Military departments of civilian universities (Soviet Union and post-Soviet area)

The military department (Russian: военная кафедра) is a division within civilian university or other higher education institution, intended for training commissioned officers from among students, widespread in Soviet Union and Post-Soviet states.

[3] Initially, the officer, responsible for conducting the higher non-inside-military-unit training in civilian university, was named "military head" (Russian: военный руководитель).

[4] The term "military department" appeared later, when Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union Decree of 13 April 1944 No.413 was promulgated.

[15] Since that moment, the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is the only civilian institution of higher education with a military department.

1245 of 18 July 2002 adopted by the Moldovan Parliament allows the creation of military departments in institutions of higher education.

In 2005, minister of defence Sergei Ivanov announced the forthcoming significant reduction in the number of military departments carrying out the training commissioned officers from among students of civilian institutions of higher education.

The Government of Ukraine Decree of 26 July 2001 No.866 approved the list of Ukrainian civilian institutions of higher education that had military departments.