"Russian as a State Language" in the Higher Education System

This article examines the introduction of the course "Russian as the State Language" in higher education, initiated by the instruction of the President of the Russian Federation (February 2026). The authors substantiate the evidence that existing courses ("Russian Language and Culture of Speech," "Business Rhetoric," etc.) do not address the problem of developing students' responsible attitudes toward the state language as a tool for professionalization. A quantitative analysis of terminological borrowings in the works of master's students (Moscow Government University, 2026) revealed a high level of Anglicization of the language of future managers. The data obtained are understood in the context of legislative amendments for 2023-2024, the concept of a linguistic picture of the world (W. von Humboldt, V.V. Kolesov), concept theory (Yu. S. Stepanov, V.I. Karasik), and the tasks of professional education of students in the context of the transformation of higher education. The course "Russian as a State Language" completes the vertical structure of Russian language instruction in higher education. The novelty of this proposal is based on the integration of four research approaches: state language policy, the philosophy of language and the theory of the linguistic worldview, the linguodidactics of professional communication, and the pedagogy of professional development of students in the context of the transformation of higher education. The theoretical and methodological approach proposed in the article - from the Humboldtian understanding of language as an activity through the triad of verbosity - dialogicity - symbolism to the conceptual analysis of management discourse - allows us to meaningfully distinguish the new discipline from existing courses and ensure its pedagogical potential. The course "Russian as a State Language" is not a linguistic course in the traditional sense, but a pedagogical tool for developing the professional identity of future specialists, rooted in the national linguistic picture of the world.