World-Class University & Unique programmes
The University of Tartu's world-class research is the foundation for its high-quality education: Studies at the University of Tartu are tightly linked to the research performed by university scientists. The University of Tartu is one the finest research institutions in the world. Estonian science, led by UT, belongs to the upper 50% of the world's countries in all 22 fields of research specified in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database. According to the ESI, the University of Tartu has reached the top 1% of the most-cited universities and scientific institutions in environmental sciences and ecology, clinical medicine, plant and animal science, and chemistry. Read more about this research.
Many world-renowned scientists are connected to the University of Tartu: The university's hall of fame includes physicists Moritz Hermann Jacobi and Emil Lenz, chemists Carl Claus and Wilhelm Ostwald, physiologist Carl Schmidt, pharmacist Johan Georg Dragendorff, anatomist August Rauber, naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer, founder of cultural semiotics Juri Lotman, and many more.
The University of Tartu follows the modern European system of education and quality assurance: The University of Tartu adheres to the Bologna process in the organisation of its studies and programmes, which implies built-in quality assurance and expert evaluations. The quality of study programmes is assured through programme-based organisation of study designed to pay more attention to the needs of society and prospective employers. To achieve this goal annual polls are conducted among graduates of the university to evaluate their initial success in the labour market. Relevant findings contribute to the development of further curricula.
University of Tartu programmes have received numerous European and national quality awards: Several joint-degree programmes at the University of Tartu hold the prestigious status of Erasmus Mundus programmes, awarded to selected curricula in the EU as a sign of high quality. Usually these programmes also enjoy generous scholarships provided by the EU Commission. Several of UT's international master's programmes have received the "Most Attractive International Master" national award from the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia. And last but not least, the International Master in Applied Measurement Science has been awarded a "EuroMaster" label.
The University of Tartu is a trusted and active member of prestigious international networks: UT is the only Baltic member of the Coimbra Group, which unites reputable European research universities. It is an active member of the Utrecht Network, EUA, and many other associations of international higher education.
The University of Tartu builds partnerships with the world's leading universities and businesses: University of Tartu students, staff and scientists contribute to and benefit from co-operation with many world-class partners: the University of Helsinki, Moscow State University, Tsinghua University, University of Melbourne, Uppsala University, Lund University and Hokkaido University, to name just a few. University scientists conduct research and projects with global industrial giants like Samsung and Philips.
Viljandi Culture Academy is open for international cooperation and cross-cultural communication. It is a school with a special atmosphere, a school with a unique student community and curricula, as well as an environment that provides good possibilities to obtain knowledge and skills in different fields of culture by combining academic knowledge from different fields with a creative and new approach. We value close interaction in both our study and working environment. Therefore, there is a lot of interaction and cooperation between students from different fields, teachers and administrative staff.