University of Cyprus

The '''University of Cyprus''' (UCY) ({{lang-gr|Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου}}, {{lang-tr|Kıbrıs Üniversitesi}}) is a [[public university|public]] [[coeducational]] [[university]] established by the [[Cyprus|Republic of Cyprus]] in 1989. It admitted its first students in 1992 and has currently approximately 6000 students (2010/2011). ==History== The University of Cyprus was established in 1989 and admitted its first students in 1992. It was founded in response to the growing intellectual needs of the Cypriot people, and is well placed to fulfil several aspirations of the country. The University is a vigorous community of scholars engaged in the generation and diffusion of knowledge. Despite its brief history, the University of Cyprus has earned the respect of the international academic community and the appreciation of Cypriot society. Admission for the majority of undergraduate students is by entrance examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, and the competition for places is approximately 10 to 1. A number of places are reserved for students with special needs or circumstances. Every effort is made to offer practical solutions to students facing specific problems, be it access to University facilities, or assistance on academic issues. When the University of Cyprus first opened its doors to students, the incoming class consisted of 486 undergraduate students. During the academic year 2010-2011, 4691 undergraduate students attended courses offered by the 21 departments. At the same time, there were 1549 postgraduate students. ==Academic profile== [[File:University of Cyprus in Nicosia capital of the Republic of Cyprus 2 .jpg|thumb|left|]] [[File:University of Cyprus in Nicosia capital of the Republic of Cyprus 4.jpg|thumb|Main University square]] [[File:University of Cyprus in Nicosia capital of the Republic of Cyprus 10.jpg|thumb|Theatre entrance]] Based in the [[Capital (political)|Capital]] of [[Cyprus]], [[Nicosia]]. Teaching is mainly in Greek. The official languages are [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]], but only a few Turkish speakers are registered. Since September 2005, the University's credit point system is based on [[ECTS]]. [[Turkish Cypriots]] who hold a six-year high-school diploma are eligible for admission upon passing special examinations set by the University. Those eligible to participate in the entrance examination for the University of Cyprus are [[Cyprus|Cypriot]] citizens or those with at least one parent of Cypriot origin. Prospective students must have graduated from a six-year high school, and have completed the necessary application forms within the time limits set by the Ministry of Education and Culture. A limited number of positions is granted to the handicapped or those with special needs. [[Greek diaspora|Greeks of the Diaspora]] and Cypriots who belong to specific religious groups as determined by the constitution of Cyprus, repatriated Cypriots and Cypriots who are permanent residents in the other countries, can claim a limited number of posts (3% of the admitted Cypriot students) based on [[GCSE]]/[[General Certificate of Education|GCE]] or other equivalent exams The programmes of studies at the University of Cyprus are based on credit hours. One credit hour is normally equivalent to one weekly 50-minute «class» per semester. To graduate from the University, a student must successfully complete 120 credit hours as described in the programme of the Department, which must include 12-15 credit hours of free elective courses outside the major area of studies and from at least two faculties of the University. In addition to the 120 credit hours, the student must complete the University's foreign language requirement of 6 to 9 credits. According to the [[Webometrics Ranking of World Universities]] the University of Cyprus ranks 445th in Europe. ==Faculties== [[File:University of Cyprus in Nicosia capital of the Republic of Cyprus 3.jpg|thumb|Mathematics department]] There are seven Faculties within the University: *Faculty of Humanities with three departments and the Language Centre *Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences with five departments and the Oceanography Centre, *Faculty of Social Sciences and Education with four departments and the Centre for Gender Studies*, *Faculty of Economics and Management with two departments, the Economic Research Centre and the Centre for Banking and Financial Research, *Faculty of Engineering with four departments, the Nanotechnology Research Centre and KIOS Research Centre for Intelligent Systems and Networks, *Faculty of Letters with three departments and the Archaeological Research Unit *Faculty of Graduate Studies. *Faculty of Humanities ==Library== [[File:University of Cyprus cafeteria modern building facilities Republic of Cyprus.jpg|thumb|Cafeteria in University of Cyprus]] The Library's mission is to serve the learning and information needs of the academic community (undergraduate and graduate students, academic staff, researchers and administrative staff), while maintaining within its scope the provision of information services to the broader scientific community of the country. The Library has more than 267.289 books, with an annual increase of approximately 12.000 new titles. Important collections among the Library holdings include the Cyprus Studies Collection, Archaeological Collection and Turkish Studies Collection. The majority of books are already catalogued and can be retrieved from the Library Catalogue (ADVANCE/GEAC) from all connected computers within the University network, as well as from anywhere through the Library web-based online public access catalogue (WebOpac). In the last years the University of Cyprus Library has become practically fully electronic (function-wise) and hybrid (content-wise), since its collections include printed, digital and audiovisual material. Furthermore, the Library is capable of producing material in Braille format for visually impaired users. == External links == * [http://www.ucy.ac.cy University of Cyprus web site] {{UNICA}} {{UNIMED}} {{coord missing|Cyprus}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cyprus, University Of}}