Saint-Petersburg State University of Culture is one of the biggest
study and continuing education centers for specialists in the field of culture
and arts, the leader of humanitarian and creative education in Russia.
University facilities:
- 6 campuses;
- library;
- canteen;
- comfortable hostel – every floor is equipped with a kitchen, common room, music
practice rooms with musical instruments;
- multifunctional sports centre in one of the campuses, gyms in the hostels.
University campuses are located mainly in the historical center of the city.
Dvortsovaya embankment 2 / Millionnayastreet 1
The building was built in 1784-1787. The project has been attributed to Jean-Baptiste
Vallin de la Mothe, VasilyBazhenov, GeorgVeldten and Ivan Starov. Initially the house was
owned by Ivan Betskoy, Catherine the Great’s private secretary, the director of the military
school for young noblemen, the president of the Imperial Academy of Arts, the head of the
Imperial Construction Council, the member of the commission responsible for stone
construction in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the founder of the Smolny Institute for Noble
Maidens and the Foundling Hospital.
The famous Russian fabulist Ivan Krylov rented a flat in the house in the 1790s. His
printing house also situated there together with the famous Russian publisher
VasilyPlavilschikov’s bookstore.
In the 1830s the house was given by Nicolas I to his nephew – Duke Konstantin
Friedrich Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg – the state person and philanthropist.
After the February Revolution the house hosted the Ministry of National Education,
then – Central Museum of Pedagogics, Land Regulation Department, editorial office of
«KnizhnayaLetopis», flats. In 1962 the building was given to the Institute of Library
Services which was later transformedinto the Saint Petersburg State University of Culture
and Arts.
Dvortsovaya embankment 4 / Millionnayastreet 3
The house was built in the late 1780s by GiacomoQuarenghiby request of Hamburg
merchant FilippGroten. Having witnessed different owners, the house was bought by
Catherine the Great and given to the Head of the College of War NikolaySaltykov. He was
the person to whom she entrusted the education of the crown prince Paul and then the grand
princes Alexander and Constantine. The house was meant to express imperial gratitude for
teaching Alexander. In 1812-1816 Saltykov was the head of the State Council and the
Committee of Ministers. As historians say, it was his house where Mikhail Kutuzov was
appointed as the commander in chief of the Imperial Russian Army in 1812.
Further history of the house was connected both with state policy and with the
Kutuzovs. Although the Saltykovs were the owners of the house by 1917, the house hosted
foreign diplomatic missions for almost a century.
Since 1828 Saltykov House was leased. Its first tenant was the Embassy of Austria. It
was the place where its ambassador Charles-Louis de Ficquelmont lived with his wife Dolly
de Ficquelmont (Darya Fedorovna) and her mother, Mikhail Kutuzov’s daughter,
ElizavetaKhitrovo. Both had popular salons and since that time the house has been one of the
must-sees in the list of places in St. Petersburg where Alexander Pushkin was. He paid his
last visit to the Ficquelmonts on January 7, 1837, two weeks before his duel. The Embassy of
Austria rented the house even after the end of Ficquelmont’s mission – up to 1855.
The Danish ambassador rented a flat here from 1855 to 1863. Then the house was
rented by the Embassy of Great Britain.
When the embassies were relocated to Moscow the house was turned into the storage of
expropriated furniture and artworks. Since 1925 Krupskaya Communist Political and
Educational Institute (the predecessor of the University) was located there. During WW II
the building was turned into hospital.
Millionnayastreet 7
This house is famous as Cantemir’s house. It’s the first work of FranchescoRastrelli in
St. Petersburg realized by the young architector in 1721-1726. BurkhardChristoph von
Münnich, Prince Golytsinand StanisławPoniatowski were among the owners of the house.
The house has been rebuilt twice. Modern exterior and new interiors in different styles
appeared during its rebuilding in 1875.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the wing on the embankment was rented by
the Embassy of the Ottoman Empire.
After Russian Revolution Cantemir’s house was transformed into a dwelling house.
Then its wing on the embankment was given to the Maritime Register of Shipping. The
house was given to the Institute of Culture in 1986.
The building at 4thKrasnoarmeyskayastreet 1/33 was built in the mid 1800s and
witnessed different owners. In 1844 the house with land was bought by Free Economic
Society with the assistance of its president Duke Konstantin Friedrich Peter Georgievich of
Oldenburg. Since 1799 Free Economic Society had been located in its own house on Nevsky
prospect built by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe and given to the treasury in 1844 (then the
house on Nevskywas rebuilt by Ivan Chernik for Topographic bureau and became the
element of the General Staff building).
