Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky, VKA (Mozhaika)

• Location: St. Petersburg, Russia;
• Age of students: 16-29 years4
• Type: full-time;
• Language of instruction: Russian.

VKA is one of the oldest military educational institutions in Russia, the first polytechnic military educational institution. Now the Academy is the leading educational, scientific and methodological center in the military space field, training cadets for the country's law enforcement agencies.

VKA trains cadets only on a budgetary basis on a full-time basis.

The main activities of the Academy today:

• Full military-special training of cadets;
• Secondary military special training of contract sergeants;
• Professional retraining and advanced training of students, retraining of those in reserve on the basis of higher and secondary vocational education.

Graduates who successfully complete higher education programs receive the title of "lieutenant", secondary vocational education programs - the title of "warrant officer", as well as a state diploma.

The university is structurally divided into faculties:

• aircraft designs;
• control systems of rocket and space complexes and information and technical support;
• radio-electronic systems of space complexes;
• engineering and electromechanical support;
• collection and processing of information;
• special information technologies;
• topogeodetic support and cartography;
• missile and space defense equipment;
• automated command and control systems;
• special;
• retraining and advanced training;
• secondary vocational education.

Currently, VKA owns a large scientific base. The Academy has 5 councils working on doctoral and candidate's dissertations, 150 of which have been successfully defended. Employees of VKA are doctors of sciences, professors, associate professors, honored scientists of the Russian Federation, they are honored inventors of the Russian Federation, members of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, honorary workers of science of the Russian Federation, etc.

The Academy has permanent scientific and technical sections and scientific associations in physics, mathematics, radio electronics, military history, a foreign language, etc. Representatives of VKA regularly participate in various competitions of scientific and technical creativity of young people and students, in educational and scientific grants. Every year, over 45 Olympiads and competitions for the best scientific works among cadets, up to 10 all-Russian scientific conferences, 12 permanent scientific and theoretical seminars, exhibitions of scientific and technical creativity and the International Military-Technical Forum "Army" are held on the basis of VKA.

In addition, VKA has 19 registered scientific schools, one of which is recognized as the leading in the Russian Federation, and 12 are included in the Register of leading scientific and scientific-pedagogical schools of the city.

Based on the results of scientific and methodological activities, the academy staff annually publishes more than 600 articles in external publications and about 400 articles in the academy's publications, publishes the journal "Proceedings of the Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky", created in 1942 and included in the List of peer-reviewed scientific publications of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.

Since 2009, the Military Research Institute has been operating for scientific research, which employs over 400 scientists and engineering and technical personnel. The Institute has unique samples of laboratory-experimental and modeling base: 

• experimental ballistic stand;
• a complex of certified wind tunnels;
• radar measuring complex;
• integrated aircraft laboratory;
• stands for studying the impact of space factors on rocket and space technology objects;
• stand for modeling the phonocele situation, etc.

By the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Academy was awarded the Order of Zhukov for merits in ensuring security, strengthening the state's defense capability, training qualified military personnel and the distinctions shown by personnel in the course of performing official tasks. In addition, VKA has been awarded many passing prizes for success in sports, 86 of which are stored on the basis of the Academy. 

The Academy provides cadets with free meals, accommodation and clothing for the entire period of study.   For the period of professional selection, the VKA provides cadets with free meals and accommodation in the houses of the field camp.

The VKA holds an annual set of organizational, technical, informational, propagandistic, cultural and leisure activities for the patriotic education of military personnel.  The participation of personnel in victory parades, the participation of cadets in the festival of patriotic songs, the visit of cadets to museums and historical complexes of the city and other events held by municipal councils, the city government and district administrations have become traditional.

The historical and memorial hall of the VKA, which has been operating since 1966, is a meeting place for graduates of the Academy of different years. Here, the museum staff is working on the patriotic education of the personnel.

On the basis of VKA, Spartakiads are held among faculties, courses and permanent staff. The Academy participates in all competitions of the city, district, Europe and the World among the Armed Forces.

The Academy publishes a weekly radio newspaper "Altair" and a monthly printed newspaper "Bulletin of the Academy", which allows you to extensively and quickly cover the events of the VKA, bring information about the tasks being solved and development prospects.

• 2 educational buildings;
• Training technical position of the Kosmos LV;
• Suburban center;
• Training Operational and Tactical Center;
• Center for Simulation Modeling;
• Gym;
• Stadium of a wide profile (obstacle course);
• Shooting gallery;
• Library fund;
• Barracks;
• Dining room;
• Internet class.

Candidates recommended for enrollment are accepted to the Academy by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on personnel and are appointed to military positions of cadets from August 1. The training of cadets who have successfully passed the entrance tests begins on September 1.

Additional professional programs:

• Upgrading;
• Professional retraining.

The Academy carries out preliminary selection (citizenship, age, level of education) and subsequent professional selection of candidates for enrollment (level of educational, physical fitness and professional suitability).

Applicants should:

• Contact the military commissariat at the place of residence (service), write an application (report) - before February 1;
• Prepare documents, pass a medical commission, submit documents to the military commissariat - until May 20;
• To receive through the military commissariat a notice of arrival at the academy - before June 1;
• Arrive at the academy and pass the entrance tests - until June 1.

The application (report) of the candidate shall be accompanied by:

• a copy of the birth certificate;
• a copy of the identity and citizenship document;
• autobiography;
• characteristics from the place of study (military service or work);
• a copy of the document on education and (or) on the qualification confirming it;
• 4.5×6 cm photo;
• certificate of absence of criminal record and fact of criminal prosecution;
• service card (for military personnel);
• certificate of training or period of study (for students or those who have been trained in educational organizations of higher education or secondary vocational education).

Before passing the professional selection, candidates must have access to state secrets in the second form.

The total number of students in VKA for 2022 was more than 4700 people.

Cadets of the ARMED Forces undergo training that fully meets the requirements for officers during their service. Cadets are trained in military specialties that have no analogues in the Russian Federation, become highly qualified specialists with extensive engineering knowledge in the field of aerospace forces, solving defense tasks and fundamental scientific problems at the state level.

Of the graduates of the Academy can be identified:

• Colonel-General V. Popovkin – Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia;
• Lieutenant General Suvorov S. – Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces;
• Hero of the Russian Federation, pilot-cosmonaut, Colonel Shargin Yu., who for the first time made a flight into space to an international station.

Candidates with secondary general or secondary vocational education, from 16 to 29 years old, are allowed to study at the VKA. Assessment of the level of educational training of applicants to the specialty programs is based on the results of the Unified State Exam and (or) on the results of internal entrance tests in general education subjects: 

• mathematics – 39 points (45 – for the specialties "Computer Security" and "Information and Analytical Security Systems");
• physics – 39 points (45 – for "Heat and power supply of special technical systems and facilities", "Special life support systems", "Computer security" and "Information and analytical security systems");
• geography – 45 points (instead of physics, only for the specialties "Meteorology of special purpose" and "Military cartography");
• Russian language – 40 points.

Assessment of the level of physical fitness is carried out according to the results of physical education on a 100-point scale.

Cadets of the Academy are provided with a salary of servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Other additional payments for contract servicemen are a bonus for conscientious and effective performance of official duties.

Military personnel and conscripts who leave for vacation or leave for personal reasons are paid food and travel money for each day of leave.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision