Universities in Kyrgyzstan
Universities in Kyrgyzstan by City:
BishkekOshTunguchAbout universities in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, known officially as the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked and extremely mountainous country in Central Asia, with a total geographic area of roughly 77,000 square miles. The country shares borders with China in the east, Tajikstan in the southwest, Uzbekistan in the west and Kazakstan in the north, and its capital and largest city is Bishkek. As of the last census taken in 2010, Kyrgyzstan had an estimated population of 5.5 million. A former member of the Soviet Union, the country is one of two former Soviet republics in Central Asia to retain Russian as an official language (Kazakhstan is the other), a move that signaled to the ethnic Russians they were welcome in the new independent state. It added the Kyrgyz language in 1991 to officially become a bilingual country, and today both languages are used in official capacities in various regions of the country, including as the language of instruction in Kyrgyz schools and universities.
Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan: An Overview
Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the government of Kyrgyzstan adopted a pluralistic view with regards to higher or tertiary education, one based on free and democratic principles. Among other things, these educational reforms aimed to create a system of tertiary education that was both high in quality and efficient, along with being accessible to all Kyrgyz students. Today, all of the activities of higher educational institutions, both public and private, are governed by a single law: the Law of Education that was enacted in April of 2003. According to this law, the Kyrgyz tertiary education system is now based on universal access for all eligible students, educational integrity and the freedom to participate in all programs for which a student has qualified by meeting the prerequisites.
Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan: Types of Institutions and Programs
The tertiary education system in Kyrgyzstan consists of a network of 50 institutions of higher learning, including 34 public and 16 private institutions. The system consists of four types of higher education institutions (HEIs): universities (universitet), academies (akademia), specialized HEIs, (Uchilische) and institutes (institut).
Universities in Kyrgyzstan are very comprehensive, offering undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Like many countries in Europe, the credit and degree structure in Kyrgyzstan has been standardized in accordance with the Bologna Process, an educational reform which aims to facilitate student transfers to universities throughout the European Union. This new structure is based on a three-year Bachelor program, followed by a two-year Master’s Degree program. High performing students that wish to advance their education after earning their Master’s Degree are eligible to apply for a doctorate or PhD program, which typically spans 3-5 years depending on the specialty.
Academies are very similar to universities, in that they offer both undergraduate (Bachelor), graduate (Master) and post-graduate (Doctorate) degrees, but unlike universities, which offer a wide range of specializations, academies feature scientific specialties only, with a strong focus on research.
Institutes in Kyrgyzstan usually serve as branches of either a universities or an academy. Typically they offer only a few, and often only one academic program—programs which generally lead to advanced post-graduate degrees only.
A specialized higher education institution is a narrow-profile higher education institution, which implements higher and post-graduate education programs. They typically offer a range of academic specializations, with a strong focus on pure and applied research. They also provide training and retraining of specialists in a wide range of scientific fields and provide instruction and training to current and future pedagogical staff (PhD, doctors of science). Training in fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy is the main focus and responsibility of specialized higher education institutions.
Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan: An Overview
Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the government of Kyrgyzstan adopted a pluralistic view with regards to higher or tertiary education, one based on free and democratic principles. Among other things, these educational reforms aimed to create a system of tertiary education that was both high in quality and efficient, along with being accessible to all Kyrgyz students. Today, all of the activities of higher educational institutions, both public and private, are governed by a single law: the Law of Education that was enacted in April of 2003. According to this law, the Kyrgyz tertiary education system is now based on universal access for all eligible students, educational integrity and the freedom to participate in all programs for which a student has qualified by meeting the prerequisites.
Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan: Types of Institutions and Programs
The tertiary education system in Kyrgyzstan consists of a network of 50 institutions of higher learning, including 34 public and 16 private institutions. The system consists of four types of higher education institutions (HEIs): universities (universitet), academies (akademia), specialized HEIs, (Uchilische) and institutes (institut).
Universities in Kyrgyzstan are very comprehensive, offering undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Like many countries in Europe, the credit and degree structure in Kyrgyzstan has been standardized in accordance with the Bologna Process, an educational reform which aims to facilitate student transfers to universities throughout the European Union. This new structure is based on a three-year Bachelor program, followed by a two-year Master’s Degree program. High performing students that wish to advance their education after earning their Master’s Degree are eligible to apply for a doctorate or PhD program, which typically spans 3-5 years depending on the specialty.
Academies are very similar to universities, in that they offer both undergraduate (Bachelor), graduate (Master) and post-graduate (Doctorate) degrees, but unlike universities, which offer a wide range of specializations, academies feature scientific specialties only, with a strong focus on research.
Institutes in Kyrgyzstan usually serve as branches of either a universities or an academy. Typically they offer only a few, and often only one academic program—programs which generally lead to advanced post-graduate degrees only.
A specialized higher education institution is a narrow-profile higher education institution, which implements higher and post-graduate education programs. They typically offer a range of academic specializations, with a strong focus on pure and applied research. They also provide training and retraining of specialists in a wide range of scientific fields and provide instruction and training to current and future pedagogical staff (PhD, doctors of science). Training in fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy is the main focus and responsibility of specialized higher education institutions.