Abstract:

Introduction:
In the context of today’s integration and globalization of the society, creating a unified educational environment becomes more and more vital. Being a European intergovernmental cooperation initiative in the sphere of higher education, the Bologna Process functions as the major reform of the unification processes at the European level. A unified educational environment may provide necessary background for a new generation of intellectually developed youth who will be capable of efficiently solving any task in the face of a rapidly changing world and of making progress in any sphere based on the knowledge and competence they have acquired. Thus, labor market should not be isolated from academic training. A number of nations, Russia being among them, are working on development of their educational systems in order to achieve social and economic progress both within the country and on the international arena and to raise their country’s profile in all the spheres.

Purpose:
Analysis of the Russian educational practice with respect to higher education in the context of the Bologna Process is the purpose of this research. It is aimed at acquiring detailed information on the measures Russia has been taking up to the present moment as part of the Bologna Process realization.

Methods:
Political and legal analysis is used as the method of studying the questions set in the research. Besides, the historical method is used to study the Bologna Process genesis and to address the establishment of the educational practice in Russia. The case-study method has revealed the qualitative characteristics of the research subject and helped analyze current aspects of the educational policy in Russia.

Results:
Overcoming boundaries and resolving conflicts and contradictions in the higher education sphere is the essence of the Bologna reform. It provides the participating countries with opportunities to enhance the efficiency of their national policies, to strengthen the connection with the social life of the society and to boost the contribution of higher education into innovation and economic development. The Bologna Process signifies the changing priorities of the modern world. Russia joined the Bologna Convention at the Berlin Conference in September 2003. Since then, the education, especially the higher education, has been adopting the function of policy formation. Internationalization of education is one of the ways to overcome conflicts and mistrust and to develop partnership.

Conclusion:
It seems viable to view Russia’s participation in the Bologna Process as means of reforming the national educational system, of bringing it into closer alignment with the European system without losing its fundamental national values, its unique features and competitive advantages. Higher education and academia have been taking the front positions in the XXI century, therefore Russia and other nations have been devoting much attention to this sphere.

Keywords:

Education system, Russia, globalization, Bologna Process.