Brief presentation
University Ovidius - A unique location
Ovidius University is the the largest European university at the Black Sea. Situated in Constanța, the largest city in Dobruja and Southest Romania, the university is locatedin an economically powerful region, which representsa cultural bridge between East and West, an eastern gate to European Union.
Romania - A member state of the European Union
In 1989, Romania overturned the Communist regime and embarked on a new journey, based on democracy and respect for human rights, a journey that has so far entailed joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in March 2004 and the European Union in January 2007.
The Romanian language belongs to the group of Romance languages originating in Vulgar Latin, being, thus, closely related to Italian, French and Spanish. Romanians are proud of their Latin roots and extremely communicative, with approximately a quarter of the population being able to understand and/or speak English. Other well-known languages include, as is only to be expected, French, Italian and Spanish
Dobruja - A bridge between East and West
Dobruja, a region situated in the Southeast of Romania, bathed by the waters of the Danube and the Black Sea, has represented, in the course of history, a bridge between East and West, between North and South. The uniqueness of this region is due not only to its geographical location but, above all to a multitude of cultures and plural identities. Through its ethnic and religious diversity, the respect for traditions and the understanding between people, contemporary Dobruja also represents a cultural bridge between the civilizations.
The key elements that enable this space to conquer the hearts of those who visit it are its tourist attractions, the Danube Delta and the seaside resorts on the Black Sea coast. Dobruja is home to a natural paradise, the Danube Delta, the second largest and best preserved European delta. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, the Danube Delta is a national park and a biosphere reserve, the perfect habitat for over 300 bird species.
At present Dobruja is a highly competitive economic region. It is the location of the largest windmill park in Central and Eastern Europe, with hundreds of state-of-the-art turbines. With its fertile soil, basking in the warm sunshine, Dobruja is also a granary for the whole country.
Constanta - a metropolis in constant development.jpg)
Ovidius University is a defining landmark of Constanța, an ancient metropolis whose history started over 2500 years ago. Founded by Greek colonists from Miletus in the 6th century BCE, Tomis was conquered by the Romans in 71 BCE and renamed Constantiana by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, in honour of his sister. The name was shortened to Constanța during the Ottoman period.
In the 13th century, navigation in the Black Sea was dominated mostly by Genoese merchants and Constanța bloomed once more, only to decline two centuries later under the Turkish dominion. The city’s resurgence started in the 19th century, together with the development of the harbor and the construction of the bridge across the Danube. King Carol I of Romania played a significant part in the city’s development as a commercial hub and spa resort.
Constanța has continuously developed over time and is nowadays the largest city in the region. The Port of Constanța is the largest Black Sea harbor and one of the largest in Europe. The city is linked to the capital, Bucharest, by a modern highway, to Europe by the Danube-Black Sea Canal and to the world by an international airport.
Constanta - A space of friendship and mutual understanding
Constanța is an important economic hub as well as a cultural lighthouse, rendered unique by its archaeological treasures and the old city centre atmosphere. Due to its openness, Constanța is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country. An ethnic and religious mosaic,a space of free exchanges of ideas and mutual understanding,this seaside city is a great attraction for youth. In the summer it is a favorite holiday destination and for the rest of the year a student metropolis. The vast areas intended for sports, cultural events and entertainment make Constanța a vibrant city, a city for young people.
Ovidius University - Tradition and Modernity
Ovidius University is apublic higher education institution established in 1961. In 1990, it has become acomprehensive university, with bachelor's, master's and doctoral study programs at high European quality standards.The University has been granted a HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE by national and international accreditation institutions.With over 15,000 students Ovidius is the largest European university at the Black Sea.
The university
chose the name of the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, who spent the last years of his life in the ancient Greek colony of Tomis. The patron of the
University has left a lasting legacy to the entire world, a heritage that teaches, through the myth of Pygmalion of Metamorphoses, about passion and love, about creation and transformation.
