«Come and Join Us – You’re Very Welcome Here»: Open Day at the HSE Institute of Media
Journalism
The day began with an immersion into the world of national television.
Speaking from his newsroom desk on a Sunday shift, Ernest Matskyavichyus, Director of the HSE Institute of Media and anchor of the news programme Vesti, addressed the applicants live on air:
«Dear friends, we’re going on air right from my desk. It’s Sunday, 23 November, just after midday. Thank you for choosing to spend your weekend with us.»
During a tour of the Rossiya 1 TV channel, the Director of the HSE Institute of Media took the audience behind the scenes of national television, showing the editing rooms, control rooms and, finally, the main studio of the channel. He explained the finer points of working on air:
«A news anchor has to keep their breathing steady and stay calm and confident. If you rush into the studio out of breath, viewers immediately start to feel uneasy.»
He placed particular emphasis on the training of future media professionals, noting that graduates of the Institute of Media’s bachelor’s programmes can go on to work for major national broadcasters — and may one day find themselves in that very studio.
«Try to make this journey a meaningful one. We will teach you everything we can and support you wherever possible. We are looking for the most motivated and best-prepared applicants and, above all, for those who have a dream. Come and join us — you’ll be very welcome here.»
The HSE Institute of Media unites two bachelor’s tracks: Journalism and Media Communications. The curriculum is built around close integration with the professional media industry. At the Open Day, the Journalism programme was presented by its Academic Head, Ivan Knyazev, and Creative Head, Tatyana Remezova, while Media Communicationswas represented by its Academic Head, Irina Kumaneva, and Creative Head, Yulia Apollonova. As Ivan Knyazev noted, the programme’s formula is roughly 40% theory and 60% practice, allowing students to start tackling real professional tasks from their very first year of study.
«I see our main goal as giving prospective students a chance to step into real media production even before they enrol — to try their hand at different formats and genres so that they can choose the path that suits them best,» said Ivan Knyazev, Academic Head of the Journalism programme.
Tatyana Remezova, TV anchor on Rossiya 1 and Creative Head of the Journalism programme, noted: «Those who start visiting our Open Days as early as September often come back again — and many of them eventually choose to apply to the HSE Institute of Media.»
Creative Workshops: A Bridge Between Education and the Profession
The Institute’s signature feature is its system of creative workshops led by prominent media professionals.
Vadim Takmenev’s Fundamentals of Journalism workshop offers a systematic approach to studying television formats. Students work across the full spectrum of genres — from news reporting to complex entertainment and music shows. A special focus is placed on understanding the entire production cycle, from developing a creative concept to financial planning and on-air delivery.
Sergey Malozyomov’s Popular Science Journalism workshop brings together science and storytelling. As the well-known journalist and host of the TV show Miracle of Technology explained, ‘I’m not here to tell you which foods are good for you and which are not — that’s what the show and the blog are for. Here, we are going to have a professional conversation about how to explain very complex things in a way that is clear and truly engaging.»
Ivan Kudryavtsev’s Cinema and Journalism workshop gives students the opportunity not just to study film journalism, but to become part of it. Students receive accreditation for major film festivals, interview international film stars, and see their work broadcast on the federal channel Rossiya 24 in the programme Film Industry.
The acting workshop led by actor Igor Petrenko attracted particular interest. Despite his demanding schedule of theatre rehearsals, film shoots and tours, he made time to speak in person with prospective applicants and outline the principles behind the course: «The workshop is built around two main strands. In one, you will be working with text and phrasing… In the other, you will be working with your emotions… Come along — you won’t regret it.»
The programme combines speech technique and public speaking skills with practical acting training.
The Institute also offers workshops run by major media outlets, including Vedomosti, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and VK, where students learn directly from industry practitioners and the best participants receive job offers while still studying. From next year, a new workshop, RT School, will also open its doors to HSE Institute of Media students.
Specialised Professional Tracks: Deepening Expertise
Within the Journalism programme, the HSE Institute of Media offers a system of specialised professional tracks running in parallel with the creative workshops. These tracks allow students, starting from their second year, to shape their own learning trajectory and explore a chosen field in greater depth.
The Business Journalism track, led by Associate Professor Mikhail Zelentsov, trains future experts in economic communication. The curriculum covers the landscape of business media, financial markets and approaches to covering micro- and macroeconomic processes. The practical component is delivered in close cooperation with partners such as the TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies.
The International Journalism track offers hands-on experience with correspondents working across the globe. Speaking live from Brussels, VGTRK’s European correspondent Anastasia Popova told prospective students: «You can’t really learn this from books. What matters most is stamina and the ability to adapt.»
On the International Journalism track, students learn from special correspondents of the Vesti news programme based in different parts of the world — including Dmitry Melnikov in Washington, Valentin Bogdanov in New York, Asya Emelyanova in Rome, Sergey Pashkov in Israel and others who report daily from global capitals and conflict zones.
Higher School of News: A Launchpad for Careers
One of the key elements of practical training is the student newsroom Higher School of News, headed by Creative Head of the Journalism programme Tatyana Remezova. This is a fully fledged media outlet where students, starting from their first year, are immersed in real newsroom work.
«First-year students usually come to the Higher School of News newsroom before anywhere else — they want to try everything at once,» said Tatyana Remezova.
The newsroom operates just like a professional editorial office: students write and publish stories, film and edit reports, produce podcasts and present news in foreign languages. Their achievements are already impressive: the Alter Ego project has won a TEFI television award, and recently the newsroom launched news bulletins in Turkish, Spanish and French.
Tatyana Remezova also highlighted how this kind of experience helps students build their careers:
«I believe that the HSE Institute of Media offers an exceptional range of opportunities — for internships as well as for real jobs. Your chances of finding employment through the Institute of Media are much higher than at many other journalism schools.»
Media Communications
The Media Communications programme trains a new type of specialist — versatile professionals who can work at the intersection of creativity and management. Irina Kumaneva, Academic Head of the Media Communications programme and Associate Professor at the HSE Institute of Media, explained:
«We don’t stop at the level of a project — we need to take ideas all the way to a finished product. Bridging this gap is essentially the main goal of this track: to teach you how to make sure your projects don’t end up “in a drawer”, but reach the outside world.»
Fourth-year students Olesya Chermakovskaya and Varvara Makarycheva are already working successfully in the media industry, clearly demonstrating how broad and flexible the training they receive can be.
Olesya works as a creative producer for performing artists «Without HSE University, I would not be doing this as successfully as I am now. During my studies I learned persistence and how to juggle multiple tasks at once — and I also gained an understanding of how related fields operate.»
Varvara works in digital marketing:
«I help brands and bloggers collaborate and create great advertising campaigns together. In my profession, pitching ideas, being able to handle stress and constantly diving into something new — keeping an eye on trends — are all crucial.»
Core Values: Quality as the Basis of Professionalism
At the HSE Institute of Media, particular attention is paid to core professional competencies. Marina Korolyova, Professor at the HSE Institute of Media, a specialist in Russian language norms and author of five books on the Russian language, emphasised:
«Work on language never stops — not for a single day. We are constantly editing texts and working through mistakes.»
She explained that in the media industry, language errors can cost professionals their reputations, which is why systematic work on speech and writing is an integral part of the educational process.
The Open Day at the HSE Institute of Media showcased the Institute’s comprehensive approach to training future media professionals. From a virtual tour of the country’s main TV studio to in-depth presentations of the bachelor’s programmes, every part of the event was designed to highlight one key message: this is not just a place where you learn a profession — it is a place where the next generation of media leaders is being formed.
Evgenia Nebolsina
Translated by Elizaveta Sineva, second-year student of the «Media Management»