| Khazar University | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| President | Hamlet Isakhanli ( 1991-2010) John Ryder (September 2010-present) |
| Academic staff | 250 |
| Students | 2000 |
| Location | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Website | www.khazar.org |
Khazar University (Azerbaijani: Xəzər Universitəsi, which directly translates as Caspian University) is a private university located in Baku, Azerbaijan.[1]
Khazar University owns three campuses and a separate center in the city of Baku. One more campus is in the planning stages.
My Khazar University
Lyrics by Hamlet Isakhanli
(translated into English by Alison Mandaville and M. Lawry)
Music by V. Adigozelov and R. Mustafayev
From stately Baku on my Caspian shores
my Khazar University illuminates the world.
Lessons in poetry, the arts, and humanities
unlock the secrets of the universe, my Khazar University.
Embrace of life,
a pure place in my heart,
a warm hearth of best resolve:
this is my Khazar.
Fiery call of my youth,
from deep seas to lofty mountains,
a beloved flowering garden:
this is my Khazar.
A name renowned, sought throughout the land,
so many vows of love whispered in these arms—
my life fills with meaning; my soul strives for the summits;
inspiration’s bright spring overflows from my Khazar.
Founded in 1991 by Prof. Hamlet Isakhanli ([1]), the University became one of the first private universities in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia and the first in Azerbaijan to introduce Western-style higher education and research institution. Isaxanli formed Khazar in the interest of reform the previous, sometimes corrupt system of higher education under Soviet rule.[2] For more information on education system in Azerbaijan, read:
1. Hamlet Isaxanli. In Search of Khazar. Khazar University Press, Baku, 2006. [3]
2. Hamlet Isaxanli. Education System in Transition Economy: A View from Azerbaijan. Khazar University Press, Baku, 2007. [4]
In Azerbaijan, Khazar University is recognized for providing innovative Western-style education at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral.[5] It also runs a lab school (Dunya School) with programs at kindergarten, elementary and secondary school levels.
Khazar University has a faculty body of about 200 lecturers, many of whom were educated and/or trained in Europe and the United States. Khazar University is the pioneer in Azerbaijan to have a flexible student-centered credit accumulation system. Khazar’s curricula meet the standards of the leading universities in advanced industrialized democracies. The primary language of instruction at Khazar is English. These factors aim to increase the academic and professional opportunities for the students and train them to work in a globalizing international environment.
| There are six schools (colleges) operating within Khazar University: | |
| 1 | School of Engineering and Applied Science |
| 2 | School of Economics and Management |
| 3 | School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| 4 | School of Law |
| 5 | School of Education |
| 6 | School of Medicine |
The schools offer undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs in the following broad fields of study:
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | Petroleum Engineering (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 2 | Computer Science (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 3 | Computer Engineering (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 4 | Civil and Environmental Engineering (BS) |
| 5 | Electronics and Telecommunication (BS) (New as of 2010) |
| 6 | Mathematics |
| 7 | Management |
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | Business Administration (BS, MBA, PhD) |
| 2 | Economics (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 3 | Marketing (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 4 | Finance (BS) |
| 5 | Accounting (BS) |
| 6 | Management(BS) |
| 7 | International Business(BS) |
| 8 | Energy Management(BS) |
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | English Language/Literature (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 2 | Eastern Languages: Arabic - minor, Persian - minor,
Japanese - various language courses |
| 3 | Western Languages (English, (|-BS, MS, PhD).
And language courses: French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian) |
| 4 | Azerbaijani Language/Literature (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 5 | Philology (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 6 | Journalism (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 7 | Linguistics(BS, MS, PhD) |
| 8 | Psychology (BS) (New as of 2010) |
| 9 | Political Science Zordu (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 10 | International Relations (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 11 | Conflict Studies (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 12 | Regional Studies (Caucasus and Central Asia, European Union,
Middle East, United States, East Asia). (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | Law (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 2 | International Law (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | Biomedicine (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 2 | Medicine (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 3 | Dentistry (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Majors available within the department: | |
| 1 | Elementary Education (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 2 | Mathematics and Computer Sciences (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 3 | Chemistry and Biology (BS, MS, PhD) (New as of 2010) |
| 4 | History and Geography (BS, MS, PhD) (New as of 2010) |
| 5 | Azerbaijani Language and Literature (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 6 | Education Administration (BS, MS, PhD) |
| 7 | History and Philosophy of Education (BS, MS, PhD) |
Dunya School, consisting of pre-school, elementary (primary), secondary and high schools under one roof, is affiliated with the School of Education. Dunya School is one of the best private schools in Azerbaijan according to various external evaluations. The main language of instruction at the School is Azerbaijani, and English is taught as a second language. Dunya is an International Baccalaureate Organisation School.
