Abstract
This article analyzes the challenges involved in developing master’s degree programs at the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH). How can an educational program be made competitive? Which steps by program developers are unproductive, and which open new opportunities? What should be regarded as a critical condition for a master’s program’s success? These and other questions are examined through a projective method that reveals the relationship between individual actions and the prospects for the success or failure of the program as a whole.