The Academy of Public Administration as an educational centre is of great importance for strengthening of the state and public administration on the scientific basis.
Every year 200 students are admitted to the Academy to do a course of Bachelor’s degree and 50 more students do a Master’s degree course. Over 75 young civil servants from various state structures and units do a course of professional development and further training full-time and by correspondence. The Academy offers various short-term courses, training about 300 civil servants holding leading positions. Visiting lecturers from other universities, the National Academy of Sciences and experienced specialists from various government and non-government organizations take part in the educational process of the Academy.
To encourage students’ activity and their interest to science and social life, the Academy set up the Youth organization, students’ trade-union, students’ scientific society. The Academy’s Trade-union committee and Women’s committee are in charge of labour rights issues and other everyday problems. The Academy has been the place of a number of events marking important dates and anniversaries.
For the past period considerable work has been done in the sphere of international relations with the aim of studying world experience in education, focusing attention on the corresponding educational centres in France, Canada, Turkey and CIS.
In accordance with the TEMPUS-TASIS program, which is a constituent part of Azerbaijan-Europe project, the administrative staff members of the Academy visited the Institutes of Political Sciences in France (Grenoble, Bordeaux) and Spain (Barcelona). The Academy strengthens professional contacts with UNESCO, too. A Research Centre for the Problems of Human Rights, Democracy and Peace functions in the Academy.
Education in the Academy is of two-stage system: a Bachelor’s Degree course is 4 years long, the next stage - a Master’s Degree course lasts for 2 years. The Bologna credit system is being introduced in the education system of the Academy, the students’ knowledge is evaluated by a system of scores.
Together with the President’s Office, government and non-government structures, executive units, the Academy arranges and holds seminars, trainings, round-table discussions on current issues of present day importance, like informational technologies in public administration. Various events with the participation of foreign embassies of Azerbaijan representatives, Milli Mejlis members and the President’s Office representatives are held here, too.