Moscow State Institute of International Relations

Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russian: Московский государственный институт международных отношений (МГИМО), also known as MGIMO University) is an institute of higher education under the umbrella of the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[3] In 2022, the university was ranked #362 in the world in the QS World University Rankings.^[4]

MGIMO University

Московский государственный институт международных отношений
Established	October 14, 1944; 78 years ago (1944-10-14)
Endowment	1,7 billion roubles (27 million euros)
Rector	Anatoly V. Torkunov^[1]
Academic staff	1,254 (2019)
Students	9,729 (2019)
Location	Moscow , Russia
Website	english.mgimo.ru

University rankings
Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia^[2]	55 (2022)

MGIMO offers educational programs in 18 fields of study, including international relations and regional studies, politics, governance, diplomacy, world economy, law, journalism, foreign trade and management, energy affairs, linguistics, and environmental studies. It offers MBA and Executive MBA programs, and pre-university tutorials. According to the Guinness Book of Records, MGIMO in 2019 taught 54 full time languages during every academic term, the most in any academic institution.^[5] The university pays special attention to distance learning and digital technologies. Since 2016, MGIMO has been recording and publishing its distance courses at Coursera.^[6] As of 2020, Coursera contained 20 courses by MGIMO professors. MGIMO has integrated an LMS (Electronic Learning Management System) in the educational process.^[7] Moodle and Stepik (Russia) platforms are used as well. MGIMO has three campuses – in Moscow, in the Moscow Region (Odintsovo) and in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) as well as an educational centre for law studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

MGIMO is a centre for the Russian-French Trianon Dialogue, the Russian-Czech Discussion Forum,^[8] the Russian-Austrian forum Sochi Dialogue, ASEAN Centre.^[9]

History

MGIMO was founded on 14 October 1944 by a special decree of the Soviet Government on the basis of the recently established School of International Relations of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The first 200 students were veterans who had fought in the Second World War.^{[citation needed]}

By early 1950s, MGIMO comprised three schools, since its ancestor, the School of History and International Relations was added by the School of International Law and the School of International Economic Relations. In 1954 the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, the successor of the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages created in 1815, was integrated into MGIMO. In 1958, MGIMO incorporated one more university – of Foreign Trade. In 1969 the School of Journalism and the School of Law were added. In 1989, admission on a commercial basis started and first students from Western countries began to arrive. In the late 1980s, MGIMO became the first national university to establish its own business school that later in 2012 emerged as the School of Business and International Proficiency. 1992 saw the creation of the School of International Business and Business Administration. In 1994 MGIMO was granted university status but traditionally contains the word institute in its name. The same year saw the creation of the International Institute of Administration. The same year a Department of Politics was introduced within the School of International Relations and evolved into the separate School of Political Science in 1998.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, two educational divisions were established - Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy and School of Applied Economics and Commerce. In 2005, the European Studies Institute was opened on MGIMO basis. In 2011, the Institute for Foreign Economic Relations was transformed into the School of Applied Economics and Commerce. In 2013 The School of Governance and Global Affairs was launched as the first Russian school to train international students in English at bachelor's level. In 2016, MGIMO opened the Odintsovo Branch – its first campus located in the Moscow suburban area. The campus is also a home for MGIMO Gorchakov Lyceum. In 2017, the International Institute of Administration and the School of Political Science merged into the School of Governance and Politics.^{[citation needed]}

According to CNN, 1,200 students, faculty, and staff of the university signed an open letter in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.^[10] In March 2022, Anatoly Torkunov, MGIMO University rector, was suspended from the European University Association (EUA) following support for the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Union of Rectors (RUR).^[1] Several Western universities also suspended academic collaboration agreements with MGIMO.^{[11][3][12][13][14]}

Rankings

In 2022, the university was ranked #362 in the world in the QS World University Rankings.^[4]

