Volgograd is one of Russia's largest cities. It is known as Stalingrad all over the world and as such it became the site of the Stalingrad battle which predetermined the victory of Russia and its allies Britain, USA and France over German nazis in World War II.

Volgograd is a southern city, an average temperature in summer is +26C and in winter -9C, Volgograd is placed on the bank of the Volga river. Due to its proximity to the river the climate in Volgograd is favourable. The population of Volgograd is over 1,000,000.

There is an international airport, a river terminal, train and bus stations in the city. There are direct flights to Italy , Germany, the Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Sri-Lanka, the Lebanon and to all states of the former Commonwealth of Independent States from Volgograd.

There are 5-6 direct flights from Moscow to Volgograd daily. The flight time is 1.5 hour. Besides every day 3 trains leave Moscow for Volgograd, the journey lasts 18 hours.

Volgograd is a big tourist centre, especially for foreigners. Over 70,000 foreign tourists come to Volgograd every year. There are many historical places, theatres, concert halls, restaurants and bars in Volgograd. There is a great number of supermarkets and open markets as well which can boast a wide variety of food.

There are some Orthodox Churches, a Polish Roman Catholic Church, a Protestant Church, a Mosque and a Synagogue in Volgograd.

International students can go there on religious holidays.

Volgograd is a big scientific and educational centre southern of Russia. There are more than 20 higher educational establishments with over 60,000 students in Volgograd. The Volgograd State Medical Academy situated in the heart of the city is the leader among them. The Volgograd Medical Institute was founded in 1935. In 1993 it was granted the status of the Academy. Due to the State Licence N 24-0627 the Academy provides higher, supplementary, post-diploma and vocational education.

The Volgograd State Medical Academy has been licensed by the Ministry of Education of Russian Federation to train specialists for foreign countries.

The Academy has been included in the list of medical educational establishments recognized by WHO which enables our graduates to hold a job in any country of the world after taking national examinations

The Academy is headed by a prominent Russian scientist, Academician of the Russian Academy for Medical Sciences, Professor, M.D. Petrov Vladimir Ivanovich.

The Volgograd State Medical Academy has extensive international contacts and delegations from the USA, India, the People's Republic of China, Bangladesh and other countries headed by top Embassy officials pay visits to the Academy. To further bilateral collaboration in the field of education, culture and research, the Academy has signed an agreement on cooperation with a North Chinese University (the city of Girin).

The Volgograd State Medical Academy collaborates with the World Health Organisation (WHO), has extensive scientific contacts with many foreign higher educational establishments; it participates in joint international programs with Belgium, France, Germany, Arkansas University of Medical Sciences (USA) in such fields as family medicine, arterial hypertension, epidemiology, tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, pharmacology, pharmacy, etc. The Russian-American Family Practice Clinic has opened in Volgograd recently, the first one in the southern part of Russia.

The Volgograd State Medical Academy has its own scientific and methodic schools. The Research Institute for Pharmacology and that for Rheumatology are attached to the Academy. New trends in Pharmacology, Rheumatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, etc. are being developed.

The Academy ranks as high as the 7 th in Russia; the quality of education at the Academy meets the most stringent international requirements.

There are 6 faculties at the Academy:

• Faculty of General Medicine

• Faculty of Dentistry

• Faculty of Pediatrics

• Faculty of Pharmaceutics

• Faculty of Medical Biology

• The faculty of Advanced Training for Doctors and

• Preparatory course for foreign students
  
  

600 highly skilled specialists work at 63 departments of the Academy. Among them, there are 11 academicians, 84 professors and 332 associate professors.

The Academy's students are 3700 Russian and former USSR citizens and 700 international students from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Germany and Arab countries.

At its disposal, the Academy has 4 educational buildings, 5 big multiprofile clinics for 7000 in-patients with departments of surgery, cardiology, traumatology, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, equipped with up to date facilities, experimental bases, a computer centre and comfortable hostels. There is also a Cardiology Centre which is one of the leaders in the field in the Russian Federation.

The Academy has been training international students since 1962. Students from 70 countries of Europe, Asia, Latin America have studied at our Academy. Over this period 2500 general practitioners, dentists and paediatricians have been trained for foreign countries.

About 70 foreign doctors take post-diploma courses every year.

Our graduates work in many countries: the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, India, Arab and African countries, etc.

The faculty of General Medicine trains specialists in internal disease, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, otorhinolaryngology, dermatology and venereology, infectious diseases, etc. The departments of the faculty are equipped with modem diagnostic facilities. Foreign scientists and consultants are invited to deliver lectures.

The course of studies is for 6 years.

Beginning with 2001 English-speaking students will be taught in English, which will enable them to begin studies without preliminary training at the Preparatory faculty.