AZERBAIJAN - Health & Education
Rector, Azerbaijan State Oil Academy
Bio
Siyavush F. Garayev began his career in 1964 as a junior scientific worker, becoming a senior scientific worker in 1970. In 1979 he became an Associate Professor at the Azerbaijan Petroleum and Chemistry Institute, and in 1987 he was appointed Dean of the Chemical Technology Department. Since 1997 he has been the Rector of Azerbaijan State Oil Academy.
Azerbaijan is known as the “oil academy of the world”, and this is due to the country’s long involvement with natural resources. This academy was originally founded in 1920 as the first higher educational institution with an oil and gas focus in Europe and Asia. Today it is known as the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy (ASOA), and occupies a significant place as a development pioneer with its extraordinary success and achievements. Over the years the academy has remained faithful to its original aim—to train highly qualified engineers and scientific staff in the exploration, extraction, exploitation, and processing of hydrocarbon raw materials. We now have around 7,000 students representing people from all walks of life in Azerbaijan. Many of our students’ parents also work in the oil and gas sector, and in some cases our students are third-generation alumni.
I was born in 1942 and graduated from the chemistry faculty of Baku State University in 1964. I later obtained my PhD from the Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology. I then followed an academic path from junior researcher to faculty dean, a position to which I was appointed by Presidential Decree in 1997. I am also a full member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and several international academies.
The basic directions of professional training are reflected in the names of our specialized faculties: Geological Prospecting, Oil and Gas Production, Chemical Engineering, Oil-Mechanical, Power Engineering, Automation of Manufacturing Processes, Economics, International Economical Relations, and Management. Training is conducted over 31 specialties during a Bachelor’s degree and over 74 specializations during a Master’s degree.
The Minister of Education signed an agreement and we entered the Bologna system, meaning we are fully signed up to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The main language we use for education is Azerbaijani, and we also offer Russian language programs. In addition, over the last four years we have set up English language education for four specialties. We also invite foreign professors from the US and various other partner institutions around the world, as well as send our own staff abroad to gain skills and knowledge.
In total ASOA supports bilateral cooperation with almost 40 foreign high schools and oil companies. A number of international educational projects have also been implemented recently in partnership with leading centers in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and China. In addition, Bachelor and Master training on various specialties is carried out jointly with universities in Atlanta, Siegen, Cologne, Nice, Genoa, Heerlen, and Warsaw. Within the framework of these programs we have agreements on continuous training at a high level at corresponding universities in the US, Germany, and France.
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