Russian State Social University, a place in Russia where Social Studies flourish

Russian State Social University (RSSU), the biggest provider of social education in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

What is Social Education?

Usually the social education is defined as a specific category of study and research, that is crucial for the development of society. At RSSU we understand social education in a broader sense as the combination of degree programs for managers, state civil servants, social workers, sociologists, anthropologists, etcetera, id est all those degree programs the graduates of which work for the improvement of society and for the needs of each individual. In other words – social workers.

It is our view that such a discipline of higher education, one that touches all areas of personal and social life, and helps to create better living conditions for everybody, could be the basis for the development of higher education as a whole, giving it the dual dimensions of social responsibility and humanity.

Moscow State University was established in 1755
More than 40 000 students (graduate and postgraduate) and about 7 000 undergraduates study at the university, and over 5 000 specialists do the refresher course here. More than 6 000 professors and lecturers, and about 5 000 researchers work for the faculties and research institutes.
Every year Moscow University enrolls about 4 000 international students and postgraduates from all over the world.
Moscow University campus is an extremely complex system, with its 1 000 000 m2 floor area in 1 000 buildings and structures, with its 8 dormitories housing over 12 000 students and 300 km of utility lines.
MSU library system is one of the largest in Russia, with its 9,000,000 books, 2,000,000 of them in foreign languages, and the average number of readers 55,000, using 5,500,000 books a year.

Nowadays, as it has done throughout its history, the University retains its role of a major center of learning and research as well as an important cultural center. Its academics and students follow the long-standing traditions of the highest academic standards and democratic ideals.

In March 2007 the Conference of academic councils of Moscow University approved the revised version of the Charter which aligned the document with the latest legal acts. Confirming all the rights of Moscow University proclaimed in the 1998 Charter, the updated version, approved by the Government of RF in March 2008, states the University is chartered as a federal entity, its Founder being the Russian Federation represented by the Government of RF, as originally a special status of the University was ensured by the supreme authority of its Founder, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. The 2007 Charter stresses the leading role Moscow University has played in the development of learning, research and Russian culture, and its significance as part of the national heritage. The approval of the 2007 Charter by a special Decree of the Government is seen as a mark of recognition of the University’s outstanding achievement and merit.

History
The University was founded on 5th February, 1960 by the USSR Government. On 22nd February, 1961, the RUDN University was named after Patrice Lumumba — one of the symbols of the African peoples’ fight for independence. Students and academics could be free to pursue their learning, teaching, and research activities at , without being subject to political context, but firmly directed to the grand principles of friendship and mutual support.On February 5, 1992, by the decision of the Government of Russia, the University was renamed to Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.

Mission
Uniting people of different cultures by knowledge RUDN University creates leaders to make the World better

UNN is one of the top classical universities in Russia. As an innovative university, the University of Nizhni Novgorod provides high-quality research-based education in a broad range of academic disciplines. The combination of high educational quality and accessibility of education due to a great variety of academic programmes and forms of training is a distinctive feature of the University. By the decision of the Russian Government, UNN was awarded the prestigious status of a National Research University in 2009.

The University has over 30,000 students including approximately 1000 postgraduate (Ph.D.) and postdoctoral students. At the University of Nizhni Novgorod, academic education is based on research.
UNN is a regional knowledge integrator. UNN is a member of the European University Association (EUA).
The Faculty for International Students of UNN was opened in 2005.

For more than 290 years, St Petersburg State University has been committed to advancing science and training highly qualified professionals. The University dates back to 1724, when Peter the Great founded the Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as the first Academic University and the university preparatory school in Russia.

We take special pride in the constellation of our outstanding staff and alumni. SPbU has given the world many famous people in science, politics, business, sports, literature, and art. The University has Nobel Prize winners among its staff and alumni: physiologist Ivan Pavlov, biologist Ilya Mechnikov, physical chemist Nikolay Semyonov, physicists Lev Landau and Aleksandr Prokhorov, mathematician and economist Leonid Kantorovich. SPbU is also an alma mater to outstanding researchers, scholars, academics, political and social leaders: Dmitry Mendeleev, Vladimir Vernadsky, and Dmitry Likhachev to name but a few. The world owes to our University most prominent cultural leaders, writers and artists: Ivan Turgenev, Pavel Brullov, Alexander Blok, Alexandre Benois, Sergei Diaghilev, and Igor Stravinsky. Among the University alumni we are also proud to mention leaders of the Russian Government: Boris Stürmer, Alexander Kerensky, Vladimir Lenin, Presidents of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

Today, by bringing together traditions and innovations, St Petersburg University sets the pace for the development of science, education, and culture in Russia and across the world. We are consistently ranked highly in international university rankings (Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, Academic Ranking of World Universities) and subject rankings, which proves the success of our development strategy. We have leading universities and major corporations as our academic and business partners.

The University is fully-equipped to provide a diverse range of opportunities for education, research, and creativity: the richest Research Library named after Maksim Gorky, a comprehensive digital collection of scholarly editions, a state-of-the-art Research Park, laboratories headed by leading scientists, museums, a publishing house, sports clubs, a University choir, orchestras, drama and dance studios, and many more.

In 2009, the Federal Law granted St Petersburg State University and Moscow State University the special status of ‘unique scientific and educational complexes …. instrumental in the development of the Russian society.’ SPbU was granted a privilege to set its own educational standards, award its own diplomas and state-recognised academic degrees of Candidate of Sciences and Doctor of Sciences.

SPbU runs an open competition to finance research in priority branches of science and create new research laboratories. We are actively developing postdoctoral programmes and provide corporate housing for our academic staff.