The platform trading market in Russia has received a new educational product designed for those who manage sales, assortment and supplies through digital channels. RWB University and Peoples' Friendship University of Russia have announced the launch of a master's degree program in e-commerce. The cooperation agreement was signed on March 16 by Tatiana Kim, head of the united Wildberries & Russ company, and Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of RUDN University.
The training starts in September. The format is fully online: simultaneous lectures and practical classes, and the application for admission is scheduled from June 20 to August 13. Such a calendar is important for entrepreneurs who build businesses in seasonal cycles and plan to load teams in advance.
Tatiana Kim indicated that the program is aimed at a practical growth trajectory in marketplaces and relies on a combination of academic base and applied expertise.:
"Modern education should be based on close cooperation between business and science. For us, RWB University is not an image project, but part of an educational ecosystem that helps train talents for a rapidly changing market and create a culture of intellectual entrepreneurship. The Master's degree program was created as a practical trajectory for business development on marketplaces — from launch to scaling: it combines the academic expertise of RUDN University and the experience of RWB as an e—commerce leader so that entrepreneurs and managers can systematically develop their projects," said Tatiana Kim.
RUDN University, for its part, relies on partnership with business and the applied nature of training. Oleg Yastrebov linked the launch of the program with the logic of the university's strategic cooperation with market leaders.:
"RUDN University is an ecosystem of opportunities for students and young people: This is not only a high-quality education, in many areas RUDN University is ranked in the top 50 and top 100 in world rankings, but also conditions for scientific research, launching start-ups, forming international relations, and employing our students with the best employers in our country. The launch of a joint master's degree program with RWB at the RUDN University meets the logic of our university's strategic partnership with business leaders," said RUDN Rector Oleg Yastrebov.
The content part of the program is described as a set of competencies that directly affect the economics of the platform business. The list includes analytics, automation, product management, logistics and supply management, marketing and sales, artificial intelligence implementation, and Growth Hacking. The module about deliveries is especially important for foreign economic activity and logistics: it covers the typical pains of sellers — replenishment planning, balance management, delivery rhythm, product data quality, storage losses and delays.
The practical part will be enhanced by mentoring and working with real-world analytics cases. This creates an understandable scenario for the application of knowledge: the student collects a management model, tests it on sales and supply tasks, and then implements it into daily processes. Against the background of increasing requirements for labeling, delivery documents and the quality of logistics data, such a program is becoming a tool for improving business manageability on marketplaces.
