PROS AND CONS OF QUALIFICATION WORK DEFENCE IN STARTUP FORM

To date, students of all higher educational institutions of our country have the opportunity to submit for defense as a final qualifying work (WQ) not a classic diploma, but a real startup. Over the four years that have passed since the beginning of the implementation of such an opportunity in practice, many Russian universities, including our Orenburg State University, have developed their own trajectory in this direction. In this article, we have made an attempt to analyze the experience gained. The issue of the legality of accounting for diplomas in the form of startups is considered, the features of start-up projects and the most obvious differences between the final qualification work performed in the form of startups and the classical FQP are highlighted. It is noted that during the transition to a new form of defense, clearly focused on the practical component, the stages of work on the final qualifying work, its structure and procedure for defense change. We identified a number of issues arising in connection with the organization of the defense of FQPs in the form of startups at the University: the inexpediency of distributing start-up diplomas to all students; the need for a detailed development of the Regulation on the protection of the final qualifying work in the form of a startup; revising curricula with the aim of developing students’ skills in developing start-ups and developing their entrepreneurial mindset; Difficulty finding ideas for startups organizational issues related to the appointment, incentives and remuneration of WRC leaders in a new form; providing students with the opportunity to switch to the usual form of protection in the event of a failure in the development of a startup. In conclusion, the advantages of protecting FQPs in the form of startups, identified on the basis of the experience of Russian universities and expert opinions, are presented, and the prospects for the implementation of this form are outlined.