University rankings^[15]
National
Politics	1
Global
Politics	37
Modern Languages	101
Law and Legal Studies	151
Linguistics	151
Social Sciences and Management	201
History	201
Economics and Econometrics	251
Arts and Humanities	253
Business and Management Studies	301
Think Tanks
University Affiliated	8
Central and Eastern Europe	16
Most Significant Impact on Public Policy	33

In Russia, MGIMO is the school that offers the best salaries to its graduates, above any other Russian university.^[16]

In recognition of its international education and research, MGIMO has been awarded «5 Stars» in the QS Stars Audit, thus becoming the first university in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and amongst BRICS countries to be bestowed with this accolade.^[17]

 

MGIMO Odintsovo Campus

In 2020, MGIMO ranked 1st in Russia and 348th in the QS World University Rankings.^[18]

In the same year, the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2019 ranked MGIMO 8th in the world in Best University Affiliated Think Tanks index, 33rd - Think Tanks with the Most Significant Impact on Public Policy, 16th - Top Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe.^[19]

Structure

MGIMO comprises three campuses (Moscow, Moscow Region and Tashkent, Uzbekistan), an educational platform in Geneva for law studies, ten schools, three institutes and one business school.

MGIMO schools

• School of International Relations
• School of International Law
• School of International Economic Relations
• School of International Business and Business Administration
• School of Applied Economics and Commerce
• School of Governance and Politics
• School of Government and International Affairs
• School of International Journalism
• School of Preparatory Training
• School of Financial Economy
• School of Linguistics and Cross-cultural Communication

MGIMO institutes

• International Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy
• European Studies Institute
• School of Governance and Global Affairs

 

MGIMO Tashkent Campus, Uzbekistan

MGIMO became one of the first Russian universities to establish their own business school. In 2019 the advisory board of the MBA Association (AMBA)^[20] accredited the MBA and Executive MBA programs of the MGIMO Business School. The same year MGIMO joined European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD^[21]).

There are 19 corporate departments at MGIMO, e.g. of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, of such companies as Rosneft, Transneft, ADV Group. MGIMO cooperates as well with other Russian universities - Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, National University of Science and Technology "MISiS", Stavropol and Kuban State Agrarian Universities:

• Department of International Military-technical Cooperation and High Technology run by the Rostec State Corporation;
• Department of Global Energy Policy and Energy Security run jointly by Rosneft Oil Company and MGIMO-based Rosneft's Centre for corporate training and development;
• Department of Foreign Economic Activities in Energy Transportation run by Transneft;
• Department of Economics and Banking Business run by Gazprombank;
• Department of International Transport Operations run jointly with Russian Railways and Ural Mining and Metallurgical company;
• Department of World Electric Power Industry, jointly with Rosseti;
• Department of Economic and Antimonopoly Regulation run by the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia;
• Department “ADV — Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence”;
• Department of World Commodity Markets, jointly with Non-Commercial Partnership for Mining Industry Development Assistance and LCC “Karakan Invest”;
• Department of Trade and Trade Regulations;
• Department of International Complex Problems of Nature Management and Ecology;
• Department of Economic Policy and Public-Private Partnership (sponsored by the Public-Private Partnership Development Centre and IKEA);
• Department of Corporate Security, jointly with PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel;
• Department of Global Processes in the Field of Subsurface Resources, jointly with Rosgeo;
• Department of Regional Management and National Policy;
• Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Governance (corporate department of “Business Russia” party);
• Department of International Agrarian Markets and Foreign Economic Activity in the Agro-Industrial Complex (corporate department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation);
• Department of the Ministry of the Housing and Utility Sector of the Moscow Region “Urban Infrastructure Management and Territorial Development”;
• Department of Asset Management (in accordance with the cooperation agreement with Region Group company).

