Kyiv University was the first in Ukraine to open the Pre-Higher Educational Faculty to train foreign citizens, which took place in 1960. In the course of time the department became a structural unit of the Institute and has given training to more than 15,000 students from many countries of the world prior to their further studies. 

The Institute of International Relations of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University is the leading centre of training specialists in international relations and foreign policy of Ukraine. Currently, the Institute gives training to more than 2,500 students, post-graduate students and trainees. About 250 of them are foreigners from over 50 nations of the world; more than 300 students are trained to get a second degree.

The Institute was founded in October 1944. The foundation of this department at the University was necessitated by Ukraine’semergence on the international arena, and Ukraine’s role in World War II, and the shaping of the post-war system of international relations under the auspices of the United Nations.

Initially, it was the Faculty of International  Relations. Through the first decade it trained 300 specialists in international relations. They made up the backbone of the Ukrainian diplomatic corps, created Ukrainian schools of thought in the field of international relations and international law.

Kyiv University was the first in Ukraine to open the Pre-Higher Educational Faculty to train foreign citizens, which took place in 1960.In the course of time the department became a structural unit of the Institute and has given training to more than 15,000 students from many countries of the world prior to their further studies.

The Faculty of International Relations, which later was transformed in the Institute, has trained over 10,000 specialists, both Ukrainian citizens and nationals of more than 90 countries of the world, including Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen. The Institute graduates make up the bulk of the apparatus at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, work for other Ministries, Agencies and other Ukrainian organisations active on the international arena.

The Institute takes pride in its numerous graduates who are citizens of foreign countries, whose number is over 6 thousand. Many of them are outstanding statesmen, influential politicians, CEOs of major businesses and organizations, famous scholars. They are, inter alia, President of Georgia Michael Saakashvili, President of the Senate of Nigeria Adolphus Wabara, Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguen Van Ieu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Magerram oglu Mamediarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Gela Bezhuashvili, Chairman of the Customs Committee of the Russian Federation Valeriy Draganov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bolivia Sobala Dore Patricia, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Deno Ebusi, Ambassador of Sierra-Leone Andrew Contex, Ambassadors of Georgia Valery Chechelashvili and Grigol Katamadze, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic Vasyl Grivna, Ambassador of the Hungarian Republic Ferenz Contra, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria Aliosha Nedelchev, Ministers of Foreign Affaires of Ukraine Anatoliy Zlenko, Gennadiy Udovenko, Borys Tarasyuk etc.

When at the Institute, the students gain deep knowledge in the field of international relations and foreign policy, diplomatic service, international law, international economic relations, international business, international information, country studies, master several foreign languages, get skills in scientific research and practice indispensable in international political and foreign economic relations. Postgraduate and doctoral training is offered to ensure academic and research growth of the graduates.

 Two hundred highly qualified members of the teaching staff, professors and associate professors, train the students. Of them 25 are Doctors, Professors, and 80 more have Ph.D. degrees (Candidate of Sciences) and are Associate Professors. There are 11 specialized chairs and the Chair of Foreign Languages serving the needs of the entire Institute. Besides, well-known Ukrainian and foreign researchers, educators and practitioners from other departments of the University, other research and higher educational institutions deliver lectures, teach practical courses, supervise diploma and course paper writing. Civil servants from the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council), Cabinet of Ministers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry for Economic and European Integration, from other ministries and agencies of Ukraine, foreign political figures and diplomats make presentations for the students on a regular basis. 

By the Presidential Decree of 30 May 1995 “On Training Specialists in the Field of International Relations”, the Institute of International Relations is designated the umbrella organisation for graduate training, on the basis of complete general secondary education, of specialists in the field of international relations and foreign policy of Ukraine.

The Institute of International Relations has developed its vision of the school for training specialists in international affairs. Moreover, the radical changes in the world where the policy of the sovereign Ukraine is being built and developed, require that the concept of training specialists, overall development of the Institute be further improved. In 2005, the Senate examined and approved the Concept Paper of the Institute for the period till 2010. As envisaged by the Concept Paper, the Institute offers Bachelor’s, Specialist’s and Master’s programmes in International Relations, International Law, International Economic Relations, International Business, International Information.

The international relations specialists are trained in about 20 languages (among these are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Spanish, Turkish, etc.) with taking a degree of a translator. Every year more then 60 students of the Institute are trained in Arabic. With the assistance of the Egyptian Foundation forTechnical Co-operation with CIS Countries every year from 5 to 20 students undergo language education in Egypt. The Foundation provides as well Institute with visiting professor who teaches Arabic language. During last years professors and students took part in various conferences and seminars in Egypt, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.

To ensure an in-depth training in a second foreign language, the Institute set up the Foreign Languages Centre. The curricula of normative courses provide comprehensive studies of foreign languages, and are aimed at acquiring both theoretical knowledge and practical skills (translation, speaking habits and interpretation, etc.).

The development of linguistic competence of future specialists in the field of international relations, international law, international economic relations and international information is closely related to the major subjects taught at the Institute, as well as to the prospective work of the students. Training is carried out through a number of consecutive cycles, providing for mastering foreign languages as tools for the further training in major subjects: Essential language training; Language for special Purposes and the Theory  and Practice of Translation; Translation workshops.

Novel multimedia methods, computer-based speech laboratories and equipment for simultaneous translation are used in training. The  students enjoy access to multimedia rooms where they also work independently after classes.

Research is an integral part of international specialist’s training. The scholars of the Institute explore the theoretical and applied issues of international relations and Ukrainian foreign policy, country studies, international business relations, international law, and contemporary humanitarian problems and linguistics. The research results are widely used in the teaching process to develop new general and specialised courses.

The Institute has the R&D Department, which employs 40 researchers. When fostering the renewal of the academia and training of the most highly qualified specialists in international affairs, the Institute pays close attention to post-graduate, doctor training, and to continuing education of the trainers. Every year the Institute enrols more than 120 Ukrainian and foreign post-graduate students; circa 100 members of the departments work as aspirants seeking the Candidate of Sciences Degree, and 20 – that of the Doctor of Sciences Degree. There are three specialised Councils for Defending Theses, namely, Political Problems of International Systems and Global Development, World History, World Economy and International Economic Relations, Organization of Economic Management, Planning and Regulation, International Law, the Theory and History of State and Law, History of Political and Legal Doctrines.

Nearly 60 PhD students from Arabic countries defended their thesis, including 20 from Jordan, 6 from Lebanon, 15 from Syria, 7 from Yemen.

The academia of the Institute contributes greatly to the development of the Ukrainian national studies. The Institute hosts international conferences, symposia, workshops, andround table discussions of International Law, International Relations, International Economic Relations and International Information on a regular basis. The Institute has up-to-date facilities to publish scientific literature, textbooks, manuals and methodological literature. Every  year the academia prepare up to 40 treatises and textbooks, publish more than 300 scientific articles. Transactions of the Institute and Collections of research papers are published. They are: Visnyk Kyivskoho Universytetu. Mizhnarodni Vidnosyny (Herald of Kyiv University of International Relations) and Aktualni Problemy Mizhnarodnykh Vidnosyn (Current Issues of International Relations). The Chairs contribute to a number of international projects of TEMPUSTACIS, INTAS, Renaissance Foundation, etc. The Institute hosts the UNESCO task force on democratic governance and culture of peace.

International ties of the Institute develop dynamically. They are maintained primarily within the framework of agreements to which Taras Shevchenko University is a part, as well as based on bilateral agreements between the Institute and similar foreign institutions of higher learning, scientific research organisations, and firms.

Within the framework of inter-university agreements, the Institute co-operates with over 60 partner institutions of higher learning from Great Britain, Belgium, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Spain, Canada, China, the FRG, the Republic of Korea, Poland, Russia, the USA, France, Japan and others.

In 2005 Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University has concluded an agreement on cooperation in the sphere of culture and education with the University of the United Arab Emirates. Due to the document signed from the Ukrainian part by the chancellor Prof. Victor  Skopenko we have received the opportunity to conduct joint research works, exchange lecturers, R&D employees and students. These programs can be short-term, for instance, for a brief series of lectures or joint teaching or up to the half-year term. The agreement mentions also the possibility to exchange invitations for the scholars to attend conferences, briefing sessions and seminars, conduct of research work. An important part of the cooperation between both universities is the exchange of scientific information interesting for both parts.

In compliance with this document, the parts have the right, under approval by the representatives of both universities, to add – as an addendum to the agreement – provisions on the cooperation in other fields. This agreement is valid for the period of five years since signing and can be extended.

The Institute co-operates with foreign partners within the framework of international programmes of TACIS, TEMPUS, INTAS, NATO, UNESCO, IAN and others, Adenauer, Bertelsmann, Ebert, Rosa Luxemburg (the FRG) Foundations, Renaissance, Eurasia Foundations, Egyptian foundation for Technical Co-operation with CIS Countries. The Institute hosts the European Documentation Centre, IMF Information Centre, NATO Information and Documentation Centre and the GUAM Information Centre.

Prominent foreign scholars and researchers work at the Institute, civil servants from many countries deliver lectures on international relations. The students, post graduate students and academia have participated in many scientific conferences and workshops.