Rostovskaya T.K., Sitkovskiy A.M. Comparative content analysis of master’s and doctoral programmes in demography at world-class universities. The Education and science journal. 2026;28(1):33-64. (In Russ.) https: ...

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://www.edscience.ru/jour/article/view/4810 (дата обращения 02.02.2026)

Abstract

Introduction. Global demographic challenges require training specialists who possess both classical and advanced digital and managerial competencies. However, the structure and content of demographic programs at leading universities have not previously been subjected to comprehensive comparative analysis. The aim of this study is to conduct a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of master's and doctoral programs in demography at universities in Europe, North America, Latin America, Australia, Africa and Russia, to identify the core and variable components of their content, which made it possible to identify a list of key competencies of graduates formed as a result of mastering these programs. Methodology, methods and techniques. The analysis involved automated processing of full program texts (tokenization, lemmatization), construction of a TF-IDF matrix, calculation of cosine similarity between programs, and cluster analysis (Ward's method) based on a binary matrix of key competencies. Thematic similarity networks and a program dendrogram were visualized; a bilingual comparative table of competencies was provided. Results. The conducted analysis showed that all the considered educational programs form a basic set of competencies, including: deep theoretical knowledge in the field of demographic processes; proficiency in modern methods of analysis; ability to independently conduct research; skills of interdisciplinary interaction; ability to work with big data. At the same time, 30% of the programs presented in the public domain are distinguished by the integration of management and ethical modules, as well as an emphasis on digital demography and project activities, which ensures their competitiveness in the international educational space. It should be noted that the programs developed in Western countries demonstrate a shift in focus towards applied tasks with a reduction in the volume of theoretical and research components. Scientific novelty. This is the first comparable quantitative and qualitative analysis of educational trajectories in demography based on a large corpus of program texts, using state-of-the-art text analysis and visualization methods. Practical significance. The results support the optimization of new demographic programs, ensuring a balance between fundamental, research, and applied training, and expanding the range of competencies through digital and management modules.