Our university

Kharkiv G.S. Skovoroda National Pedagogical University is the oldest pedagogical education establishment in Ukraine. Its history dates back to 1804 when Kharkiv V.N. Karazin National University was set up.

On the 24^th of January 1803 the Regulations declaring that „every university shall have a „teacher training” or pedagogical institute in its structure” were approved.

The charter of Kharkiv University approved by the decree of the tsar Olexander I in 1804 included the separate chapter „On the Pedagogical Institute” which proclaimed the aim, structure and foundations of the activity of Pedagogical Institute. This is considered to be “the date of birth” of our university.

The institute changed the title several times; however its main mission has always remained the same: to train highly qualified teachers. For this period of time it has trained more than 160,000 young people who became teachers and contributed a lot to the development of education and culture in Ukraine (at different times our university was functioning as „higher pedagogical courses” (in the 60-s of the 19^th century), „Kharkiv Institute of Public Education” (1921), „Kharkiv State Pedagogical Institute” (1932), „Kharkiv State Pedagogical University” (1994)). In 2004 our university was granted the status of the National Pedagogical University.

Rector is in charge of the University. Nowadays there are 15 faculties headed by deans. The faculties carry out training of full-time students, correspondence department students (students of extra-mural department), and postgraduates. There are more than 15,000 students in KhSNPU. Every faculty provides training for Bachelor’s (BA), Specialist’s and Master’s (MA) degrees. To get a Bachelor’s degree one needs to do a four-year course of study, to get a Specialist’s or Master’s degree one has to study a year or two longer.

Students in our University study in 2 shifts. Usually they have 3 double-periods a day. They attend practical classes, seminars, and lectures. The students are also actively engaged in out of class activities: they take part in disputes, contests, Olympiads, concerts. The curriculum includes general educational, professional pedagogical courses and courses of students’ specialization. Besides all students study the Ukrainian language, foreign languages, History of Ukraine and have PE trainings.

To get ready for their classes or prepare their course projects or diploma papers the students can work in the reading halls of the library. The university is accommodated in 6 buildings and each of them has at least one reading hall, so the students can easily use the resources and reference materials.

There is a lot of modern equipment which facilitates students’ learning: computers, multimedia classes, Internet.

Those, who wish to continue their education or get higher education in the sphere different from their diploma degree, can go on with their education in the Institute of Postgraduate Education which offers degree courses for full-time and part-time students or combined full-time and correspondence courses.

The graduates of the University work in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, in out of school clubs and higher educational establishments. They value their profession and are proud of their alma mater.