On May 26, 2021, a meeting of the scientific and methodological subcommittee 208 “Agroengineering” SMC 10 on agricultural sciences and food of the higher education sector of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine was held under the chairmanship of the Director of the Institute of Mechatronics and Management Systems Professor V. Vlasovets. The meeting was devoted to making changes to the draft list of scientific specialties in the fields of science (specialty “Agroengineering”), which is undergoing a stage of public discussion. The chairman substantiated the inclusion of the scientific specialty “Agroengineering” in such a list and presented proposals from the subsection. The following spoke: Yu. Borkhalenko (State Educational Institution “Agroosvita”), Professor of the Department of Agricultural Machines, Ph.D. V. Pastukhov (KhNTUA), V. Bratishko (NULES), R. Kirchuk (Lutsk NAU), V. Zubko (Sumy NAU), V. Bandura (Vinnytsia NAU), S. Kyurchev (Tavriya DAU).
Valerii Pastukhov also made a report on the peculiarities of accreditation of educational programs in this specialty, which come to the sectoral expert council of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, and provided important recommendations for improving the quality of educational programs.
Following the discussion, the following proposals were approved.
Positive trends in the development of the agricultural sector, caused by the deepening of Ukraine’s integration into the world, place high demands on both the level of research and the training of graduate and doctoral students in this area. Traditionally in Ukraine, there are quite powerful scientific schools in the scientific specialty 05.05.11 “Machines and means of mechanization of agricultural production”, which conduct scientific research in this area and make a significant contribution to the intensive development of agriculture. Unfortunately, the development of such research will be significantly constrained by the lack of scientific specialty 05.XX “Agroengineering” in the list of scientific specialties by science (according to the draft list of scientific specialties by science, published on the MES website from 13.05.2021). “On scientific and scientific-technical activities”).
As the analysis of research works and scientific and technical developments submitted for the last 3 years in this area to the professional section 11 Mechanical Engineering of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the specificity of the direction practically does not allow to receive state funding
The current experience of accreditation of educational and scientific programs for the training of doctors of philosophy in the specialty 133 “Industrial Engineering”, whose focus is on solving problems of agricultural engineering, also shows that the scientific component is not clearly understood by experts of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. in classical universities. This leads to conditional accreditation of such programs due to the specifics of the scientific field of research.
The absence of the scientific specialty “Agroengineering” in the near future will also lead to conditional accreditation of educational programs of the second (master’s) level of training in universities. Successful accreditation of educational programs will be impossible due to the critical inconsistency of the direction of scientific research of applicants for a scientific specialty (due to the lack of such a scientific specialty). The lack of training of scientific and pedagogical staff in the specialty “Agroengineering” at the third level of higher education will quickly lead to difficulties in forming groups of educational programs and, as a result, to eliminate the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education and professional higher education.
Based on the above, please take into account the proposals of the Scientific and Methodological Commission for Agrarian Sciences and Food (Subcommittee 208 “Agroengineering”) of the higher education sector of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, namely:
- Include in the list of scientific specialties by branches of science, according to which the scientific degrees of candidate of sciences and doctor of sciences are awarded specialty 05.XX “Agroengineering” (field of knowledge – technical sciences; branch of science for which the scientific degree is awarded – technical). That is, to enable scientists at the third (educational-scientific) level (Doctor of Philosophy) and scientific level (Doctor of Science) of higher education, who conduct research within the specialty 05.XX “Agroengineering”, to defend scientific positions in technical sciences, as such, on which research in this direction is actually carried out.
- Create a working group of leading scientists and specialists of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to develop a passport of scientific specialty 05.XX “Agroengineering”. The draft educational standard of the third (educational-scientific) level (Doctor of Philosophy) has already been formed, it has passed public discussion and review.
- At the first (bachelor’s) and second (master’s) levels of higher education, students should continue to train in the specialty “Agroengineering” in the technical direction according to licensed and accredited educational programs of higher education institutions.
These changes do not require additional funding.
The letter of appeal was adopted at a meeting of the scientific and methodological subcommittee on specialty 208 “Agroengineering” NMC 10 in agricultural sciences and food of the higher education sector of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Minutes № 2 from 26.05.2021).
V. Vlasovets, chairman of the scientific and methodological subcommittee
208 “Agroengineering” SMC 10 on agricultural sciences and food of the higher education sector of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,
expert NAME in specialties 133 “Industrial Engineering” and 208 “Agroengineering”,
expert of the professional section 11 Mechanical Engineering of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,
Director of the ESI MMS, Dr. Tech. Science, Professor