Mission
Ovidius University is a comprehensive, multicultural higher education institution, with the mission to create, maintain and disseminate knowledge to the society through education, research and artistic creation at European standards. The university is actively engaged in the community, but with an impact on the entire Black Sea region, Europe, and beyond.
Our defining values
The letters that form the Ovidius University of Constanța acronym in Romanian, UOC, have a special meaning for its academics, as the initials that stand for Unity, Honour, Competence.
The wide range of domains of study represents one of Ovidius University’s major strengths. Acknowledging the importance of variety, the academic staff understands that the key to success can only reside in unity based on respect for diversity.
The evolution of the university has not been entirely uneventful, yet the university has found within itself the resources needed to overcome problematic moments, promoting upright people, setting up structures and mechanisms that would provide balance and control. Through its outstanding employees, Ovidius University has been able to draw a line and start anew, taking the path of honour, reconciliation and stability. At Ovidius University prestige is gained through diligence, respect for the law and a sense of justice. Time and again, the university has chosen the path of honesty.
Ovidius University values and rewards competence. Promoting creativity and encouraging initiative are the driving force behind achieving progress; combined, they lead to excellence and academic prestige. The problems we face cannot be solved by means of passivity, scepticism and a blasé attitude, but through the active involvement of people willing to surpass themselves, of ambitious, dynamic and persevering professionals.
High quality education, centered on students
Ovidius University enrolls over 15,000 students, under the guidance of 650 members of the academic staff and with the support of over 300 employees in administration and services.
The university is comprehensive, ensuring student instruction through programs covering all study cycles, from bachelor’s programs to master’s and doctoral programs, as well as various pedagogical training courses, advanced training courses for teachers, residency for physicians, etc. It covers a wide range of fields of study, from medical sciences to engineering, from humanities to materials sciences, from natural sciences to economic and legal studies, from arts to theology. The university currently has 86 bachelor’s programs in 44 domains, 76 master’s programs and 4 doctoral schools covering 8 study domains.
After the implementation of the Bologna Process, which started in the 2005-2006 academic year, Ovidius University entered the European Higher Education Area and can therefore issue diplomas recognized in the European Union and beyond. OUC is the largest university in South-East Romania and the largest European university at the Black Sea. Moreover, the Diploma Supplements are bilingual, being issued both in Romanian and in English.
Ovidius is a nationally and internationally accredited university. As a result of the 2009 institutional accreditation process, the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) granted Ovidius University a HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE. Following evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2011, Ovidius University was included in the category of education and research-centered universities. A year later, the university undertook the evaluation conducted by TÜV Austria and obtained the EN ISO 9001:2008 certification. The evaluation conducted by experts from the European University Association (EUA) in 2013 confirmed once more the high standards of quality of the activities conducted by the university and resulted in recommendations that allowed the current management to further develop the study programs of the university.
Notwithstanding the major challenges of the past few years, caused by the international economic crisis, acutely felt by Romanian society, declining birth rates, the decreasing percentage of high school students who pass the baccalaureate exam, the increasingly tight competition between institutions of higher education from Romania and abroad, the insufficient funding provided by the state budget, the ever-higher quality standards demanded by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, the profound changes affecting the funding of doctoral studies and the habilitation of doctoral advisors, Ovidius University has managed to maintain a steady and even ascending trajectory.
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Currently analyzing and reconsidering its study programs and teaching techniques, Ovidius University places students at the heart of its academic endeavor. The university is seeking new solutions meant to provide students with both specialized and transversal skills, which would improve their chances of success in a globalized and extremely competitive labor market.
The university is meant to shape characters. Being fully aware of the fact that ethics and morality are the foundations of a solid construction, whether we are talking about an institution or a human personality, the university promotes integrity among its academic staff and students, favoring correct evaluation and promotion practices and criteria. Moreover, our graduates are also trained as citizens, according to the principles of freedom of thought and expression, respect for and safeguarding of human rights, responsibility and civic duty. Over time, the university has demonstrated its ability to train leaders. Lectures and practical applications challenge students with relevant contemporary topics, encouraging them to devise solutions for a diverse and dynamic world. Practical activities allow students to manifest their creativity and initiative, perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit.