In 1928 one wing of the house was occupied by Plekhanov’s House – the department of
manuscripts of State Public Library. The house was given to the university in 1951.
The university includes branch in Suzdal, 6 faculties, 2 educational centers, 35 chairs.
Suzdal branch of the universitywas founded by the Ministry of Culture of RSFSR
from Suzdal Art and Restoration School in order to prepare professional restorers for
museums and restoration organizations.
Nowadays the branch prepares professional restorers, designers and painters.
There are 7 specializations in the branch:
Restoration, preservation and storage of easel painting works
Restoration, preservation and storage of graphic works and books
Restoration, preservation and storage of textile artworks
Restoration, preservation and storage of artworks made of wood
Restoration, preservation and storage of artworks made of architectural metal
Restoration, preservation and storage of artworks made of museum metal
Restoration, preservation and storage of artworks made of stone
Most specializations of the Department of Restoration have no counterparts in
other Russian educational institutions.
Education includes general artistic classes (painting, composition, sculpture), special
restoration classes and restoration practice (restoration of artworks from Russian museums).
The branch is proud of its high-skilled team of teachers. Every second teacher is a
member of the Union of Russian Artists. Teachers are active participants of regional and
international exhibitions.
Restoration is taught by certified restorers. Every year about 150 artworks from
Moscow and regional museums are restored.
Among the alumni of the branch there are members of the Union of Russian artists, the
Union of Designers, the Armourers Gild, artists, restorers whose names are frequent at
exhibitions and in exhibition catalogs.
The chain of permanent education which includes secondary vocational and higher
education is being built together with the Chair of Restoration and Expertise of Artworks.
Faculties
The main branches of education in the University are Librarianship, Museology, Social
and Cultural activities and Folk Arts.
Faculty of Library and Information Science is one of the oldest faculties in the
university, It was founded in 1918 and supported by outstanding bibliologists, librarianship
specialists and bibliographers. Its alumni are promoting reading and book culture, guiding
streams of information. They are demanded in the field of shaping and using library and
information resources, preservation of documental heritage, shaping of informational culture.
They are waited at libraries of all types, at mediacenters, at information offices, at publishing
houses, at booksellers’, at departments of marketing and advertising, at information and
analytical services of different firms.
Faculty of World Culture includes Chair of Theory and History of Culture, Chair of
Art Criticism, Chair of Museology and Cultural Heritage, Chair of Restoration and Expertise
of Artworks, Chair of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Chair of Philosophy and
Sociology. Most alumni of the Chair of Museology and Cultural Heritage work at museums,
art galleries, humanitarian centers (as directors, department heads, researchers, museum
pedagogues, curators of educational and recreational programs, guides, guides-interpreters,
tourism officers, marketing managers in the sphere of museum and tourism activities,
teachers in higher educational institutions both in Russia and abroad. Alumni of Chair of Art
Criticism work at art and history museums, antique stores and modern art galleries as artdealers, curators of projects, at culture and art authorities, educational institutions, art
associations, funds, fashion houses, art editions, in cinema and television industry. The Chair
of Restoration and Expertise of Artworks is teaching future restorers, expert-managers of
objects of cultural heritage. The chair is aimed at giving its students not only peculiar
knowledge and skills (painting, drawing, restoration techniques, preservation and restoration)
but also the view of historical, cultural and art contexts as the time calls for it.
Faculty of Social and Cultural Technologies is giving two degrees to its students:
Social and Cultural Activities and Tourism.
The faculty students who are holding Social and Cultural Activities degree and
specialize in Management of social and cultural activities, Management of children’s and
youth activities, Social and cultural methods in the sphere of leisure industry, Social and
cultural animation and recreation study methods, psychology and techniques of social and
cultural activities, general and special psychology and pedagogics, personality psychology
and elementary anthropology. Students get deep understanding of economics and social
management.
The faculty students who are holding Tourism degree and specialize in organization and
techniques of tourism and travel agency services study history of Russian and foreign
tourism, management and advertising marketing, international law and international
cooperation, psychology of business, business etiquette, personnel management, international
courtesy, preparing excursion programs for children and families and teaching special
subjects within social and cultural services and tourism.
