Smolny College

Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Smolny College) of Saint Petersburg State University (Russian: Факультет свободных искусств и наук СПбГУ) is the first Department in Russia (St. Petersburg) to be founded upon the principles of liberal education. It emerged from Smolny College (officially the Program in "Arts and Humanities"), which was created in 1994 by St.Petersburg State University in close collaboration with Bard College (USA). Bard College’s interest in curricular innovation and the reform of international education coincided with the interests of a group of creatively-minded scholars from St.Petersburg State University.

In the fall of 1997 the Smolny Center announced a program of open courses to be attended by students from SPSU and other St.Petersburg universities. In view of the considerable number of students and professors who responded, showing great interest in liberal education, the Center was transformed into the Program "Arts and Humanities" (Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in 1999. The Program accepted its first students in the 1999/2000 academic year. On February 28, 2011, the Academic Council of St.Petersburg State University voted to create the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Today, there are approximately 550 students enrolled in the Faculty. Students who complete the four-year course receive a B.A. in liberal arts both from Bard College and from Saint Petersburg State University. Students from Bard and other American colleges who attend Smolny earn Bard College credit, and Bard students attending Smolny pay Bard tuition.

External links

• Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences website