Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Moscow)

Russia / Moscow / Moscow / Klimentovsky pereulok
 faculty of law / law school, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), educational building

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russian: Московский Физико-Технический институт), abbreviated MIPT or informally Phystech (alternative transliterations: MFTI, Fiztekh; МФТИ, Физтех) is a leading Russian university, originally established in the Soviet Union. It prepares specialists in theoretical and applied physics, applied mathematics, and related disciplines. It is sometimes referred to as "the Russian MIT."

MIPT is famous in the countries of the former Soviet Union, but is less known abroad. This is largely due to the specifics of the MIPT educational process (see "Phystech System" below). With its emphasis on practical research in the educational process, MIPT "outsources" education and research beyond the first two or three years to institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences. MIPT's own faculty is relatively small, and many of its distinguished lectors are visiting professors from those institutions. Student research is also typically performed outside of MIPT, and research papers do not identify the authors as MIPT students. However, university rankings such as The Times Higher Education Supplement are based primarily on publications and citations. This effectively hides MIPT from the academic radar—-an effect not unwelcome during the Cold War era, when leading scientists and engineers of the Soviet arms and space programs studied there.

The word "phystech," without the capital P, is also used in Russian to refer to Phystech students and graduates.

The MIPT campus is located in Dolgoprudny, a suburb of Moscow.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   55°44'26"N   37°37'52"E
This article was last modified 13 years ago