Dual degree programs

A priority of MGIMO international policy is the development of bilateral and multilateral international relations, and the promotion of educational and scientific exchange. In 2019 it had cooperation agreements with more than 170 foreign partners from 57 countries – universities, diplomatic academies, institutes, and research centers.^[22] The university had more than 30 dual/triple degree programs with universities of Europe and America, undergraduate and postgraduate programs in English, French, Italian, German and Chinese.^{[citation needed]}

 

MGIMO Main Campus

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Fletcher School at Tufts University announced it will break off its academic relationship with the school.^[3] Similarly, Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po Paris),^[12] the University of Reading^[13] and the University of St Andrews^[14] among others, announced suspending all academic collaboration with MGIMO.

Science and research

The university faculty represents professors and teachers. Each year MGIMO has had special courses by foreign visiting professors, among them Robert Legvold and William Wohlforth.

MGIMO has granted honorary doctorate degrees to foreign politicians, public experts, diplomats and scholars, working in the field of international relations and foreign policy among which President of France (2007–12) Nikolas Sarkozy, President of the European Commission (1999–2004) Romano Prodi, President of the French Institute of International Affairs Thierry de Montbrial, Prince of Monaco Albert II, President of Chile Veronica Michelle Bachelet Jeria and others.^[23]

The Institute of International Studies of MGIMO comprises 12 research centers and accumulates the scientific and intellectual output of the university. Early the research structures were presented by Problem Research Laboratory for System Analysis of International Relations (1976-1990), Center for International Studies (1990-2004), and the Research Coordination Council for International Studies (2004–09). These 12 centers now cover a range of international issues ranging from developments in the post-Soviet space to disarmament and conflict settlement, from the Asia Pacific to Middle East.

MGIMO is member of international organizations, including

• International Studies Association (ISA)
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
• Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA)
• European Association for International Education (EAIE)
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education

MGIMO contributes to the Russian Political Science Association,^[24] the United Nations Association of Russia (RISA),^[25] a number of Russian foundations and non-governmental organizations, as well as leading global think tanks.

MGIMO University is the founding member of the Russian International Studies Association.^[26]

Language studies

MGIMO teaches 54 languages; a Guinness world record.^[27]

Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Armenian Arabic Azerbaijani Bengali Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dari Dutch

English (Mandatory) Estonian Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian/Malay Italian Japanese Korean

Lao Latin Latvian Lithuanian Moldovan Mongolian Norwegian Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian

Slovak Slovene Spanish Swahili Swedish Tajik Thai Turkish Turkmen Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Vietnamese

Student life

MGIMO provides a choice of opportunities for students’ social life.^[28] The Cultural Center provides creative classes and events, in Ballroom Dance, Modern Dance, the choir (PROXENOS)Proxenos. MGIMO Choir., the orchestra (SYMPHONY), a Literary and Poetry Club, the MGIMO Theatre, and a Painting Club.

The Volunteer Center, established in 2011, provides training for students to practice their skills at large international events. MGIMO volunteers have worked at the FIFA World Cup 2018, the XXII Olympic Games and the XI Paralympic Games. MGIMO foreign students organize national clubs inside the International Students Association.

There is a number of other student clubs including Student Union,^[29] Moscow International Model United Nations (MIMUN) (in 2017 was named after Vitaly Churkin), Student Science Society^[30] (includes Business Club, Debate Club, Germanic Studies Club, etc.), Russian Association of Public Relations Students^[31]

Notable alumni

Main article: List of MGIMO alumni

 

Gankhuurai Battungalag

Notable MGIMO alumni include:

• Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan
• Gankhuurai Battungalag, Mongolian diplomat
• Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan
• Eduard Kukan, Foreign Minister of Slovakia and Special Envoy of the United Nations for the Balkans
• Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic
• Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission
• Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President
• Sergei Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Yuri Fedotov, executive director of the UNODC
• Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education of Cambodia
• Khemmani Pholsena, Laos Minister of Industry and Commerce
• Felix Vulis, CEO of Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation

Business personalities in Russia, who studied at MGIMO, include billionaires Alisher Usmanov, Dmitry Mazepin, Patokh Chodiev and Vladimir Potanin.

