It is not uncommon for Vilnius university programmes to get international recognition. Some achievements can even become routine: last week, for 6th year in a row, International Communication programme was selected to be amongst top 10 corporate communication programmes in Eastern Europe.
The programme, run by Vilnius university Faculty of communication, was ranked 6th by Eduniversal Masters Ranking and firmly held its place amongst similar programmes from much larger universities, such as University of Warsaw and St. Petersburg University.
“The competition in the market of international studies is very tough, so it is great challenge to reach potential students without enormous budget for international marketing. Thus, informal communication, “spreading the word”, becomes the main way to advertise your programme. The fact that we managed to reach such an achievement speaks volumes about the content of our programme and the quality of study environment." - Renata Šukaitytė, the head of joint comitee of Communication Sciences MA studies, explains.
The programme was developed in association with Geert Hofstede Consortium, alliance of universities that includes Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), Leeds Beckett University (United Kingdom), and IULM University (Italy). As a result, students are provided with an ability to spend one semester of the programme at other university belonging to the Consortium.
According to Renata Matkevičienė, who worked on developing the concept, “the idea was that after first introductory semester students can choose any other university, and that’s when all universities can offer what they are the best at.”
During the final third semester students write their dissertation under the supervision of professors from both universities, once again combining expertise of the best researchers and professionals of the field from different countries. But the contents of the programme is not the only place where internationality comes into play.
“The most unique feature of this programme is the fact that you can study international and intercultural communication in truly intercultural environment. In this programme we have students from every continent except Antarctica. You are not only studying intercultural communication, you are constantly experiencing it.” – says Renata Matkevičienė.
This view is shared by former students who don’t hesitate to point out that multicultural environment provides experience that supplements the learning process perfectly.
„The most valuable aspect of studying in Vilnius was giving me the opportunity to test my skills in an ambiguous setting and realize I can still achieve my goals and make some unforgettable memories.“ – Shaelyn Smith, former student of the programme, notices. Her insights are confirmed by another alumna Sára Hélène Bori: „Sharing a classroom with people from over 17 countries and discussing theories of intercultural communication helped us quickly broaden our perspectives. Culture, theory and friendship are keywords that come to my mind when I think of my MIC experience in Vilnius.“