25.01.2024

Economics has become the most popular specialty for graduates of Moscow universities in 2023

Last year, 179.5 thousand young specialists received diplomas from the capital's universities. The most popular specialties among graduates were again economics and law. Future teachers have risen to the next line of the rating, having moved programmers and developers in the top three. This was reported by Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy and Property and Land Relations Vladimir Efimov.

"Last year, 51.2 thousand people received diplomas in the direction of "economics and management", and 27.1 thousand people received diplomas in the specialty of "law". Future economists and lawyers account for more than 44 percent of all graduates. At the same time for the last five years the popularity of these specialties has decreased by nine percentage points. In the capital's labor market the demand for other professions is growing, which affects the choice of young people's choice of directions for education. The third place in popularity today is occupied by the direction "education and pedagogical sciences". During the last years we observe the restoration of interest of young people to this profession, and last year almost 10 thousand people received such diplomas. Among the most popular specialties are also "information and computer science" and "psychology" - 9.5 thousand and 6.7 thousand people graduated from universities respectively", - said Vladimir Efimov

The change of trends in the labor market is also evidenced by the statistics of enrollment in universities. Over the past five years, the number of applicants wishing to study applied sciences, which were previously less popular, has sharply increased in the capital.

According to the Department of Economic Policy and Development of Moscow, 16.3 thousand people entered the specialty "psychology" in 2023 - 2.7 times more than in 2018. The number of freshmen wishing to study in the direction of "informatics and computer science" increased 2.2 times - up to 25.9 thousand. 65 percent more students wanted to become journalists and advertising specialists than five years ago. The number of students entering the specialty of "philosophy, ethics and religious studies" has decreased by about four percent since 2018. The total number of freshmen, on the other hand, has increased 48.5 percent over the past five years to nearly 300,000.

The highest competition last year was for the directions "mathematics and mechanics", "information technology" and "political science" - an average of 13 applicants per seat. In the direction of "literary criticism" 12 applicants per place. In the specialties "law", "psychology", "art" the passing threshold was three times lower - about four people per place.

The share of budget places in Moscow universities last year amounted to 31 percent. Most of all students of the largest specialties study free of charge at oil and gas and geological faculties - about 70 percent, as well as at mechanical and mathematical directions - over 60 percent. The highest share of commercial places - in specialties "economics" and "law" (89.5 and 88.5 percent respectively), "media and advertising" - 89.2 percent.

Residents of different regions of Russia and foreigners aspire to enter Moscow universities. Almost seven percent of students are citizens of other countries. Most of all such students study to become pharmacists, doctors and theologians: almost every fifth student in these fields is a foreigner.