Quote Originally Posted by sperk
that's an example of how math courses are named. The term "higher math" is not specific enough to have a separate course.
That is the main point. If you look to any Russian university courses for the students of Math or Physics departments you'll never find this "Higher Math". You'll find the same old courses: Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Functional Analysis etc. But if you'll look to a department which is not intended to make its students gurus in math (such as History or Economics departments) you'll find only one course for basic mathematics in Russian this course called as "Higher Math" (Высшая математика).