Background

By the Sources of Economic Education

Kharkiv National University of Economics was one of the first to provide special economic education in Ukraine. In 1893 it was founded at the initiative of Kharkiv Merchant Society as Emperor Alexander III Commercial College to provide vocational training of the senior and middle staff for commercial and industrial enterprises.

Commercial Institute

In 1912 Part-time Higher Commercial School of the Kharkiv Merchant Society was opened at the College. The initiative of establishing the School belongs to Professor N.I. Paliyenko. The School had only one faculty – the Faculty of Economics where there were four departments: of economics and commerce; banking and insurance; local economy; industrial, the latter specialized in mining and metallurgical industries. There were special groups training teachers for secondary schools specializing in commerce. A research institution was established at the College – the Study Group for Economic Research of Russia. Many well-known economists – A. N. Antsiferov, M. N. Sobolev, P. I. Fomin, V. F. Levitsky and others worked at the Institution. There were 1226 students and 186 lecture-goers of both genders in 1916.

On the 29th of March 1916 at the initiative of Prince V. M. Shakhovsky, Minister of Trade and Industry of the State Duma (State Council) passed the State Law on turning the Higher Commercial College into Kharkiv Commercial Institute.

Stormy Period

Late in 1919 Kharkiv Commercial Institute was reorganized into Kharkiv Institute of National Economy, with the Faculties of Economics, Commerce, Finance and Banking, Statistics, Law, Cooperation and Preparatory (Work) Faculy. Within 1920-1930 its structure was changing several times. Due to the high level of professional training provided for the students and research carried out at the Institute it started its cooperation with research chairs of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (UAS), those of World Economy, Marxism and Marxism Studies, Contemporary Legal Problems. There was a Research Group studying the Donets Basin.

Within the framework of the reform of higher education carried out in 1930 a number of specialized higher schools were created on the basis of Kharkiv Institute of National Economy. One of them was Kharkiv Institute of Engineering and Economy which trained engineers and economists for the heavy industry of Ukraine at the Mining, Machine-building, Chemical, Metallurgical and Economic Faculties. The Institute actively participated in implementing the policy of industrialization, carrying out research and providing consultations to the enterprises concerning improvement of organization and technological re-equipment of the production.

Economic Laboratory

Between 1945 – the 1980s the development of the Institute was aimed at widening professional economic and mathematical training and informatization of the tuition process. New faculties were opened here: 1964 – the Faculty of Mechanized Processing Economic Information in 1970 – the Faculty of Economics and in. The System of Post Graduate Training Specialists of Senior and Middle Management for Industry was then established here.

There were some research laboratories (RL) working at KhIEE, one of them being the Research Laboratory of Economy and Organization of Machine-Building headed by Prof. O. G. Liberman. Its research were the basis of the 1965 Reform of Economy concept in whose development O. G. Liberman took an active part.

National University of Economics

In the late 1980s – early 1990s the Institute was implementing restructuring the tuition process expanding the range of students’ professional training.

For the first time in Ukraine the Higher School of International Business created at the Institute for training specialists in foreign economic activity was started. In 1996 the students were trained at 8 faculties of the Institute majoring in 15 economic specialities and lines: economy and entrepreneurship, management, computer sciences.

In 1994 Kharkiv Institute of Engineering and Economics was transformed into Kharkiv State University of Economics having the top, IV level accreditation.

By the Ukrainian President Decree the University was given the status of National University on the 21st of August 2004.
On the 18th of September 2004 Kharkiv National University of Economics joined the Magna Charta Universitatum.
On the 14th of December 2005 the University was awarded the Certificate of Honour by the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers.