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UNIT ONE

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

IN THE FIELD OF ECONOMY AND ECONOMICS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

• define the notion of a university, a dean, an assistant/associate dean, a full professor, an associate professor, an assistant professor a lecturer, a senior lecturer, a head of department, a department, an applicant, a sophomore, a semester, a recess, finals, a failure, a class, an exams, an examination period, an assignment;

• define the terminology related to education in general and your field of study (finance, banking, accounting, economy of agro-industrial complex) in particular;

• outline the main requirements of different degree programs;

• be able to compare different educational establishments, their curricula and syllabi both in Ukraine and abroad;

• enumerate the main participants of an educational process;

• outline the basic skills necessary for successful employment in the field of finance, banking, accounting, and economy of agro-industrial complex;

• describe the main positions/jobs graduates of Accounting Faculty, Finance Faculty, Banking Faculty, Faculty of Agro-Industrial Complex Economy can hold;

• be aware of purposes, structure and history of Vadym Hetman National Economic University of Kyiv.

Starting up

Task1. Comment on the following quotations.

• Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century (Perelman)

• If you have a college degree you can be absolutely sure of one thing... you have a college degree (Author unknown)

• Education is the best provision for old age (Aristotle)

Task 2. Discuss these questions.

• Why did you decide to get higher education?

• You are students of Vadym Hetman National Economic University of Kyiv. Why did you choose this university?

• What are the most popular higher educational establishments in the UK, the USA and Ukraine? Would you like to study abroad?

• What do you expect from studying at the university?

• What are your life goals? How can university education help to realize them?

Task 3. Transcribe the following words and practice their pronunciation.

word	transcription	word	transcription
fascinating		collapse
fabulous		overwhelming
experience		synopses
solemn		assignment
serious		immediately
course		numerous
major		assess
minor		diligent
elective		failure
associate		recess
senior		sophomore
curriculum		junior
syllabuses		thesis
progress (v, n)		bachelor
frenzied		require
economics		economy
through		discipline
analysis		routine
competitive		personnel

TEXT

The merry-go-round of university life is something that you will never forget. It’s a fascinating and fantastic experience, no matter whether you are a full-time or an extra-mural student.

The first day at the university when you turn from an applicant into a first-year student is difficult to forget. A solemn ceremony in front of the university building and serious people making speeches will be engraved upon the heart* of every student. Only some time later you will understand who all these ladies and gentlemen called the rector, vice-rectors, deans, assistant deans, heads of departments are. A student ID, a student record book and a library card in your hands make you feel a real student. All courses (majors, minors or electives) are taught by the members of the teaching staff who are full professors, associate professors, assistant professors, senior lecturers and lecturers.

The first semester is the most difficult: so many classes, so many subjects to put on the timetable! Many of you think that the curriculum is developed especially for geniuses, to say nothing of* syllabuses full of topics and deadlines that seem impossible to meet. The classes may progress at such a frenzied pace* that some of you may nearly collapse taking notes. The workload is really overwhelming. Every day students complete numerous assignments, prepare reports, synopses, projects and papers. If you cannot cope with the workload or are unable to work to deadlines you immediately start lagging behind. It is easier to keep pace with the program than to catch up with it later. From the first days students’ knowledge is assessed with pop-quizzes, tests and multiple choice tests. Then the examination period comes. All diligent students pass their exams successfully. Those who miss classes without valid excuses or don’t read up for exams* definitely fail. Some prefer cheating to learning, but if you are caught using cribs you may be expelled. First time failures are followed by retakes that are in no way* easier to pass.

Luckily the academic year is divided into fall and spring semesters with winter holidays and summer vacation.

Time flies. A freshman turns into a sophomore, then into a junior student and finally into a senior. Still all of them are one family of undergraduates studying a Bachelor’s degree that normally requires 4 years of study. After finals most students choose to take postgraduate courses leading towards a Master’s or a Doctor’s Degree.

To enroll in a Master’s degree program you need to pass entrance exams in major and in English. A Master’s Degree usually involves one year of advanced study beyond a Bachelor’s degree. After defending your Master’s thesis you can say that the goal to become an expert in economics is finally achieved. You are a graduate now and can start climbing your career ladder.

Those successful in research can choose to become a faculty member and get a Doctor’s Degree, usually called the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). It requires a minimum of 3 years of course work, success in a qualifying exam, profound knowledge in Philosophy, proficiency in a foreign language and a completion of a doctoral dissertation. At last you are a happy holder of a Ph.D degree and you hope it is over… Is it over? Oh, no, definitely not. Who has invented the concept of lifelong education?