The Petrozavodsk State University (PetrSU) was founded in&nbsh;1940 as the Karelian-Finnish University and was renamed in&nbsh;1956. During its half a century long history, the university has trained more than 35000&nbsh;highly qualified specialists. Among its graduates there are academicians, ministers and world-famous specialists in culture and science, heads of enterprises and workers of various branches of industry of the Northwest and Northern economical regions of Russia.

PetrSU is the largest educational institution in the European North of Russia and includes the following faculties: Faculty of History, Faculty of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Baltic and Finnish Philology and Culture, Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Physical Engineering, Faculty of Philology, Faculty of Ecology and Biology, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences. It also includes branches: Kola branch (Apatity, Murmansk region), Priladozhsky branch (Sortavala), Byelomorsk branch (Byelomorsk) and Kostomuksha branch (Kostomuksha), Educational centers in Segezha and Kondopoga. The structural subdivisions The Northern Fisheries Research Institute, Karelian regional institute of management, economy and law of PetrSU under the auspices of the Government of the RK, Regional Center For novel Information Technologies, Regional Center on International Cooperation in the European North of Russia, Information Center of the European Union in the RK, Karelian Barents Information Center, The Karelian Branch of the Information Office of Nordic Council of Ministers in Saint-Petersburg, Karelian Innovational Center Business Incubator, Educational Innovational Center, Publishing house, Biological station, Botanic garden, educational bases of the faculties of Ecology and Biology, Forest Engineering and Agriculture, summer sports camp, dispensary. The scientific library of the university totals more than 920&nbsh;thousand volumes and is one of the largest libraries in the European North of Russia.

In&nbsh;1999 PetrSU has received the new license for 5&nbsh;years, has successfully passed the state certification and accreditation and has confirmed the status of the versatile university conducting preparation on a wide spectrum of specialities in the sphere of secondary, higher, post-university and additional education. PetrSU accomplishes preparation of entrants for enrolling in high schools, training of students under of the bachelor, master and expert programs in 43&nbsh;specialities and trends, preparation and defence of master's theses in postgraduate study on 47&nbsh;specialities, preparation of theses for a doctor's degree, improvement of professional skills and retraining of experts in a wide spectrum of specialities.

At present there are about 11000&nbsh;students at PetrSU, including 8000&nbsh;students of the internal training department and 3000&nbsh;students of the in absentia training department; about 2000&nbsh;students take their courses at the branches of the university.

There are 671&nbsh;instructors at 68&nbsh;chairs, including over 70&nbsh;Doctors of science, over 350&nbsh;candidates in science (Ph.D. holders) (61% of degree-holders among instructors). There are over 20&nbsh;academicians and correspondent members of different state and public academies of Russia. The honorary title "Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation", "Honored educationalist of the Higher School of the Russian Federation" is awarded to 13&nbsh;professors and senior lecturers of PetrSU, a rank of "Honored educationalist of the Vocational Training of the Russian Federation" is awarded to 18&nbsh;persons. More than 50&nbsh;teachers and employees have honorary titles "Honored Scientist of the Republic of Karelia", "Honored educationalist of the Republic of Karelia", are granted with awards and medals of the Russian Federation and the USSR, more than 200&nbsh;teachers and employees have got Certificates of honor of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Karelia. In&nbsh;1999 the Vice-rector for Informatization Ruzanova Natalia Sokratovna has been awarded with the State premium of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of education.

Within the past years the role of the university in the life of the republic and Petrozavodsk has increased. Scientists of the PetrSU are members of councils and boards at the Head of the Government of the Republic of Karelia and administration of Petrozavodsk, advisers of the Head of the Government of the Republic of Karelia and the Head of administration of Petrozavodsk, members of councils and boards of some of the Russian and republican ministries, deputies of Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia and city council.

PetrSU is the parent organization in the republic on performance of the major scientific, technical and education programs, on realization of expert and consulting works.

• Petrozavodsk State University, Faculty of Mathematics

• Petrozavodsk State University