Azerbaijan University (AU; ) is a

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research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

located in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. It is Azerbaijan's first private university, founded by

Salahaddin Khalilov Salahaddin Khalilov () is an Azerbaijani philosopher. Scientific-pedagogical activity He defended his PhD (Candidate of Sciences) thesis titled “Systematic Structural Analysis of Scientific and Technological Progress in the USSR” in 1976. A ...

in 1991. The university features three faculties, seven departments, and six centers, providing

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, and

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degree education. It currently enrolls 3,230 students.

Background information

Founded in 1991 by Prof.

, AU became the first private university in Azerbaijan. It was officially registered by the decision of the Higher State Expert Committee on March 3, 1993, and of the Board of Ministry of Education on April 8, 1993, and was registered in the State Register № 1. It was officially registered as a non-public Azerbaijan University, including a specialized college and an English-language gymnasium. On February 24, 2009, AU was re-accredited as a higher educational institution with the order number 213 of the Accreditation Commission of the Ministry of Education. The university received the right to award its students diplomas for degrees and majors determined in this order and to use all privileges of public higher educational institutions, including the privilege of deferment of military service.

History

Azerbaijan University is a private higher education institution located in Azerbaijan. It was established in 1991 as the Higher Humanitarian College, which was founded on July 16, 1991, following an order issued by the Minister of Public Education and the General Assembly of the Higher Humanitarian College. The institution initially operated as a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

before transitioning into a private university under the name Azerbaijan University in January 1993. The university went through a series of official recognitions and registrations. On March 3, 1993, it was included in the State Register No. 01 after being approved by the State Higher Expert Commission (SHEC). A further decision by the Collegium of the Ministry of Education, dated April 8, 1993. Following the establishment of a new State Supreme Expert Commission in September 1994, the university received a license from the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, confirming its continued operation as a private higher education institution. On March 4, 1995, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan officially recognized the university. Over the years, Azerbaijan University has undergone multiple accreditations and evaluations by the relevant government bodies. On February 24, 2009, the university was officially re-accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Following this, a special approval for the university’s continued operation was granted on July 10, 2009, under Order No. 929 from the Minister of Education, allowing the university to function for another five years. Later, in 2016, the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan approved the university’s continued operation without a time limit. Another re-accreditation took place on July 20, 2018, when the university was granted approval to function for an additional five-year period. The academic structure of Azerbaijan University has expanded over time. In 1997, the university introduced a master’s degree program. By 2003, it had started offering doctoral and dissertation training at the Ph.D. level. Since 2006, the university has operated in accordance with the

Bologna Process file:Bologna-Prozess-Logo.svg, 96px, alt=Logo with stylized stars, Logo file:Bologna zone.svg, alt=Map of Europe, encompassing the entire Bologna zone, 256px, Bologna zone The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements b ...

, which standardizes higher education systems across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. As part of this, it has implemented the

European Credit Transfer System The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the E ...

(ECTS), which ensures compatibility with international education standards. Additionally, in 2009, the Ministry of Education designated Azerbaijan University as a pilot institution for the implementation of a credit-multiple-point system. At present, Azerbaijan University consists of three

faculties Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

, seven

academic departments An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. In the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, universities tend to use the term faculty; faculties are typically furthe ...

, and six

research centers A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural sc ...

. It offers a range of

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

, graduate, and

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

programs, with instruction available in both Azerbaijani and English. Students enrolled in English-language programs are required to complete a one-year language preparatory course before beginning their main studies. The university also participates in international academic exchange programs, including

Erasmus+ Erasmus+ is the European Commission's programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the 2021–2027 period, succeeding the previous programme (2014–2020). As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobi ...

, Mevlana, and DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), which allow students and faculty members to engage in academic mobility with universities in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and various

European countries The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, international reco ...

. Since 2019, Azerbaijan University has partnered with

Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics The Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics ( NURE, ) is a technological state-sponsored university based in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Founded in 1930, it is among the oldest technologically focused universities in Ukraine, with a student bod ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

to offer an International Dual Diploma Program in computer engineering, covering both undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2021, the two institutions expanded their cooperation by establishing a joint teaching-research laboratory focused on information security. The university also operates an Intra-University Two Diploma Program (IUTDP), which enables students to earn two diplomas in different fields of study within a period of four years. In addition to its degree programs, Azerbaijan University functions as an official accredited test center for the

European Computer Driving Licence International Certification of Digital Literacy (ICDL), formerly known as European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), is a computer literacy certification program provided by ICDL Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. The ICDL / ECDL certifica ...

(ECDL), an internationally recognized certification for computer proficiency. It also serves as a Pearson Test of English (PTE) sub-center, where English language proficiency exams are administered. Throughout its history, Azerbaijan University has been led by several rectors. From 1991 to 2006, the university was headed by

, a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

and Corresponding Member of ANAS. He was followed by Farahim Sadigov, a Professor of Pedagogical Sciences, who served in 2006-2007. Other past rectors include Akif Musayev (2007-2011), Aslan Kahramanli (2011-2012), Eldar Kahramanov (2012-2015), and Farid Ahmadov (2015-2017). The current rector, Saadat Aliyeva, was appointed on March 13, 2017.

Campus

Azerbaijan University owns one campus in the city of

. It is located in the

Nizami raion Nizami Rayon () is a municipal district of the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Its population is 201,239, and it includes the municipality of Keşlə. Of these, 25,626 lives in Keşlə municipality. The raion's area is 19.6 km². It is pos ...

of the capital city, a walkable distance away from ADA University.

Academic information

The teaching process at the university is carried out in three languages (Azerbaijan, Russian and English). The students of the BBA program learn the second foreign language beside English (German, French, Arabic, Turkish and others), according to their preferences.

References

External links

Azerbaijan University website
{{authority control Universities in Baku Private universities and colleges Universities and colleges established in 1991 1991 establishments in Azerbaijan