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Universities in Uzbekistan

Universities in Uzbekistan by City:

Tashkent

About universities in Uzbekistan

Higher education in the Republic of Uzbekistan dates back nearly a century, beginning with the first public university formed in 1920, but it wasn’t until achieving independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 that the country truly made higher education a national priority.  Following its independence, Uzbekistan became the architect of its own economic and social development, with the large task in front of them of creating a democratic state, civil society and a market-oriented economy that could compete in a highly specialized world.  This, they realized, would entail major educational reform—changes to the system that would produce graduates qualified to meet the needs of the nation and ensure its competitiveness in the world market.  One of these reforms came in 1997, when then President Islam Karimov signed into law the National Program for Personnel Training (NPPT), which, among other things, outlined the challenges facing the country’s higher education system and stressed the importance of creating a multi-level and highly specialized system that would enable the country to meet those challenges.
 
As a result of the structural changes outlined by the NPPT, there are now nearly 70 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Uzbekistan (and twice as many post-secondary vocational schools).  As a general rule of thumb, these institutions are either labeled as state universities, offering a wide range of academic courses, or technical institutes, at which students receive highly specialized instruction in advanced career fields.  Today there is now at least one state university and technical institute in each of the country’s regional centers.
 
Structure of Higher Education
 
In Uzbekistan, higher education is primarily funded and overseen by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education (MHSEE), a body that is also directly responsible for 34 of the country’s institutions—14 universities and 20 institutes.  The other universities and institutes, most of which are highly specialized with regard to the programs they offer, are overseen jointly by the MHSEE and another corresponding ministry, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Science or Ministry of Public Health.  The MHSEE, however, is responsible for approving the curriculum and setting the academic and professional standards at each of the country’s HEIs.
 
Since the year 2000, the number of people enrolled at Uzbekistani universities has increased by over a third.  According to the latest data, there are now nearly 300,000 students enrolled in higher education at the university level, and approximately 23,000 teachers and professors.  Seven-percent of university students are studying at the graduate or post-graduate level.
 
In accordance with the National Program for Personnel Training, the higher education system in Uzbekistan, much like the secondary education system that includes academic lyceums and vocational schools, now includes two distinct levels:  Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree.
 
At the Bachelor level, students receive basic higher education on the fundamental principles and practical application within a given specialty.  These programs generally span 4-6 years, and upon successful completion of these studies, students are awarded the degree of Bachelor and granted a state certificate which entitles them to pursue professional interests.
 
Students possessing a Bachelor degree are also eligible for admittance into the graduate or Master’s degree level of education, which involves advanced studies in the theoretic principles and applied knowledge within a concrete field.  These programs typically take 2-3 years to complete, and graduates receive a Master’s degree and a diploma of the state pattern, the latter entitling them to seek employment in their chosen field, typically at a level more advanced than those held by Bachelor-degree holders only.