in fundamental science in Russia, Europe and the USA. The Higher Chemical College students and graduates have been selected for appointments in such prestigious universities as Oxford, Harvard, Cornell, MIT, Stanford, University of California-Berkeley and others. A number of early College graduates already have their own groups and are directing independent research.
The information given above leads to the conclusion that the College has made a substantial investment in the future of the chemical science. Giving students unique opportunities to pursue their educational and research goals, Higher Chemical College of the Russian Academy of Sciences Hardly has analogues.