Art education in Gzhel underwent long process of formation and development; from the opening in 1899 of the Drawing Course at the Stroganov School of Art and Industry in Rechitsy School District, to Gzhel State University - formed after the reorganization of the existing Institute in 2015.

Nowadays, GSU appears as a dynamically developing educational centre, whose institutional body includes 50 educational and scientific subunits. According to the results of the last monitoring of higher professional education institutions, conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science, our University was, by all adopted criteria, recognized as effective.

Educational and scientific activities

The institutional body of GSU is constituted of 2 Faculties (Faculty of Fine Art and Design, Faculty of social and humanitarian education), Research laboratories, Centre for Supplementary Education, Training and Production Workshops, Data Processing Centre, Scientific Library, Museum, Sport Facilities, Main Hall, Refectory, Student Canteen, 3 Сampus.

Highly qualified lecturers conduct the educational process; 82, 2% of the Faculty Staff possesses scientific degrees and titles. The Faculty Staff of the University consists of 143 lecturers, out of which 14 Doctors of Science, 35 with PhD degrees, 8 Honoured Artists of Russian Federation, 8 members of artistic organizations and unions, etc.

At present time, continuous education system College-University is implemented at the GSU. It consists of 14 professional College-level programmes and 32 higher, University-level, programmes. Graduates receive a state-recognized degree.

GSU offers PhD courses according to the programme Еconomics, Еducation and pedagogical sciences, Аrt history.

Important events concerning scientific and creative activities at the University include yearly international festival "Artistic Ceramics", university competition of scientific and creative works of students "Hope of science and creativity" at the International Forum "Youth in science and creativity", international scientific forum "Science. Education. Culture", Science Week, Exhibition-fair of Folk Art and Crafts "Ladya" (Shallot) and others.

International activity

The Department of International Relations continues to work on the integration and internationalization of Gzhel State University into the international scientific and educational space as a center of art and industrial education.

In 2022, 25 external and internal international events were held with the participation of employees of the embassies of El Salvador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Cuba, as well as artists, teachers, guests from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.

The University cooperates with 20 educational and government organizations from 10 countries of the world.

For many years, the university has been implementing student academic exchange programs with foreign educational institutions of Belarus and Kazakhstan, more than 50 students have already been able to gain experience in the field of decorative and applied arts and design.

Every year the university hosts the International Festival of National Cultures "We study in Russia!". Its main tasks are the preservation of spiritual values, traditions of national cultures and their promotion, the development of international relations, the organization of meaningful and cognitive leisure for young people and students.

Extracurricular Activities

As the strategic aim of educational activities realized at GSU, we see the provision of optimal conditions for the formation and development, in each student, of personal traits, characteristic for the future specialist in possession of general cultural competences, civic responsibility and qualities of a leader, capability for professional, intellectual and social creative work.

The existence in GSU of unique educational space, our legacy and tradition, determine the character of our educational activity.

GSU students regularly and successfully participate in different projects like the All-Russian Artistic Exposition "Young Russian Artists", Exhibition-fair of Folk Art and Crafts "Ladya" (Shallot), Moscow Interuniversity Festival "Sails of Hope", Contest of Patriotic Programs "Victory for the Future", regional photo contests "Catch the Moment", the competition of young poets "Awakening", All-Russian contest "Russian Artisans Glory", International Exhibition-contest of Contemporary Art "Russian Art Week", International Design Contest "Golden Line", and many more.

Many students of GSU are actively engaged in the study of educational programs within the Interuniversity School "Ascent", they take part in projects of the Volunteers Club, Sports Club, Journalism Club, vocal studio "Constellation", and develop the "KVN" movement.

Every year active students participate in the work of All-Russian camps like "Stairway", "Perspective", "Leader of the XXI Century", "XXI Century Sport", "Creative Leader Phaestos", in the educational forum "Seliger", and others.

Different sport sections function within the Sports Club; namely - the badminton, volleyball, basketball, Ping-Pong, general physical training, mini-football, tourism, equestrian sport, swimming, Sambo, and judo sections.

Different and various sport events are organized and supported by the GSU: University Spartakiada, District and Regional contests in badminton, football, and other sports, in which our teams successfully compete and regularly win.