Khazar University has a broad range of research and training centers such as Center for Economic and Business Research and Education, The Center on Economic Policy and Development, Dictionary and Encyclopedia Center, Institute of Education Policy, Assembly of Science and Art, The Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, etc.
Alongside the academic departments at Khazar University, there are many acting institutes and centers carrying out international and regional programs, performing research, and working on issues related to the country and greater region in academic, economic, political and other fields.
| 1 | Khazar University Library Information Center |
| 2 | Business and Economics Research and Training Center |
| 3 | Center for Economic Policy and Development (CEPD) |
| 4 | Eurasia Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub |
| 5 | Caucasus Research Resource Center |
| 6 | Khazar University Dictionary and Encyclopedia Center |
| 7 | Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy Center |
| 8 | Institute of Education Policy |
| 9 | Career Development Center |
| 10 | Institute of Politics |
| 11 | Khazar Law Clinic |
| 12 | Khazar Translation Research Center |
| 13 | Environmental Research Center |
| 14 | Khazar Energy Research Center |
| 15 | Distance Learning Center |
| 16 | Center for Quality Assurance in Education |
| 17 | Khazar University Media Center |
| 18 | Center for International Students and Scholars |
The mission of Khazar University’s Library Information Center (LIC) is to maintain and develop collections and services in support of the present and future teaching, research and learning needs of the university. LIC has worked to develop a climate of openness by pursuing library policies that welcome all visitors.
The LIC has an active branch on each of Khazar’s campuses. The main branch comprises the entire 5th and 6th floors of the new academic building on the Neftchilar campus (11 Mehseti Street). This library maintains collection of over 200,000 volumes, including international books and textbooks from all fields of study.
This center conducts research in economics, gives support to business-related courses, and offers frequent training programs related to business structure and management, economics, finance, marketing, and small business.
The mission of CISS is to coordinate, encourage and contribute the internationalization of the Khazar University. CISS provides full time support services for the internationals visiting the University for studying, research, teaching or other purposes.
This is a center devoted to researching various aspects of economics, including trade, energy, and technology. The center is also engaged in distribution of information and global economic development initiatives, and has a goal of influencing the regional/national economy.
Eurasia Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub was established in cooperation with Revenue Watch Institute of the USA in September 2010. Its main goal is to increase knowledge and expertise in the Eurasia region (mainly former Soviet republics) among NGOs and media operating within industry fields (particularly petroleum and natural gas).
This is the Azerbaijan branch of the Caucasus Research Resource Centers program (CRRC), which is a network of centers for research and training across the South Caucasus established by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Eurasia Partnership Foundation. The goal of the center is to perform research, be a communication hub with the CRRC program, and increase expertise in social science and policy in the Caucasus.
This center is a linguistic and lexicology centers directed by Professor Tofik Abaskuliyev. The center’s main functions are to perform linguistic and lexicological research and to prepare, evaluate and publish bilingual, multilingual and encyclopedic dictionaries. The center is currently producing the six-volume Khazar English-Azerbaijani Comprehensive Dictionary.
This center, which opened in 2009, has several goals.
This institute exists to learn from worldwide experience in education, increase quality of higher education, and seek ways to more accurately evaluate it. It also investigates methods for developing the education system and policy in Azerbaijan, and to closely follow the Bologna Process and help other interested parties to do the same.
This center was opened with the support of the Eurasia Fund (USA). Its main aim is to assist upper-class students and graduates in successfully establishing their careers. The center maintains working relationships with international and local organizations and companies, keeping students informed about work vacancies. It coordinates direct relationships among students seeking jobs and potential employers. The center also coordinates discussions, seminars, and training sessions for students to help them improve their employability and skills.
This institute conducts research and offers training in politics and international relations. It regularly holds events such as conferences, seminars, discussions with diplomats and scholars, and crisis simulations for students.
