Educational Programs in English as a Tool for Increasing Leadership and Integration into the Global Educational Environment: Experience of Leading Russian Universities

The article deals with the higher education internationalization process in order to increase its prospects in leadership. The theoretical foundations of internationalization were summarized in the article. The quantitative assessment of the internationalization of higher education by the students’ academic mobility criteria confirmed a worldwide positive trend. At the same time, the share of foreign students differs greatly in specific countries. It is proved that the degree of internationalization is influenced by the student’s choice of the country and the university. The article proves empirically the hypothesis that the language of teaching is one of the important factors determining the choice of the country and university of study by foreign students. The authors concluded that Russian universities have a low degree of internationalization and Russian students are not involved enough into exchange processes. The offer of educational programs in English implemented by the leading Russian universities, included in the prestigious academic QS rating, was examined using such methods as deduction, comparative analysis, questionnaires, and focus groups. Based on the results of the study, a conclusion was made that Russian universities need to consider the linguistic factor in strategic development programs oriented in integration into the global educational environment.