• Universities

Ukhta State Technical University is a large higher education institution in Ukhta, Komi Republic, in the north-west of Russia.Established in 1958 as the Ukhta Industrial Institute, university status was granted in 1999.Ukhta State Technical University offers a wide range of degree programmes across gas and oil-related engineering, as well as more broad engineering courses such as computer sciences, timber cutting, land utilisation and economics. Specialist master’s programmes include aspects such as architectural theory, machine technology and industrial management.Around 120,000 students are enrolled on Ukhta State Technical University courses, with around 7,000 living on campus across 13 dormitory buildings.The main campus has good facilities, including a variety of public workspaces, restaurants, a library and swimming pool. Two smaller branches are also located in Usinsk, 475km north of Ukhta, and Vorkuta in the far north of the region.The study body is increasingly multinational – there are currently undergraduate and postgraduate students from around 30 different countries. The university holds a designated “welcome week” at the beginning of the academic year to help students and international students in particular to settle in, with activities including walking and bus tours, sports games and cooking lessons in traditional Russian food.The university also runs a range of extracurricular activities and social clubs. Popular groups include the USTU English Club, comedy clubs, dance, poetry and theatre.Alumni include a large number of senior mangers and political leaders specialising in the oil and gas industries. It is also the alma mater of Alexander Sukhorukov, an Olympic swimmer and world record holder in freestyle, who won a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics.