Page 52 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.77, # 2, 2020, pp. 40-60

teachers and students, are characterised by a number of changes in the higher
education system in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani universities are presented in the prestigious international rankings
organized by QS, THE, RUR, Webometrics, U-MultiRank and etc. In 2020, there
were 5 universities in the QS regional ranking for Emerging European and Central
Asia and 2 Azerbaijani universities made to the “Impact Rankings 2020” of The
Times Higher Education. (QS EECA, 2020; THE Impact Rankings, 2020)

INCREASED INTERNATIONALIZATION, NUMBER OF EXCHANGE
STUDENTS AND JOINT DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Some of the changes in the higher education system in Azerbaijan have also been
characterized by the expansion of internationalization and, in particular, number of
increases in exchange programs and joint degrees. Erasmus+ of the European Union
and Mevlana of the Republic of Turkey has become the most prestigious exchange
programs in Azerbaijan. Universities in Azerbaijan have been increasing number of
agreements within these both exchange programs. A review of number of
agreements within both Erasmus+ and Mevlana at UNEC have demonstrated a more
than 100% increase just in the last 6 years.
Adaptation of the state program on increasing competitiveness of universities in
Azerbaijan has also led to an increase in the number of offerings on joint degree
programs. However, universities such as ADA University, UNEC, and ASOIU have
already been offering joint degree programs before the adaption of this government
program. Both ADA and ASPU launched dual degree programs with the George
Washington University of USA. UNEC has signed more than 4 dual degree programs
with European and US universities (ADA University, 2020; APDU, 2020; UNEC, 2020).

INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES
In recent years, there is a tremendous shift in study programmes in English.
Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) and Khazar University were
some of the first universities that started offering study programs in English. There
is the International School of Economics at UNEC that offers entire study
programmes in English (UNEC, 2020).

ADA University is the first state university that offers all the degree programmes in
English (ADA University, 2020). In addition, the majority of universities in the capital
city of Baku, such as Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU),
Azerbaijan University, Baku Engineering University, and others have been increasing
the number of their English language degree programmes during the last 10 years.

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