HIGHER EDUCATION IN CARTOGRAPHY DURING THE YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE OF UKRAINE: STATUS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the research of the current state, identification of urgent issues, and outlining the nearest prospects for the development of educational services in the field of higher education training in cartography in Ukraine. To achieve the goal, the authors chose a comprehensive set of general scientific and special methods that constitute its methodology: analysis and synthesis, deduction, classification, and informational. A systemic approach has been applied at all stages of the research as a method for effectively organizing the study of the domestic higher education system in cartography. The universities in Ukraine that are currently involved in the training of professionals with higher cartographic education at existing levels have been identified. The indicators of the graduation of cartography specialists from the Department of Geodesy and Cartography at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from 1992 to the present have been analyzed in terms of quantity (914 individuals in full-time and part-time forms of education), educational degrees obtained (master’s — 440; specialist — 372; bachelor — 102), and gender (407 males and 507 females). Additionally, it was determined that during the investigated period, 41 PhD in geographic cartography were trained in the country, 35 of whom, together with 8 doctors of science, currently contribute to the further training of necessary specialists for the country. The article also characterizes the content of educational programs for cartographers at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, identifies existing problems, and formulates directions for their solution at the institutional and local levels. The main contribution of this research lies in emphasizing the necessity to enhance the quality of education for professionals with higher qualifications in cartography as a strategic specialization and profession for Ukraine, taking into consideration the national security and defense tasks.