Excellence in scientific research
The second main pillar of Ovidius University’s mission is scientific research - technological development - innovation (RDI). This priority is demonstrated by a constant high ranking of our university among the universities focused on education and research. In the SCIMAGO Institutions Rankings - SIR, only few Romanian universities are visible in the top 3,000 research institutions in the world. Ovidius University has been constantly listed among the top 15 universities in Romania, the first 150 in Eastern Europe, and the first 2500 in the world.
In the last five years, academics and researchers from Ovidius University have published about 750 articles indexed in the Web of Science, and these have already accumulated nearly 1000 citations. Out of these, approximately 85% are in the broad field of science and technology, nearly 14.7% in social sciences and 0.3% in humanities and arts. A domain-based analysis reveals that the most powerful areas of research include natural and environmental sciences and materials sciences, medical sciences, mathematics and engineering sciences. Publications with an equally strong impact are in the field of medical sciences, natural sciences and the exact sciences.
In order to maintain the high status it has won, Ovidius University has a strong focus on the development of doctoral school, in order to enhance the RDI activities and artistic creation. Given the circumstances of intense competition for research funding, our university encourages performance and stimulates the accumulation of a critical mass concerning human resources and research infrastructure.
The national and international partnershipswe have established are able to secure the complementary expertise and facilities needed for successful RDI activities as well as greater opportunities for increased funding. Researchers from Ovidius University share their knowledge and equipment with national and international partners and gain access to top of the line infrastructure, which allows them to reach and maintain a desired level of worldwide excellence. Examples of recent joint research projects are with partners in Norway, Switzerland, Germany, the United States of America, etc. Our geographical proximity to the Danube, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea opens wide opportunities for research on wetlands, coastal and marine environment.
In 2014, Ovidius University received the Creativity Trophy, as a result of its research activity over the previous year, which was remarked by the regional industrial partners. The university had the largest number of patents registered with the Romanian Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM), which promoted the recognition from the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Navigation and Agriculture.
Ovidius University recognizes the accomplishments in RDI activities and artistic creation of its talented researchers. The annual awards for the best researcher are complemented by those for the editorial teams of the academic journals under the patronage of our university.
A unique student experience
Recent market research has shown that Ovidius University is the first option for 80% of our Romanian students. Our aspiration is to make Ovidius University the place of first choice in the minds of domestic and international students from the Black Sea region and the Middle East, but also from South-East Asia and Northern Africa. To reach our goal, the degree of satisfaction of our students and gradutes should continue to increase steadily.
To offer its students a unique learning experience Ovidius University has pledged to offer a greater diversity and flexibility of the study programs, a higher quality of complementary educational services, more effective educational and career development counseling, more profound social integration and an increasing number of scholarships.
Our students benefit from educational counseling services via the Centre for Educational and Career Development Counselingand theCentre of Excellence for Students. We organize career counseling activities and coordinate job fairs in order to support the placement of our graduateson the job market. The university management supports faculties and/or student associations in organizing student national and international conferences, contests and symposia connected to various themes of interest for both students and employers. Ovidius University organizes courses for which both university graduates and high school graduates are eligible. Last but not least, Ovidius University encourages student associations to organize stimulating extracurricular activities that provide memorable student experiences.
Ovidius University is a public institution and receives government subsidies. As a result the university offers free tuition to approximately 6800 students. Moreover, the university offers over over 1200 merit scholarships and over 400 social grants. In addition to this, ERASMUS+ grants students allow our students to benefit from one-semester internships at partner universities in Europe.
The practical training of our students takes place at the major economic agents in the region. Medical students have the opportunity to be trained in the main regional hospitals, while those enrolled in economics and technical degrees take advantage of offers from the main economic agents in the region: the port, the fossil fuel, food industry, electrical energy, tourism and services companies. Students who want to pursue a career in public administration may take advantage of offers from the local authorities.
The university provides student accommodation in 4 halls of residence, including a total number of 1327 of student residential places. Accommodation consists of studio type rooms, with en-suite bathroom, internet and cable TV. Our students have access to the university’s sports facilities. This includes a gymnasium, tennis courts, mini football pitches (artificial turf, natural grass, nocturnal lighting), basketball court (artificial turf), watersport craft, handball and footsal courts (artificial turf), volleyball court (artificial turf). Most facilities can be used during the winter season, as the courts can be covered with a balloon of pressurized surface. Moreover, the students also have access to a gymnasium with state-of-the-art equipment and an athletics hall with five 73-metre-long running tracks.
Ovidius University enjoys the advantages provided by its unique geographical position. Constanța is a metropolis that blends tradition and modernism, culture and sports, tourism and businesses. A city for the young, Constanța offers numerous exciting pastimes, from performances of classical music, opera or ballet, to contemporary rhythm concerts, from theater to film, from sporting events to boat races. Young people enjoy their leisure time in water parks and clubs or savor moments of gastronomic delight in ethnic restaurants.
Ovidius University supports student associations in organizing cultural and sporting events. The festive moments occasioned by graduation ceremonies bring together academics and alumni, as well as their families and friends.
The European University at the Black Sea
With over 15,000 students and more than 1,100 international students, Ovidius University is the largest European university at the Black Sea. Many of the international students perceive Ovidius University as a gateway to the European Union.
The group of international experts of the International Association of Universities (IAU) who assessed, in 2014, the universty’s potential for internationalization noted that the university’s main international strength resides in the quality of the education process, demonstrated by the satisfaction of our over 1,100 international students. They value both the quality of teaching and the wide access to practical activities. For instance, the students of Medicine who make the largest proportion of the international students, about 80%, greatly appreciate the direct contact with the patients in hospitals.
Ovidius University is very proud of the program it has developed in Romanian as a foreign language, which is the second largest program of this kind in Romanian universities. Year after year, more than one hundred students go through the preparatory courses at our university due to the quality of teaching, the diverse international experience, extracurricular activities and overall high student satisfaction.
Ovidius University has constantly encouraged student and academic staff exchanges. The ratio of incoming versus outgoing Erasmus students stands at about 60%, much higher than the national average of about 35%.
In addition to the links established through the Erasmus program, Ovidius University of Constanța has developed ties with over 100 partner institutions from all over the world. We have well established partnership connections with prestigious institutions across the USA and, with the full support of the Fulbright Commission, we established the cultural center American Corner. We have developed strong ties with the British Council, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (the Francophone University Agency), the Goethe Institute (GI) and the Cervantes Institute. We host the Confucius Class and we are on the point of founding a center for studies in collaboration with the Consulate General of Turkey. We are also involved in partnerships with South American universities, particularly in natural sciences.
University has engaged in regional and international cooperation through international higher education associations. UOC is a founding member of the Black Sea Universities Network (BSUN) and hosts its secretariat. The University is a member of various international associations such as EUA and EURASHE, which provides advice to its own development and progress involvement in higher education globally.
Our location is unique, in a multicultural metropolis, home to a wide diversity of ethnic and religious groups. For instance, the existence of a large Turkish and Tartar community, with mosques as well as ethnic restaurants has turned Constanța into an attractive place for Muslim students. The short distance to Bulgaria and Greece encourages prospective students from these countries to choose Ovidius University. The common traditions and the similar cuisine make the students coming from the other Balkan countries feel at home in Constanța. The presence of a significant Aromanian community in the region appeals to students of similar origin from Greece, Albania and FYR of Macedonia.
Constanța is a low crime city. The high safety standards imposed within the university and the overall atmosphere of hospitality give our students a warm feeling of security, of being welcome. The presence of numerous general consular and honorary consular offices in Constanța and the strong involvement of the international student associations provide for our international students the guarantee of security and trust.
Institutional development
The institutional development of the Ovidius University of Constanța requires increasing the number of students and teachers, the income, the teaching and research facilities as well as the infrastructure. It also means growing the degree of attractiveness at international level, higher performance in education, scientific research, and service to the community.
We intend to open new study programs in foreign languages at all academic levels and to promote joint programs leading to a joint degree.
We feel certain that these are to consolidate the dominant ranking of our university within the network of Romanian, Central and Southeast European universities. The ongoing projects concerning institutional development include: strengthening the educational system, promoting a strong partnership teacher-student, ensuring sustainable development of the university using government funds and extra-budgetary sources, expanding the academic offers, promoting an academic policy based on high-performance research, able to lead to institutional development, innovation and economic growth.
The institutional development strategy is based on accessing domestic and international funding sources by implementing projects aimed at both the development of our infrastructure and excellence in education and research.
At present, Ovidius University of Constanța is implementing 17 projects. Since February 2014, OUC has been the beneficiary of a large project worth 21.5 million lei from European funds for the establishment of a Research and Development Center for morphological and genetic studies in malignant pathology. Other important projects are: “Impulse” – “A student today! A professional tomorrow!”, aimed at improving student insertion on the labor market in the technical / economic / veterinarian fields. Other projects include: “Design your career!” - a project aimed at students who are in a stage of transition from school to work and who want to benefit from the expertise of specialists in the field of engineering sciences through internships; “CERO - Career Profile: Romanian researcher” aims to attract researchers with high potential for achieving scientific excellence in the field of urology and related areas of specialization at post-doctoral level; “Sustainable Performance in doctoral and post-doctoral research – PERFORM” – is aimed at developing highly-skilled human capital at doctoral and postdoctoral level by providing financial support, training skills and competencies, which are all a prerequisite on a modern labor market in which science and technology have an increased contribution to social development.
Our university is not merely a beneficiary of the geographical location, economic environment, socio-cultural, ethnic and religious diversity. In its turn, Ovidius University of Constanța offers knowledge, inspires and excites, thus fulfilling its mission of giving back to the community.
If the lighthouse, which defines Constanța as a port city, guides the people sailing the Black Sea, our university lightens the knowledge path for generations of students.
Infrastructure
The university has buildings with the usable surface area (lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories and reading rooms) of over 24,000 square metres.
The location of the oldest building belonging to the university, built in 1936 and hosting the Rector’s office, the great auditorium (Aula Magna) and the Administrative Board meeting room is 124 Mamaia Boulevard. The building has a usable surface area of over 4,400 square metres, including the lecture halls and classrooms of the Faculties of Mathematics and Computer Science, Applied Sciences, Engineering, Arts, etc. The building is currently undergoing extension through the addition of attics meant to provide extra space for the Faculties of Arts and Pharmacy. Construction engineers conduct their activity in the vicinity of the main building, at 27 Unirii Street, whereas psychologists and economists are to be found at 58 Ion Vodă Street.
The new campus situated at 1 University Alley includes several buildings. Building A, completed in 1998, with a usable surface area of over 3,000 square metres, hosts the Senate Hall and classrooms used by Philology, Economics, Law, History and Theology students, etc. Building B, built in 2008, with a usable surface area of over 4,400 square metres, is meant for Medicine, Biology and Pharmacy students. Most of the spaces belonging to Dental students are to be found at 58 Ilarie Voronca Street, in a building refurbished in 2002 with a usable surface area of approximately 900 square metres.
The Nautical Base is located on the shores of Mamaia Lake, next to a sports base comprising numerous sports courts (volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis), running track, gymnasium and athletics hall. The three buildings meant for Sports students located at No. 143 Alexandru Lăpușneanu Boulevard were built in 2008 and have a total usable surface area of over 3,400 square metres..
The near-future investment projects of the university include building new teaching spaces for the Faculties of Pharmacy and Dentistry, a multifunctional gymnasium with an administrative building and spaces for Theological studies.
