MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a federal law on a two-tier higher education system, approved by the Russian parliament in mid-October, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.
Russia's Federation Council approved last Wednesday a draft law to introduce a two-tier higher education system in Russia.
The law will see higher education change from a five-year to a "four plus two" system - four years for a bachelor degree and two for a masters, although specialist degrees will continue to involve five years of study.
This step is expected to give a boost to Russian higher educational institutes by modernizing and adapting their curricula to the Western system currently recognized in over 50 countries.
In July, the Russian Federation Council approved a law extending compulsory general education from nine to eleven years.
Recently, Russia adopted a unified state exam for high school graduates, authorizing a major shift from the Soviet-era system of separate final school and university entrance exams.