Abstract:

The Russian Federation is divided into 8 federal districts – so called macro-regions and 85 constituent regions. In each of these units there are, which are functioning and aimed at addressing economic, social, scientific, cultural issues of the regions and macro-regions. The study shows that the basis for their successful activity is the transition from a linear (vertical) to a nonlinear (horizontal) model of higher education and to its basic element – network interaction between universities. This requires knowledge and use of the typology of the universities in the macro-region. The typology acts as the structural basis of the nonlinear model of higher education.

The object of the author's research are the universities of the Ural macro-region, one of the most developed macro-regions, regarding the socio-economic area. It is characterized by the presence of the variety of quantitative characteristics, areas of training, branches, level of subordination of the universities. The subject of the study is their typology according to the certain criteria. The goal of the research is to develop a typology of higher education institutions of the macro-region, which would meet the needs of its development in the most adequate and substantial way.

The theories of the system, nonlinear, network, and typological analysis form the methodological basis of the study, as well as various typologies of universities that exist in the modern foreign and Russian science. The empirical base includes the statistics of more than 50 universities in the Ural macro-region, as well as the results of a semi-formalized in-depth expert interview (N = 30).

As a result of the analysis, the authors identified the following criteria for the typology of universities in the Ural macro-region: quantitative characteristics, level of subordination, geography of influence, and branch affiliation. The latter is the most significant regarding the nonlinear model of interactions in higher education. The dialogue between the higher education institutions, the economy, the science and the stakeholders should be organized exactly in the framework of these branches. Therefore, in order to understand the specifics of the educational space of the Ural macro-region, its full typology that could become the basis of the nonlinear model of higher education, it is necessary to take into account the specialization of universities and their branches’ structure.

As a result of the study, the authors identified four possible typologies of universities in the Ural macro-region, which form the basis for a nonlinear model of higher education. This allows us to consider typologies as an impulse which stipulates the creation of a new system of interactions in higher education in the Russian macro-region.

Keywords:

Typology of universities, non-linear model of higher education, Russian macro-region.