RSU Receives Funding to Develop Six New Study Programmes

Six new study programmes in English will be developed at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) by 2023. On 24 April 2019 RSU signed an agreement with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA) about implementing the project ‘Reducing study programme fragmentation and promoting the internationalisation of studies at Rīga Stradiņš University’ (project No. 8.2.1.0/18/A/014). This project will provide 597,348.54 euros in funding (including 507,746.26 euros of European Social Fund (ESF) co-funding and 89,602.28 euros of public funding) for the development of the new programs. 

‘By reducing study program fragmentation we have had the opportunity to draw up six internationally competitive programmes. Trends in higher education and the labour market were considered when these new programmes were developed. Particular attention was paid to promoting internationalisation through involving international partners in the design and implementation of the programs, as well as by considering how to share resources efficiently. The prospective programmes are an important step in promoting the international competitiveness of RSU,’ says RSU Rector Professor Aigars Pētersons.

The plan is to license and accredit six study programmes in English in various levels:

• International Business and Start-up Entrepreneurship (academic bachelors’ programme);
• Biostatistics (professional masters’ programme);
• Transition and Russia Studies (academic masters’ programme);
• Economic Security (joint professional masters’ programme with Daugavpils University);
• Social Sciences (doctoral programme);
• Medicine and Health Sciences (doctoral programme).

The first meeting with the lecturers who will participate in the development of the study program International Business and Start-up Entrepreneurship was held on 15 May at which the content and structure of the programme was discussed. In order to facilitate the development of quality study courses, RSU support staff offered guidelines to help prepare the information for program licensing. Similar work group meetings will take place to plan the other study programmes.