Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University (Russian: Санкт-Петербургский горный университет императрицы Екатерины II) is the first higher technical education institution of Russia. Founded on October 23, 1773, Catherine II inscribed a the decree on the establishment of the Mining School. This date became the birthday of higher technical education in Russia.
Located in St. Petersburg, the university has partnerships with global oil, gas and mining companies; as well as several governments around the world. Its main campus, a real neoclassical masterpiece designed by architect Andrey Voronikhin, accomodates the Mining Museum, home to one of the world's finest and biggest collections of gem and mineral samples.
Today, Saint Petersburg Mining University ranks among the top universities in St. Petersburg and Russia; and it rightfully belongs to the best-known mining schools in the world. Nowadays, more than 7 000 students are enrolled in undergraduate, specialist, graduate and postgraduate degree programs. We offer 97 courses covering tens of subject areas. Our broad range of subjects allows student to develop practical and technical knowledge, advanced problem-solving skills, prepare them to tackle complex engineering problems with shifting baselines and varying degrees of resources and information. The students coming from all parts of the country and from abroad make up a significant portion of the student population.
The University has the highest status in the educational system of the Russian Federation: it is a National Research University, which ranks it as one of the foremost teaching and research mining schools in Russia and a national center for education and applied research in the diverse fields of mining and underground construction and tunneling. We are committed to expanding the international reputation of our University for the excellence in education, research, industry service, and community outreach.