Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University

About Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University

Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University (BSPU) is a federal state university in Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Amur Region in the Russian Far East. It was created on 27 July 1930 as the Blagoveshchensk Agro-Pedagogical Institute. In 1932 it became a pedagogical institute, and in 1996 it was renamed a university. The founder is the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The address is 104 Lenina Street, Blagoveshchensk 675004. The city lies on the border with China, and the Chinese city of Heihe is across the Amur River. The campus is in the historic centre, next to the Amur embankment and the cross-border cable car.

Institutes and research

BSPU has six faculties: Natural Sciences and Geography; History and Philology; Foreign Languages; Pedagogy and Psychology; Physical Culture and Sport; and Physics-Mathematics Education and Technology. According to the university, about 200 faculty members teach there, and more than 75 percent hold advanced scientific degrees. It lists eight specialised laboratories in the natural and human sciences, including environmental biochemistry and biotechnology, condensed-matter physics, archaeology and ethnography, and element-organic chemistry. The university calls itself "one of the oldest educational institutions in the Russian Far East".

For international applicants

The university has a preparatory department for foreign citizens. It offers three one-year, full-time courses: pre-bachelor, pre-master and pre-postgraduate. Students study Russian as a foreign language and general subjects; in the pre-bachelor course the subjects follow the chosen direction. The Russian language courses run from elementary level (A1) to the first and second certification levels (B1 and B2). The department says it prepares foreign citizens for bachelor's programmes at Russian universities and gives language preparation to those who want master's or postgraduate study. It also says that budget-funded (free) study is possible and that a part-time (distance) format is possible, although the course descriptions list full-time study.

Housing

Preparatory students live in a separate dormitory directly opposite the main building. Rooms have three or four beds, with beds, desks, chairs, shelves and wardrobes. Each floor has a kitchen with a stove and sinks. The university's disclosure page lists four dormitories (Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5) with 148, 630, 333 and 363 places, 1,474 places in total. The English page says the international student dormitories are within walking distance of the academic building.