Russian International Academy for Tourism (RIAT) is the leading Russian educational and scientific center of international level in the field of professional tourism education with branches in Russia and abroad.
The fifty-year long history of Russian International Academy for Tourism starts with the opening of Central Tourism Courses of the Central Council for Tourism and Excursions in 1969.
Now RIAT is a reputable tourism institution, a leader in training for hospitality, management, law, management in foreign and domestic tourism industry, teaching and research activities. Over 4 thousand students study at three faculties and in six branches. The Academy has branches in Russia and abroad: the Armenian Institute of Tourism (Republic of Armenia), Voskresensk Institute of Tourism, Western Moscow Region Institute of Tourism, Kazan Branch (Republic of Tatarstan), Moscow Branch, Pskov Branch.
RIAT is one of the most effective private educational institutions in Russia.
Rector of the most acclaimed higher learning institution of Russia’s travel industry is Evgeny Trofimov, Doctor of Political Sciences, Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation, Member of the Expert Board for Tourism under Social Policy Committee of the Federation Council of Russia, Member of the Executive Committee of International Social Tourism Organisation, Member of the Board of Directors of the International association supporting hospitality and tourism education and training (EURHODIP).
The Academy was founded by the Central Board for Tourism and Recreation (Holding) whose President Victor Pugiev holds a PhD in engineering and is a professor and Honorary Worker of the Travel Industry of the Russian Federation.
RIAT is an institution of higher learning with a unique model of a multi-level training system for the tourism industry: undergraduate training, secondary vocational education (college), higher education (bachelor's), postgraduate (master's, PhD), supplementary education (Central tourism courses).
Achievements and Awards
Honorary diploma of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia
Commendation letter of the Chairperson, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia
Honorary diploma of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia
Commendation letter of Moscow Region Governor
Honorary diploma of Moscow Regional Duma
Honorary diploma of Federal Agency for Tourism
Commendation letter of Most Reverend Juvenaly, Metropolitan of Krutits and Kolomna
Honorary diploma of Khimki Municipality
Commendation letter of the Central Committee, Trade Union of Professionals in Physical Education, Sports and Tourism of the Russian Federation
Commendation letter of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Diploma of Moscow and Moscow Region’s Union of Private Higher Educational Institutions
Commendation letter and Medal of National Health League, a national public organisation
The European-level Training of Tourism and Hospitality Professionals
* The student count in the Academy and its six branches (including undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD students) is in excess of 4,000
* The academic staff of 220 teachers and professors, including 34 with full doctoral degree, 68 PhDs, 25 professors, 32 associate professors, 10 Honorary Workers of Higher Education of the Russian Federation and 4 Honorary Workers of Higher Education of Moscow Region
* 150 specially outfitted lecture halls: the Chair of Civil Law has a fully outfitted court room, a fully outfitted forensic lab and a specialised PC classroom. The Academy runs a RIAT Law Clinic in which experienced teachers supervise students as they provide legal advice to young persons and members of the local community.
* Two multimedia language labs with licensed software. Our students use a variety of digital textbooks and a library of foreign academic works, research guidelines and fiction literature
* The Academy’s intellectual capacity represented by 9 continually developing academic schools is the chief asset of RIAT
* Our local area network comprises over 360 PCs, 3 servers and 7 information systems
* A library of 300,000 copies, including various works published in the USSR, Russia and abroad (academic literature, textbooks and reference works, fiction literature) and RIAT publications; CDs; brief and complete theses and various journals and other periodicals
* Over 5,000 students have served their internship in Turkey, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Tunisia, the USA and elsewhere
* RIAT takes part in over 40 international, national and interuniversity research conferences and practical forums
* Since 1997, RIAT has published 744 textbooks and academic works. RIAT Editing and Publishing Center publishes textbooks and academic works on tourism and professional education in the travel industry. RIAT books have won multiple prizes of the University Book Award; RIAT Editing and Publishing Center has received an honorary diploma of the Ministry of Education of Russia. 32 issues of “Vestnik RMAT” scientific journal recognized by the Higher Attestation Commission have been published
√ Fast-track degree programmes available
√ All study modes available: full-time, part-time, part-time / distance learning
Our connections with institutions and associations in the Russian Federation
■ Russian Academy of Sciences
■ Russian Academy of Education
■ Federal Agency for Tourism (Russiatourism)
■ The Russian Union of Travel Industry
■ Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
■ Moscow City Committee for Tourism and Hotel Industry
■ Moscow Region Committee for Tourism and Hotel Industry
■ Moscow Department of Ethnic Policy, Inter-regional Cooperation and Tourism
■ National Tourism Association (NTA)
■ Russian Hotel Association
■ Russian Geographical Society
■ National Tourism Academy
■ Association of Universities for Tourism Education
■ Russian Association of Private Higher Educational Institutions
■ Moscow and Moscow Region’s Union of Private Higher Educational Institutions
RIAT’s most significant social project consists of its administrative and intellectual contribution to the development of social tourism in Russia. The Academy has arranged and actively participated in several international forums and round-table discussions which involved issues of tourism and travel accessibility for low-income and disabled persons. These discussions provided an environment in which draft concepts were prepared for Federal Agency for Tourism which subsequently used them as a general framework for accessible tourism development in Russia. In cooperation with Social Policy Committee of the Federation Council of Russia and the Central Council for Tourism and Recreation (Holding), Russian International Academy for Tourism took part in the elaboration of the draft federal law which will provide workers and their families with an additional opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to recreation.