Creative activities are a constituent part of the university life. Many students and
teachers join creative groups, teams and laboratories. They are actively participating in
concerts, festivals and contests.
Faculty of Arts has been preparing specialists in art culture and art education for more
than 50 years. It is focused on music, stage and screen arts. As the decades passed, unique
and powerful schools of choral and orchestral conducting, dance, vocal and instrumental
performance, drama art, direction of theatrical performances and festivals, cinema, video and
photo art appeared.
In 1996 the chair of variety arts was transformed into the faculty of variety arts. The
main goal of the faculty is to prepare well-qualified specialists in the field of variety arts, to
develop Russian art culture. The faculty is preparing students in variety arts (dance orchestra
instruments, vocal jazz, musicals), musicology and music (music art management, computer
music and orchestration, music pedagogics).
Faculty of Information Technologies is teaching future designers who can work in
two areas – graphic design (corporate identity design, posters, booklets etc.) and multimedia
design (web-sites, multimedia presentations, video etc.).
Center for Continuing and Professional Education was founded in 1963. Its unique
system of continuing education lets people of culture get and develop their competence, get
additional professional education using innovative methods.
Main fields of the center’s activities:
 Professional development of specialists of art organizations, teachers and employees of
higher and vocational educational institutions;
 Additional education of students – students can get additional education while studying
in the university;
 Professional development of university teachers and employees.
Postgraduate courses were organized at the university in 1930. People who pursue
postgraduate studies carry out scientific researches in the field of bibliology and
bibliography, librarianship, cultural studies, history of philosophy, museology, social and
cultural activities. Only best students who have achieved high results are recommended to
study at postgraduate courses.
Modern information technologies, multimedia hardware and software are becoming a
part of the education process. The university is closely cooperating with cultural institutions.
Joint information resources (virtual museum and automatic library system) are made together
with libraries and museums of St. Petersburg.
The university is supporting student self governance.
Degrees of Saint-Petersburg State University of Culture:
Bachelor’s degree:
51.03.06 Library and information activity
51.03.03 Social and cultural activity
43.03.02 Tourism
44.03.02 Psycho-pedagogical education
45.03.02 Linguistics
53.03.02 Musical and instrumental art
53.03.05 Conducting
52.03.01 Choreography
51.03.02 Folk Art Culture
53.03.04 Folk singing
51.03.05 Production of theatre performances and festivals
53.03.06 Musicology and applied musical art
53.03.01 Variety art
51.03.04 Museology and protection of cultural and natural inheritance objects
51.03.01 Culturology
50.03.03 History of arts
54.03.04 Restauration
54.03.01 Design
Master’s degree:
51.04.06 Library and cultural activity
51.04.03 Social and cultural activity
43.04.02 Tourism
53.04.01 Musical and instrumental art
53.04.02 Folk Art Culture
53.04.04 Conducting
53.04.03 Folk singing
51.04.05 Production of theatre performances and festivals
53.04.02 Singing
53.04.06 Musicology and applied musical art
51.04.04 Museology and protection of cultural and natural inheritance objects
51.04.01 Culturology
50.04.03 History of arts
54.04.04 Restauration
54.04.01 Design
Specialist’s degree:
55.05.01 Cinema and television direction
52.05.01 Acting
52.05.02Theater direction (stage direction)
Post-graduate course:
09.06.01 Information systems and processes
39.06.01 Social sciences
44.06.01 Education and educational sciences
45.06.01 Linguistics and literature
47.06.01 Philosophy, ethics and religious studies
50.06.01 History of arts
51.06.01 Cultural sciences
The university has always been popular among foreign students. It has all conditions
necessary for successful learning and organizes students’ leisure activities. Within its lifetime
the university has prepared a great number of specialists, creative people, managers in
different fields of arts and culture. It’s been a place of study and internship for specialists
from countries of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Baltic region, China, Japan, countries of
Central America, Northern and Central Africa.
The university was awarded with the Order of
Peoples’ Friendship for considerable contribution
to cultural development of the country.
Foreign citizens are served by External relations
department. External relations department officers
provide:
 acceptance of application forms;
 consulting foreign citizens on study
issues;
 visa support;
 migration registration;
 health insurance.
Official website: http://www.spbgik.ru/
External relations department:
Phone: +7 (812) 318-97-31
e-mail: [email protected]
Admission board:
Phone: +7 (812) 318-97-10
e-mail: [email protected]