The Historical School of Kharkiv National University named after V. N. Karazin trains highly qualified specialists for teaching and educational, scientific, methodological and management activities. Graduates of the School are able to work in different fields: education (secondary and vocational schools, and higher educational establishments), science (scientific research establishments), archive and museum management, publishing, tourism etc. Many outstanding state and public figures graduated from this School.
The history of the School begins with the foundation of Kharkiv University in 1804. There are 8 trends of scientific research at the School. Some of them are traditional which have existed for many decades and several generations of scientists have been engaged in them, and some trends have been formed in the recent years.
About 600 students who will be conferred Bachelor’s or Master’s Degrees after graduating from the University are being trained at this School at present.
There are three lines of specialization at the School:
- history;
- archive management;
- archaeology.
The instruction of students includes wide-range humanitarian training and comprehensive specialized training at the Departments of the School.
More than 150 courses which cover the whole history of mankind from the ancient times of our days and consider modern conceptions, methodology and historical research methods are taught at the School.
Archaeological, museum, archive and teaching practices are an important element of students’ training. There is the Specialized Council for confirming Candidate’s and Doctor’s theses. Every year about 20 persons take a post-graduate course at the School.
There is a modern Information Centre which provides students and lecturers with information.
At present the Historical School of Kharkiv National University is one of the most prestigious academic and educational centers.
There are 12 professors and 28 assistant professors at the School. Many lecturers of the teaching staff have been awarded with honorary titles. The traditions of scientific schools are cherished at the School.
One should mention the intensive development of the student’s research activities, in particular, meetings of students’ research circles and students’ scientific conferences are regularly held.
Every year the teaching staff of the School has about 100 scientific papers published. The Historical School is one of the main centers of publishing educational literature, and it has its own periodicals, such as the Visnyk of KhNU (History series), the Starozhitnosti, the Kharkiv Historiographical Collection, the Drynov Collection, the Topical Problems of Ukrainian and World History, the Methodological Visnyk.
Archaeological expeditions are an important trend of the research work of the School. Archaeological expeditions are carried out in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions and in the Crimea.
There are two well-known museums at the University – the Archaeological and Ethnographical Museum of Slobidska Ukraine and the Museum of the History of Karkiv University. The Eastern Regional Department of the Centre of Monument Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Kharkiv Historical and Archaeological Society are attached to the School.
During the entire period of its existence the Historical School has kept in touch with scientific research establishments of Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland and the USA.