In 1991, MGIMO Alumni Association^[32] was founded to support the community of MGIMO graduates. In 2006, the MGIMO Board of Trustees was established with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as its chairman. The trustees are Russian high-ranking officials and public figures, mostly MGIMO alumni, as well as Russian and foreign leaders of business and philanthropic community (such as Ingvar Kamprad, the IKEA founder, and Frederik Paulsen, chairman of the board of directors of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Lausanne). MGIMO was the first university in Russia to establish an Endowment Fund. MGIMO Endowment today is the biggest university foundation in Russia. It provides support to students projects and their foreign internships.^[33]

References

1. O’Malley, Brendan (7 March 2022). "EUA suspends 12 Russian members who back Putin's invasion". University World News. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
2. "QS World University Rankings-Emerging Europe & Central Asia". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
3. "BREAKING: Fletcher School severs relationship with two Russian universities in response to war against Ukraine". March 17, 2022.
4. University Rankings and Student Reviews Study Portals
5. "Most languages taught in an academic institution". Guinness World Records. from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
6. "Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) / МГИМО (Московский государственный институт международных отношений МИД России) Online Courses". Coursera. from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
7. "Learning Management System (LMS)". www.hse.ru. from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
8. "Czech-Russian forum established in Moscow | Prague Monitor". www.praguemonitor.com. from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
9. ASEAN, МГИМО. "ASEAN Centre in MGIMO-University, the MFA of Russia". papers.mgimo.ru. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
10. "Russians struggle to understand Ukraine war: 'We didn't choose this'". CNN International. 3 March 2022. from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
11. "FAQs on ANU statement on Ukraine". ANU. March 4, 2022.
12. https://www.sciencespo.fr/us-foundation/node/868.html=live. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
13. "404 Error Page". www.reading.ac.uk. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
14. https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/principals-update-on-the-war-in-ukraine/=live. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
15. "MGIMO dans les classements universitaires". topuniversities.com. from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
16. "Russian universities where graduates get highest salaries are specified". NEWS.ru. from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
17. "MGIMO Receives 5 QS Stars". english.mgimo.ru. from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
18. "QS World University Rankings 2020". Top Universities. 2019-06-05. from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
19. "MGIMO in Ranking of the Best Think Tanks". english.mgimo.ru. from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
20. Buchan, Ellen. "School of Business and International Proficiency, MGIMO University retains its place among elite MBA providers with AMBA re-accreditation". Association of MBAs. from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
21. "List of Members - EFMD Global". 31 August 2019. from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
22. "Partner Universities". english.MGIMO.ru. from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
23. "Honorary Doctorates". english.MGIMO.ru. from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
24. "Russian Political Science Association". RAPN.ru. from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
25. "United Nations Association of Russia". UNA.ru. from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
26. "Home". RISA.ru. from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
27. Most languages taught in an academic institution. Guinness World Records Limited 2022. Guinness Book of World Records. 2022. Accessed 6 April 2022.
28. "Social life". english.mgimo.ru. from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
29. "Student Union". MGIMO.ru. from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
30. "Научное студенческое общество - Подразделения МГИМО". MGIMO.ru. from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
31. "Российская ассоциация студентов по связям с общественностью (РАССО) - Подразделения МГИМО". MGIMO.ru. from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
32. "Ассоциация выпускников МГИМО". alumni.MGIMO.ru. from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
33. "Brief information". endowment.mgimo.ru. from the original on 2020-04-20. Retrieved 2020-06-11.

• "Moscow State Institute of International Relations ." Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the MFA of Russia. N.p., 2010. Web. 15 October 2010.

External links

• Official website
• Moscow International Model United Nations
• Satellite photo of MGIMO - centered on the Main Entry

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MGIMO.

Coordinates: 55°40′20″N 37°29′13″E / 55.67222°N 37.48694°E / 55.67222; 37.48694