The Independent University of Moscow is an educational organisation with rather informal status located in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1991 by a group of prominent Russian mathematicians that included Vladimir Arnold and Sergei Novikov. The IUM consists of the departments of mathematics and theoretical physics and the post-graduate school. Anyone can attend lectures and seminars and become a student after passing three exams. The IUM is the only non-state college for the preparation of professional mathematicians in Russia. An IUM diploma is recognized by such authoritative mathematical institutions as the Steklov Institute of Mathematics, Harvard University and the Weizmann Institute. It is a non-governmental educational institution for the training of professional mathematicians, acting by a higher education institution type.
The Independent University of Moscow was founded in 1991 by a group of prominent academics, professors and mathematics teaching enthusiasts. P. Deligne and R. MacPherson also played decisive roles in the creation of the university, along with N.N. Konstantinov, the famous teacher and organizer of mathematical olympiads. Since 2000, Yulij Ilyashenko has served as the president of the IUM. Since 2001, the IUM operates a program for foreign students called Math in Moscow. The American and Canadian Mathematical Societies award scholarships for those wishing for a year or a semester to study mathematics at the IUM. The IUM also operates an exchange program with the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and fifth-year graduate students have the opportunity to IUM for a month to study at Ecole Normale, and French students at IUM. In 2002, it opened a joint French-Russian Laboratory.
Training
IUM is a structural subdivision of the Moscow Center for Continuous Mathematical Education. Training is conducted on the basis of Annexes 001 to 335 085 series A license, registration number 026325, as the provision of additional educational programs to secondary or higher education. IUM offers a free 5-year course of study, and, post-graduate courses. Classes are held in the evenings for the convenience of students of high schools. Education in the IUM is based on the following principles:
There are no entrance exams.
Any person can freely attend the classes.
A non-resident student who successfully passes three exams, becomes a resident student of the university. A resident student must pass at least 3k - 3 courses to complete k-th semester.
To graduate, the student must fulfill all the credits, both for the mandatory and elective courses, and defend a thesis.
The diploma of The Independent University of Moscow is recognized by the leading mathematical institutions worldwide, including Harvard University, Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc.
