Study in Azerbaijan: Education in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan inherited its higher education system when it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. As such, there’s a strong emphasis on fast learning in the classroom and self-directed independent study. STEM and IT subjects are also overrepresented in Azeri universities, with less of an emphasis on the arts and languages. 

For a small country, Azerbaijan is home to nine universities. All offer programs taught in English. However, three of them, the Western Caspian University, the Baku State University and the Baku Engineering University, are the most prestigious in the country. These three universities award degrees that are recognized in most countries and are seen as being prestigious across the wider Caucasus, parts of the Middle East and in Russia. 

As Azerbaijan seeks to extend its reach and influence in the world of education, its universities are developing and maintaining ever-stronger links with excellent universities across the world. Azeri universities enjoy links with Horizon 2020, the EU’s science program, MIT, Oxford Labs and have even sent PhD and postdoctoral students to work on the Hadron Collider project in Switzerland. 

Azeri programs that are taught in English are normally identical in scope, depth and reach to their Azerbaijani-language counterparts. Therefore, Azerbaijan is a great place to study if you want to engage in a comprehensive scientific program in an exotic location.

Undergraduate degrees take between three and five years to complete, depending on the subject and the amount of time spent abroad. Postgraduate degrees take between one and two years to complete, while PhDs generally take around four years, as most PhD students teach whilst researching.