History

The Sumy State University has passed several stages in its development. It started as a department of engineering. Then it became a branch of the Kharkov Polytechnical Institute. In 1991-1993 - the Sumy Institute of Physics and Technology. The Sumy State University was founded in 1993.

The university is of classical type and of the 4-th level of accreditation.

Today it consists of 8 faculties (48 departments). The university trains specialists on the levels of: Junior Specialist, Bachelor, Specialist and Master. The fields of training are:

• Engineering mechanics;
• Computer sciences
• Energetics;
• Ecology;
• Law;
• Philology;
• Economics and enterprising;
• Management;
• Applied mathematics;
• Mechanics;
• Electronics;
• Computerised systems, automatics and operation;
• Medicine;
• Electrical technics;
• Automatization and computer technology;
• Chemical technology and engineering;
• Marketing;
• Building;
• Military sciences;
• Computer engineering;
• Engineering science of materials;
• Metallurgy;
• Specific categories (energetic management; environment and natural resources economy;quality, standardization and certification);

The list above comprises 47 specialities and 38 specializations. 6 new specialities have been founded for the last 5 years. They are:

• Jurisprudence;
• Informational design technologies;
• Applied science of materials;
• Energetic management;
• Quality, standardization and certification;
• Environment and natural resources economy;
• Information processing and systems operation.

The university also comprises Shostka Institute, Konotop Institute, Sumy Machine Manufacturing College and Shostka Chemical-Technological College, Konotop Polytechnical College, Military Artillery Institute, teaching-consulting centres of correspondent study located in Sumy, Poltava, Chernigiv, Vinnytsya and Byelgorod regions. More than 20 department branches exist at the production enterprises, organisations and banks.

On the basis of the Military Artillery Institute students study military sciences and become reserved officers.

The level of the academic process informatization is high enough: ~ 20 display classrooms, ~ 600 computers.

About 10000 people study at the university. The academic process is provided by 2000 persons staff, including ~ 500 lecturers (250 Candidates of Sciences and Assistant Professors, 50 Professors and Doctors of Sciences).

The university has trained more than 15 thousands of national economy specialists in the post-war period. There exist 10 scientific schools of the world level at the university. The SSU has close scientific and educational relations with the universities of America, Europe and Asia. The leading scientists are the members of the international academies and the majority of them get international grants. Young scientists and talented students get the educational grants from the President of Ukraine, from the Cabinet of Ministers or from the local government.

There are three academic councils at the university - one doctoral and two candidate councils. 4 doctoral and 32 candidate theses were defended in 2000 -2001.

The results of the Ukrainian students Olympiads prove the high level of training at the university. In 2000 - 2001 the students of the SSU took 37 prize-winning places, that is one of the highest rates among all the Ukrainian universities.

The university has quite close relations with foreign universities. The SSU students are sent abroad for studying in magistracy, for postgraduate studies and practising in the foreign higher educational establishments. These universities are: University of Salford (England), Karlov University (Czech Republic), University of Petrosani (Romania), "Petrol-Gas" University (Ploiesti, Romania), Wrozlav Polytechnics, Cracow University (Poland).

Professors from Great Britain and the USA are invited for lecturing to develop students' skills at foreign languages.

The university stock includes: 22 buildings, 122 specialized stream classrooms, 270 group classrooms, 118 studying laboratories, 31 computer classrooms; 131 laboratories, the library-informational centre containing over 1 million books; reading rooms; students' hostels; the large number of sport facilities: rowing and ski centres, a swimming pool, a stadium, game and gymnastic halls, tenniscourts, a shootinggallery, a student sport-recreation camp in the town of Gurzuf on the Black Sea coast.

There are Masters of Sports, winners of the World and Europe championships (archery) among the students. The students-sportsmen comprise national Ukrainian teams of different levels; the basketball team of the university takes part in the Ukrainian championship in the membership of the first league.

The university has contacts with more than 800 Ukrainian enterprises, including 360 in the Sumy region, where the graduates are assigned.

The state assignment of the graduates who study on the budget places is also available.

95 % of the state graduates are provided with jobs; the contract students are assigned in accordance with their desire.

The SSU is an educational, scientific and cultural centre of the region. The lecturers and students take active part in regional studies, revival of Ukrainian traditions, expansion of the Ukrainian language in use. The scientific digests "Visnyk SumDU" (6 series) and "Sumska Starovyna" are issued at the university. The encyclopaedic digest "Sumshchina" is about to come out. The university organizes plenty of cultural-educational arrangements for the region youth and population.