The University Library, located at 126 Mamaia Boulevard in a building refurbished in 2014,hosts a rich publication fund amounting to almost 600,000 volumes: books, periodicals, reference works, monographs, manuscripts, audio-visual documents, CDs, DVDs and maps. The value of its collections is increased by first edition volumes, 17th century rare books, autographed volumes and manuscripts. The library is currently undergoing a modernization process by installing an integrated library system ALEPH, which enables readers’ access to electronic databases.
The Virtual Library, situated in an adjacent building built in 2008 offers access to an application package consisting of Alice for Windows, Softlink-Liberty3, library IT systems, with free access to various academic databases. Moreover, through the ANELIS+ project, Virtual Library computers can be used to access the Web of Science and Scopus International Databases, as well as scientific information full text providers such as Science Direct, SpringerLink, Oxford, Wiley, etc.
Ovidius University Press, the university’s publishing house, is included in the Catalogue of Romanian publishig houses and book publishers and is a member of the Romanian Association of publishers. Ovidius University Press publishes academic courses, treatises, doctoral theses, collections of scientific articles, journals. Its catalogue comprises hundreds of predominantly academic titles, enlisting it among the most representative publishing houses in Dobruja.
The Annals of Ovidius Universityincluding series dedicated to Philology, Mathematics and Informatics, Physics, Law, Theology, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Physical Education, General Medicine, Dental Medicine and Pharmacy, Economic Sciences represent a special focus of this publishing house. The Annals disseminate the results of scientific research and artistic creation conducted by OUC professors, researchers and PhD candidates, promoting original contributions in various domains. Other periodicals published under the aegis of Ovidius University include: Ars Medica Tomitana, Ars Aequi; Historical Yearbook; Romanian Journal of Business Simulation, Romanian Journal of Euro-Asian Studies.
The university provides student accommodation in four halls of residence including a total number of 1,300 student residential places. Two of them, one built in 1998, the other in 2008, are situated near the sea, immediately south of Mamaia Resort and next to the university Guesthouse, meant for external teaching staff and visiting professors. The other two halls of residence are part of the 124 Mamaia Boulevard campus. The buildings were completed in 1960 and 1961 and refurbished between 2006 and 2008. All accommodation consists of studio type rooms, with en-suite bathroom, internet and cable TV.
Ovidius University – Stats and Facts
Ovidius University enrolls approximately 15,100 students, of which nearly 11,900 in BA study programs, over 2,200 in MA programs, approximately 700 in residency training programs and over 300 in PhD programs. Some other 100 international students attend Romanian language courses in the Preparatory year program and over 2,700 continue education courses to obtain their teaching certifications.
Nearly 59 % of our students pay tuition fees in BA study programs, 44%, in MA programs, 17 % in residency programs and 75 %, in PhD programs.
Students (funding)
Ovidius University enrolls over 1,100 international students: 28% of them come from EU countries and countries from the European Economic Area. Our students come from all over the world, from the United States and Canada to China. Their areas of origin include Europe – about 49 % of students; Middle East – 40 %; the Far East and Africa – 5 %. The most important countries of origin are Israel, Greece, Turkey and the Republic of Moldova.
The budget of Ovidius University consists of revenues coming from government subsidies per student by the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as from other sources. The budget is proposed by the Administrative Board and approved by the Senate.
TThe total income of the university in 2014 was about 21 million euro, of which about 35 % was from the Ministry of Education and Research through institutional funding for tuition-free students. About 48 % of the revenue comes from tuition and other fees.
Revenues from European Union nonrefundable funds amounted to 4 % , whereas those from research grants to 2% of total income. The budget for student hostels and canteen as well as the income from other sources amounted to 8% and 2 % of total revenues, respectively.
The total expenditures in 2014 amounted to 20 million euro, which led to a surplus of nearly 0.7 million. Of the total expenses, the largest share, 69 %, represents wages, while material costs account for about 17 % and investment-related payments account for about 4 %.