On August 18–26, a state final examination was held for postgraduate (PG) students at the Marine Hydrophysical Institute. At the first stage of examination, PG students supported their teaching method complexes before the examination board. Each such complex includes a programme developed by a PG student to teach graduate students in their field of study, teaching guidelines for the main lesson types (lectures, practicals, workshops, laboratory sessions), plans of prepared lectures, individual work schedule, and student assessment criteria. Before preparing the course, PG students had teaching internship at the Sevastopol Branch of Moscow State University. The examination board members recognized a high-level qualification of the PG students. All of them had an excellent mark at the first stage of the State Final Examination, and some of them were offered to give their prepared course of study to master's students of MHI.

At the second stage, the young specialists presented their qualifying scientific works (QSW) to the examination board. Each QSW presentation was a scientific paper summarizing the logically accomplished research performed by a PG-oceanologist during their postgraduate study. A QSW is an almost complete Ph.D. thesis. The majority of the PG alumni are planning to defend their theses within the next two years.

The state examination board chairman, Petr Zavyalov, Dr.Sci. (Geogr.), professor, corresponding member of RAS, thanked PG study principals and PG students' scientific supervisors for a high level preparation provided to the young staff. Nine out of ten participants got excellent grades for their presentations. By a resolution of the SEB, all the PG students were qualified as a teaching researcher. Postgraduate diplomas to be ceremoniously conferred in early October this year.

At the moment, the alumni are facing a new serious task, namely, to prepare scientific report presentations to speak at the All-Russia Scientific Conference «Seas of Russia: Coastal and Shelf Zone Research», which to be held on September 21–25 at the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS.

Photos by: Alla Mukhanova.