University of Constantine the Philosopher

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre, abbrev. UKF in Slovak) has been formed as a modern European general university where dominant role is played by science, spiritual quality, high professionalism, pedagogical mastery, open and vivid communication both within local environment and within the world. It offers a variety of study programmes at bachelor, master and doctoral level, providing strong flexibility, innovation and diversity. In addition to its strong tradition in training of teachers for primary and secondary schools, UKF also offers study programmes for future social workers, experts for cultural organizations and institutions, political scientists, catechists, journalists, archaeologists, historians, musicologists, biologists, environmentalists, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, psychologists, gemmologists and other professionals.

The uniqueness of UKF in education is represented by teacher training programmes in Hungarian language tailor made for future teachers in the ethnically mixed areas of Slovakia and the training of teachers, social workers and public education for Roma ethnicity. The University also organizes lifelong learning courses, especially in form of supplementary/additional study as well as courses of Interest study at the University of the Third Age.

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (UKF) is an open type of the university which enforces the multicultural principles of the education and offers the own professional profile of a student. The university creates conditions for research of the life and works of Constantine the Philosopher and the Cyril-Methodius tradition. Long-Term Strategy represents the basic strategic document of UKF. The main aim stated in this strategy for the years 2007-2017 is to form UKF a common university with orientation on pedagogical, humanistic, natural, art and social sciences and health care. In order to reach this aim UKF defined its role in providing a higher education and developing of knowledge on the basis of creative, scientific, and artistic work. Long-Term Strategy defines four core priorities of UKF further development:

• UKF attractiveness in the field of education
• UKF as a scientific institution meeting national and international criteria
• UKF as a centre of lifelong learning and centre of social and cultural life in the region of Nitra.
• Improvement of conditions for performing main UKF activities with an emphasis on UKF Library and revitalisation of its services and on effective usage of ICT based on the level of actual ICT knowledge and available services.

Being one of the main priorities of UKF in Nitra the scientific and research activities focus on effectively fusing scientific research with educational process, supporting the professional growth of employees and providing the material and technical support to its departments. Scientific research-oriented activities of UKF cover a wide range of natural, educational, philosophical and social-health care sciences in the field of the basic and applied research, as well as in the fields of innovation, methodology, didactics, and particular forms and content of study programmes.

University closely cooperates with leading scientific and educational institutions, art institutions, state and local government institutions in the Nitra Region, especially with the institutes of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the University Hospital, Animal Production Research Center, Plant Production Research Center, Slovak University of Agriculture and other Slovak universities. The University maintains contractual cooperation with the Nitra Episcopate and the Priest Seminar, focusing on education and culture. The extraordinary level of cooperation with the Slovak University of Agriculture (SUA) is manifested above all in joint events. In the area of artistic and creative activities, the University actively cooperates with the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra, the Nitra Museum, Nitra Gallery and the Nitra Community Foundation.

UKF´s international cooperation with foreign universities and organizations is strengthened by international bilateral and multilateral agreements, international educational and scientific projects, common organisation of conferences and publication activities as well as joining membership in various international organisations. The top priority of UKF in the area of international cooperation is to ensure the admission of foreign students to UKF at the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral level, but also to promote the mobilities (student and staff exchanges) within different scholarship programmes.