The Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport
1. Railway specialists are trained by a network of specialized higher and secondary technical schools. There are two railway institutions of higher learning in Ukraine: the Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport (1930) and Dnipropetrovsk National University of Railway Transport (1930).
2. The Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport is one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Ukraine. It provides high quality modern training in every branch of railway engineering for nearly 16.000 home and foreign students. Our Academy is situated in Feyerbakh square number seven. It occupies four beautiful buildings and counts five departments. They are the Mechanical Department, the Railway Operation and Management Department, the Transport Economics Department, the Construction Department and the ATC Department. Every department is headed by the dean and has its dean’s office.
3. The Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport has its branches in Donetsk and Krasny Lyman. Specialists employed at railway enterprises upgrade their qualification through a network of professional development courses.
4. Our Academy offers its students a wide range of educational opportunities on the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, doctorate basis and at the preparatory department. Students may choose to get the degree of Bakalavre (Bachelor of Science), Specialist or Magister (Master of Science). The Magister (Master’s degree) is more research-oriented and graduates must produce a diploma. The Diploma Specialist concentrates more on professional skills. The complete course of studies lasts four years (for bachelors) or five years (for masters and specialists). Both degrees require students to hold a Bachelor’s degree.
5. There are full-time and part-time students at the Academy. The academic year is divided into two terms at the end of which the students get credits for courses and take terminal examinations. Full-time students who have high grades by the results of the examination session receive a state scholarship. Part-time students study and work in the same field. They also have some benefits: they have additional holidays and four months for writing and presenting their diploma.
6. Our Academy contains a lot of spacious lecture halls, numerous laboratories with up-to-date instruments and installations and modern computer centers. Access to the Internet is free of charge for the students. There are scientific and technical libraries with a million of books comprising fiction, economic, technical and educational literature. Several hostels with all modern conveniences are granted for all in need.
7. The teaching staff counts almost 500 teachers among them some academicians, many professors, associate professors and senior lecturers. Most of them combine teaching and research; they deliver lectures, give seminars and practical classes. Scientific activity of our Academy focuses on the main scientific and technological advance areas of the railway industry. Research work is closely connected with modernization of transport, introduction of new technologies, and development of railway infrastructure.
8. The students are given every opportunity for studies and research. They take part in the student competitions, Olympiads, national scientific conferences. Students use the results of their research work in diploma and course papers. The best students are enrolled on a postgraduate course.
9. Teachers and the Academy’s authorities pay much attention to all-round development of the students. There are various forms of student activities. They write articles for student’s newspaper “Providnyk”, take an active part in the concerts dedicated to the Day of Foreign Languages Department, work at the students’ team “Providnyk”, etc. Great attention is paid to physical training at our Academy. A lot of students go in for sport at various sport sections and participate in different contests and sporting competitions.
10. Every year a large number of students graduate from our Academy and become qualified specialists. They make a great contribution to the development of our railways into the modern complex industry working at different industrial enterprises, railway departments, scientific research and designing institutes and in the institutions of higher learning as well.
Exercise 10. Single out the main points of the text and tell your neighbour what new facts you have learnt from it. Use the following opening phrases:
The title of the text is…
The text is devoted to …
The text deals with …
It is clear from the text …
Among other things it is mentioned in the text about …
I find the question of … very important because …
Exercise 11. Answer the questions to the text and arrange them into a story about the Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport:
1. What is the total number of students at our Academy?
2. What are the departments of our Academy?
3. Are the students given every opportunity for studies? What are they?
4. Which degrees of science does the Academy offer?
5. What kind of training does our Academy provide?
6. How long does the complete course of studies last?
7. When do the students get credits for courses and take terminal examinations?
8. Does every student receive a state scholarship?
9. What benefits do part-time students have?
10. What is the teaching staff of our Academy?
11. What does scientific activity of our Academy focus on?
12.In what way are the students of our Academy involved in scientific process?
13. What do the forms of student activities include?
14. Where can the graduates of our Academy work?
Exercise 12. Match the Departments and their students’ activities. There can be two or more variants. Begin your sentences as it is suggested below:
The students of … department deal with …….
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Exercise 13. Complete the sentences with the words given below:
Part-time student, dean’s office, first-year student, full-time student, postgraduate, a state scholarship, hostel, departments.
1. A student who studies at the day-time faculty is called …….
2. Our Academy has five …… .
3. A student who studies and works in the same field is called …….
5. The students from other towns live in …… .
6. Every department has its …… .
7. Full-time students who have high grades by the results of the examination session receive …… .
8. A student who continues studies after graduation is called …….