The Higher Courses for Women in Moscow () was a university for women between 1872 and 1918 (with a break in 1888-1900), after which they were transformed into the 2nd Moscow State University. It was one of the largest and most prominent women's higher education institutions in the Russian Empire, second only to the Bestuzhev Courses in Saint Petersburg. It was founded and administered by Vladimir I. Guerrier.
Historical information
First period (1872-1888) At the beginning of 1871, the supernumerary professor of general history of Moscow University , V.I. Guerrier, sent a note to the trustee of the Moscow educational district, Prince A.P. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov , about the advisability of opening higher women's courses in Moscow, to which he added the draft "Regulations on Higher Women's Courses", in which he outlined the purpose and program of the created courses. Guerrier persuaded the Minister of Public Education Count Dmitry A. Tolstoy to sanction a higher school for women in Moscow. In May 1872, the Minister of Public Education, Count D. A. Tolstoy , agreed to the opening of higher women's courses in Moscow as a private educational institution and approved the "Regulations on Higher Women's Courses".
On November 1, 1872, at Volkhonka 16, in the building of the First Men's Gymnasium , the grand opening of the Moscow Higher Women's Courses (courses of Professor V. I. Guerrier) took place, where professors of the Imperial Moscow University, priest A. M. Ivantsov-Platonov , S. M. Solovyov spoke and V. I. Guerriere.
The course budget consisted of tuition fees and voluntary donations. The first donations came from Guerrier's wife Evdokia Ivanovna, her aunt E. K. Stankevich (500 rubles annually) and K. T. Soldatenkov (100 rubles annually). 13.44% of the sources of income for the courses were dividends from bonds purchased by Guerrier with a portion of the income from the activities of the courses. In addition, additionally (1%) the course participants collected money to purchase books for the course library. To replenish the course budget, Guerrier staged charity performances at the Solodovnikov Theatre. For income from performances in 1883, 46 listeners were given allowances. In addition, funds were sought through the sale of books and postcards printed in their own printing house.
Initially, training was designed for 2 years, and since 1879, according to the new Charter, 3 years. The Moscow courses had a historical and philological orientation, the compulsory subjects were approved: the history of Russia and general history, Russian literature and general literature, the history of civilization and the history of art, physics. For those who wished, it was supposed to teach foreign languages, mathematics and hygiene. Classes were paid: 30 rubles a year were paid for the entire course of a student, and 10 rubles a year for a separate subject - volunteers. In 1875, the fee was 50 rubles a year; then - 100 rubles a year. In the total volume of incoming financial resources, tuition fees amounted to more than 75%; part of the funds (up to 7%) were voluntary donations; from 1875 to 1882 Moscow Merchant Administration allocated 500 rubles a year for 10 scholarships.
In 1872-1873, the courses were located on Volkhonka in downtown Moscow, in 1873-1876 - in the premises of the Museum of Applied Knowledge on Prechistenka 32, and in 1877-1888 - in a building specially built for the Polytechnic Museum.
Regular students had to provide a certificate of secondary education upon entry or pass entrance exams in Russian and general history, Russian and general literature. The listeners also submitted an autobiography, a certificate of moral conduct and political integrity from the governor general, two photographs and, without fail, permission from the eldest man in the family or spouse.
The number of students in the courses at that time was quite high: in the first year after the opening of the courses, it reached 70 (most of the students moved from the Lubensky courses), then until 1878 it fluctuated between 103-107, and from 1879 the number of students gradually increased , reaching 256 in the 1884/85 academic year.
In 1881, a new humanitarian discipline was introduced in the courses - the history of philosophy.