The Law Clinic was founded in 1999 as the first law clinic in the Caucasus. Its main activities include offering free help and counsel for refugees and internally displaced people, legal counseling services for local and foreign companies and organizations, legal services to individuals on a contract basis, preparation of documents and contracts for those wishing to start organizations, and lectures and seminars on various topics to raise public awareness about legal matters.
The Translation Research Center’s main goal is to translate scientific, literary, publicistic, and historic published materials from various languages into Azerbaijani, as well as to translate representative works from Azerbaijani into other languages. The center is also involved in research and in training translators.
This center aims to perform environmental research and participate in preservation on national and international levels. The center is also involved in researching issues related to Azerbaijan and its water resources and mountains.
The Energy Research Center focuses on the following areas:
This center performs the following services:
The Center for Quality Assurance in Education is focused on evaluating and improving the education system. It carries out polls and collects feedback related to the education students receive, systematically evaluating curricula, instructors, and overall training.
The Media Center is prepares, produces and archives video, audio and photo materials. It also assists journalists in finding materials and in the preparation of videos. It also produces informative and advertising materials for the university’s departments, making use of a wide range of technology.
This collaborative, open group was begun in 2006 by the university founder, Professor Hamlet Isaxanli. Within a short time it had won the respect of scholars, professors, intellectuals and students. Recognized experts from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Iran, the Middle East and Central Asia have been invited to make guest presentations for the group on a wide range of scholarly topics, which always result in deep and involved discussions. The Assembly of Science and Art meets once or twice per month on a flexible schedule. Its materials are bound and published by Khazar University Press.
Since 2009, Khazar University has been broadcasting from the Voice of Khazar internet radio. Its 24-hour, world-wide broadcasts present national music of various styles, classical music, discussions and interviews, poetry, guest actors, news, and other programs. This is Azerbaijan’s first university radio station.
While studying at Khazar, students may participate in musical, dance, theater groups and other activities in order to supplement their academic endeavors. Students can also choose carpet-making, jewelry art and other applied arts as electives within culture classes.
Athletics play a great role in the life of the university. There are many different competitive sports and clubs at the university such as football, volleyball, basketball,[6] chess, extreme sports and different kinds of fighting forms including karate, judo, and kung fu.
Khazar University is one of the most developed universities in Azerbaijan and broader region of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia and Middle East, particularly in the area of international partnership programs. So far, the university has established cooperative and exchange relations with around 100 universities and research institutes in more than 25 countries. For some of them, see [2]. Since its establishment, the development of Khazar University’s International Partnership Programs has become one of the real achievements of Khazar University.
Currently, about 2000 students are enrolled at the six schools of Khazar University. approximately 80% of students are studying for undergraduate, 20% for graduate degrees, but this percentage differs from school to school, reaching approximately 50% in some schools. International students constitute more than 15% of the total enrollment. There are citizens of Turkey, Iran, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Georgia, Iraq, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Libya, USA, UK, Denmark, Norway, South Korea, Canada, Russia, Central Asian republics and many other countries studying at different schools of the University. Khazar is eager to attract more international students and researchers.
This center maintains a collection of national dress from Azerbaijan, the Caucasus and other nations. Students make the majority of these costumes themselves as part of a student “sewing circle.” Students enrolled in the “sewing circle” may earn credit for their Azerbaijani Culture class. The center is run by specialists of national costume design. The costumes are also used by the Khazar University dance and theater ensembles in their performances.
Azerbaijan is one of the oldest centers of carpet-making. Since medieval times, there have been four major geographic-regional centers of carpet-making in Azerbaijan: Guba-Shirvan, Garabagh, Tabriz, and Ganja-Gazakh. Each of these schools is distinguished by its style and patterns as well as manufacturing technique. Khazar University’s carpet museum serves both as a museum and as a workshop. Here professional carpet-makers teach students fine arts courses.
The Khazar University jewelry center mainly works with silver, another traditional Azerbaijani art. This is both a museum and a workshop. Students enrolled in the Jewelry Art elective course learn practical jeweler skills.
The doll museum is located in Dunya School. It is a collection of national Azerbaijani dolls, as well as dolls from around the world, provided by Tahira Iskandarova, a children’s writer and journalist.