International Cooperation
Russian International Academy for Tourism holds membership in several top-tier international organisations for tourism and travel industry and education:
■ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
■ International Social Tourism Organisation (OITS)
■ International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST)
■ World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training (AMFORHT)
■ International association supporting hospitality and tourism education and training (EURHODIP)
■ World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC)
For over twenty years the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Tourism for Peace and Development has been successfully operating at Russian International Academy for Tourism.
All this helps to strengthen the authority of the Academy in the European educational space and the recognition of its international status, as well as contributes to the training of personnel at a high international level.
Academic mobility
Cooperation with foreign universities and international organizations on the basis of partnership agreements is one of RIAT priorities. A solid international reputation of the Academy and its educational programmes was confirmed when RIAT joined ERASMUS+, a European academic mobility programme supervised by the European Commission. The programme offers students an opportunity to take a term or a full year course in a university abroad. Lecturers are offered mobility periods involving internship and lecturing opportunities. RIAT has a growing partnership in this area with several universities:
■ Institut de Recherche et D’études Supérieures du Tourisme, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (IREST) (France)
■ University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
■ University of the Aegean (Greece)
■ South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
■ Utena University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania)
Vatel Hospitality Management School
Vatel is one of the best European higher schools of hospitality and travel business management. Vatel Group has 50 schools located on 5 continents, and one of them is within Russian International Academy for Tourism. By 2019, the famous Vatel-RIAT Russian-French training programme in hospitality and travel business management has been active for 14 years and it has passed regular international audits with flying colours. Quite frequently, graduates of Vatel international programme have been awarded bursaries and studentships funded by the Government of France which enabled them to continue their studies and pursue a Master degree.
Master degree programmes
Russian International Academy for Tourism offers two joint international double-degree Master programmes in cooperation with:
■ University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB)
■ Institut de Recherche et D’études Supérieures du Tourisme, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (IREST).
Graduates receive degree diplomas from both RIAT and the international partner university.
Continuous development
Recently the first group of RIAT students has visited Spain within RIAT’s partnership agreement with Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Sevilla (Higher School for Hospitality Management of Seville). Their three-month internship programme includes lectures on Spanish civilization and culture, seminars and master classes in Spanish cuisine and restaurant service traditions as well as short-term work placements in Madrid and Marbella restaurants. RIAT also runs joint international advance and professional retraining programmes in cooperation with Casa Artusi Cookery School (Forlimpopoli, Italy).
Achievements to be proud of
RIAT’s slogan says: “The Academy takes pride in its students. The students take pride in their Academy”. The Academy is a prestigious institution whose graduates work in top management positions of well-known companies in Russia and abroad. RIAT students have won numerous Russian and international academic awards; they regularly attend industry events (professional exhibitions and forums); they worked as volunteers at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games; they have organized annual tourism and travel conferences and various field studies at remote areas; they regularly volunteer to provide personal assistance to war veterans and senior citizens. Nearly everyone is involved either in a volunteer movement.
RIAT Rector regularly meets the student leader group. At these meetings, students provide important feedback and the Academy uses it to adjust its policies and practices.
RIAT students have been a vital part of the implementation of our programmes related to Russian Presidential Grants which the Academy has already received twice. Our project entitled ‘Using Tourism as a Tool to Build Up a Framework for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyle among Youth and Students’ received a civil society development grant of the President of the Russian Federation; in the implementation of that project, RIAT students were joined by students of other Khimki and Moscow Region universities.
Among students and graduates there are quite a few famous athletes who are part of the Russian national hockey, biathlon, and orienteering teams. RIAT teams in basketball, orienteering, biathlon, football and other sports have repeatedly won prizes in competitions at various levels.
Over 55,000 alumni of Russian International Academy for Tourism are having successful careers in Russia and in other countries. The Academy pursues innovative development, both at the main campus and at its branches; it constantly makes effort carefully to study the demand for education and to meet it by training highly skilled professionals who conform to international qualification requirements.
When our students graduate from the Academy, we do not part with them for good; instead, RIAT endeavours to make them want to return. This is why we keep developing new qualification upgrade and professional retraining programmes which are in great demand in our fast-changing times.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
10 Oktyabrskaya Street, Skhodnya Microdistrict, Khimki, 141420, Moscow Region
Admissions Office: 7 Gorky Street, Skhodnya Microdistrict, Khimki, 141420, Moscow Region,
Phone: +7 495 574 0132
www.rmat.ru
MOSCOW BRANCH (IZMAILOVO)
Admissions Office: 71 Izmailovskoe Highway, Bldg. 4G-D, Section 5, 105613, Moscow (“Partizanskaya” metro station)
Phone: +7 495 737 7155
www.mf.rmat.ru
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The Academy is Holder of a Higher Education Provider Licence and State Accreditation, both issued for an unlimited period
