Abstract:

The article presents results of research of comparative analysis of factors affecting the choice of STEM education in Russian and Hungarian Universities. The aim of research is to identify possible mechanisms for regulating demand on STEM programs. The research tasks: identifying factors that influence the choice of occupation; assessment of the significance of each factor in choosing the future occupation; construction of a correlation between significance factors affecting the choice of occupation and satisfaction level of the educational process and view change of it (occupation).

Among the factors studied are the prestige of the University, the qualifications of teachers, parental advice, employment opportunities, etc. The level of satisfaction with the profession was measured by evaluating respondents on several parameters: compliance of the educational process with the expected, compliance of ideas about the profession with the real, etc. The educational process in higher education institutions in Russia and Hungary was analyzed from the point of view of involvement of three main actors: the state, the labor market and the professorship. The student community served as the object of research as the most indicative and accurate indicator of the effectiveness of ongoing transformations in the higher education system in Russia and Hungary. Research basis served as the Ural Federal University and the University of Dunaujvaros in Hungary.

The authors propose recommendations how to involve the future STEM specialists in the occupation at the stage of getting pre-university education with the involvement of all interested actors.

Keywords:

STEM education, occupation choice, transformation higher education system, factors determining the choice of engineering occupation.