Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University is located in the city of Blagoveshchensk—the capital of Amur Oblast, which covers 391,900 square kilometers in the south of Russian Far East. Founded in 1856, Blagoveshchensk is now a major administrative, cultural, scientific, and industrial center of the Far East. Its population does not exceed 250,000. Because of its unique geographic position on the border with the People’s Republic of China, Blagoveshchensk is often called the “Gateway to China.”
The neighboring Chinese city of Heihe lies just across the Amur River. This is the only place in the world where two foreign cities are situated so close to one another. Many Chinese companies operate in Amur Oblast in the fields of construction, agriculture, trade, and tourism. BSPU was founded in 1930 and is one of the oldest educational institutions in the Russian Far East. The university campus is located in the historic center of the city, next to the Amur River embankment and cross-border cable-car. It is easily accessible by public transport. The international student dormitories are located within walking distance from the academic building.
Approximately 200 faculty members teach at BSPU (more than 75 % hold advanced scientific degrees). The university’s research potential is realized through eight specialized laboratories in the natural and human sciences: environmental biochemistry and biotechnology; condensed-matter physics; archaeology and ethnography; element-organic chemistry; and others. Applied, multidisciplinary projects are carried out at the Scientific and Educational Center for Comprehensive Research, which comprises more than 20 experts and six unique scientific collections.
