The National University of Mongolia, abbreviated NUM or MUIS, is a public university primarily located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Established in 1942, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in Mongolia, and originally named in honour of Khorloogiin Choibalsan as Choibalsan State University. It hosts 5 main faculties in Ulaanbaatar, two branches (in Uliastai, Zavkhan Province and Erdenet, Orkhon Province), and three academies of national importance (Mongol studies, economics, and sustainable development).
After the establishment of the Mongolian People's Republic and its first modern secondary school in 1921, it was deemed necessary to establish an academic institution at a higher level. In 1942, the government established the National University of Mongolia as Mongolia's first university, with the first students graduating in 1946. During socialism, the university served as a training center for the party elite. Education was paid for and strictly controlled by the state. After democratization, it gradually changed into a more modern university. In 1995, it started to offer bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs.
It holds a distinguished place in Mongolia's modern history, serving as both its first university as well as a parent to many of the country's premier universities. Many of the country's higher education institutions can trace their ancestry back to the National University of Mongolia's faculties and sub-institutes, including the University of Science and Technology, University of Life Sciences, University of Medical Sciences, and the University of the Humanities.
As of 2018, there were over 18,000 students enrolled in various programs, mostly taught in Mongolian.
History
Founding
The origins of the National University of Mongolia date to the ruling party's 10th Congress, held from March to April 1940. According to the resolution passed on 5 April, there was a provision to "prepare for the establishment of an institution of higher learning", which would lay the groundwork for the NUM. As this resolution was one of the first that involved the participation of future leader Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, a case has been made that the NUM's first proponent was the future leader.
The university was established on October 5, 1942, as the first modern university in Mongolia. The faculties were initially Pedagogy, Medicine, and Veterinary Sciences. Part of its operation were supported by staff and materials provided by the Soviet Union, so much of the instruction was conducted in Russian.
93 students were selected for a preparatory course according to their knowledge of Russian, with 57 graduating from the course to enrol in the university. This initial course was mostly taught by teachers from the Soviet secondary school in Ulaanbaatar. In addition to these graduates, some teachers with Russian language skills were selected, with the first enrolment consisting of a total of 93 students. Among Mongolians, those with sufficient Russian language skills were mostly of the Buryat ethnic group, many of which were the children of those purged in the 1930s. 70-90 percent of these first students were Buryats, while a sizeable minority were USSR citizens.
Socialist period
In 1943, the Faculty of Zootechnics was established at the National University of Mongolia.
The university held its first graduation ceremony in 1946, celebrating the achievements of 35 graduates.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, several faculties were formed to expand the academic offerings of the university. In 1947, the Faculty of Social Sciences was established, encompassing departments of history and economics. In 1949, the faculties of Veterinary Sciences and Zootechnics merged to create the Faculty of Agriculture. Additionally, the Faculties of Chemistry and Biology were established in 1951. That same year, the Faculty of Pedagogy became a separate Pedagogical Institute, now known as the Mongolian State University of Education. The university also introduced foreign language programs in 1956 and programs for performing arts in 1957.
As the university continued to grow, the Faculty of Agriculture became an independent institution called the Mongolian State University of Agriculture in 1958.
In the 1960s, the university expanded its academic disciplines further. Legal studies were introduced in 1960, followed by programs in Geology and Mechanical Engineering in 1961. The Faculty of Medicine also became a separate entity now known as the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences in the same year.