American University of Central Asia


The American University of Central Asia, formerly the Kyrgyz-American University and the American University in Kyrgyzstan, is a liberal arts university located in Bishkek, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

History

AUCA was established in 1997 with funding from the United States government and the Open Society Institute, a non-government donor organization set up by Hungarian philanthropist George Soros. One of its founders was human rights attorney and journalist Scott Horton. While the university focuses on offering higher education opportunities to Central Asian students, its student body and faculty comes from all over Asia and other parts of the world.
In March 2010, AUCA has established partnership with Bard College of New York State, United States. The partnership allows students of American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, European Studies, International and Comparative Politics, Journalism and Mass Communications, Psychology, Sociology, and Software Engineering programs to receive liberal arts degrees fully accredited in the US.
According to the USAID accreditation report, "AUCA is the first higher education institution in Central Asia that functions according to the American model, with a credit-hour system, an American-style liberal arts curriculum, and a commitment to democratic values, freedom of expression and inquiry, and academic integrity and honesty."
The university is chartered in Kyrgyzstan and is authorized by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education to offer the Kyrgyz National Diploma in eleven undergraduate programs and one graduate program. AUCA also offers American-style diplomas, and students are required to take courses in both Russian and English.

Campus

The main building of American University of Central Asia was constructed in the 1930s and was used by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Kirghiz SSR, and by the Supreme Council of the republic.
Portraits of Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels are still hanging in the conference hall of AUCA, while the coat of arms of the Kirghiz SSR is kept on the facade of the building.
In 2008 Ishak Masaliev, then a Kyrgyz parliament member from the Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan, called to change the location of AUCA, because of the "historic value" of the current main building.

New Campus

The new building has four stories, centered around a forum that will serve as the main meeting place. The main building uses geothermal heating and rainwater harvesting to reduce its environmental impact.

Academic programs

Preparatory programs

The university offers full-time and part-time programs to prepare students for university study. The programs include an intensive course of English language learning and university-level academic classes.

Undergraduate programs

The university offers American-style Bachelor of Arts degrees in 16 undergraduate programs:
In addition to its undergraduate programs, AUCA also offers a Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Economics, Master of Arts in Central Asian Studies, Master of Arts in Applied Psychology

Library

AUCA Library provides information resources and services in support of teaching, learning and research. The library holds about 60,000 items in its print collection of books, textbooks, manuscripts and other materials. The library provides access to 24 online databases.

Presidents

American University of Central Asia was ranked 163 among countries of emerging Europe and central Asia region in QS EECA University Rankings of 2020.

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