Want a Christian learning experience that transcends the ordinary? Come study at Uralikan Yliopisto, the premier Christian university on Planet Bob! Uralikan Yliopisto offers a broad range of programs suited to many types of people, and since Uralicans tend to take their education seriously, the school runs full tilt year-round. But it is far from boring here. Even in the mandatory courses, personal interests in particular areas of research are strongly encouraged, and aside from general academic counselling, each department has a team of advisors to help you set up a program within the department that best suits you. With all courses offered in English, Russian, and Finnish, the three major languages of Uralica, one can broaden their horizons just by learning new languages.

Each faculty has a distinct personality:

Humanities

UY's Humanities section is one of the largest in the area comprising the former Soviet Union, primarily because of the sheer number of language classes available. The official multilingual status of the university means that outside students have an opportunity to become proficient in English, Russian, and/or Finnish, either while cutting a trade elsewhere or delving deeper into the aspects of those particular cultures. Learn about the Kalevala, dive into the life of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, or probe the ancient texts of the Anglo-Saxon era.

But on top of these, one can take classes in Arabic, Aramaic, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Erzya, Estonian, Faroese, Farsi, French, German, three different kinds of Greek, two different kinds of Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Karelian, Khanty, Komi-Zyrian, Komi-Permyak, Korean, Latin, Livvi, Ludian, Macedonian, Eastern and Western Mari, Moksha, Nenets, Nganasan, Norwegian, Plautdietsch, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, six different Saami languages, Selkup, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Tatar, Turkish, Udmurt, and Yakut. And that's just the ones that are available immediately. Upon request, several other languages are available. Combined with the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences, one could request any language with a learning curriculum and a teacher!

Languages aren't all there is to Humanities, though. UY prides itself on its interlinking history and cultural programs, including Jewish, Turkic and Central Asian, Slavic, Nordic, Romance studies, as well as Classical and Medieval Studies, and a closer look at the alliance system of Planet Bob and its many members through the International Studies program. History and Philosophy are also offered. Finally, since Uralica is based on ALL the Uralic peoples, it boasts the most comprehensive Uralic Studies program in the world, with language, culture, and literature being equally important.

For those wishing to go into journalism or magazine-writing, there is also a Professional Writing program offered.

Science

Sick of being spoonfed the same ol' stuff? At UY, you are given evidence for multiple theories and allowed to make your own decisions. This isn't to say, however, that there aren't certain things laid down as fact. Explore the laws of nature in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Geology, and Mathematics and Statistics. Or, if you wish to explore the laws of man, so to speak, enroll in UY's Anatomy or Neurology program, which can lead into a full Medical Doctor program.

Geology has been called "particularly fun" by UY students in that department. It isn't every university program that schedules regular field trips into the Ural Mountains!

Cognitive Sciences

Ever wondered how the brain works? This faculty is for you, whether learning about behaviour and development in Psychology or learning about the mechanics of human language, both physical and mental, in Linguistics.

Uralica's own ruler, Jarkko Salomäki, is a post-doctoral student in Linguistics at UY, and in his spare time he teaches eager students about the patterning of speech sounds in the brain, which is also known as Phonology. Ever wanted to learn Yoruba or Navajo? The Department of Linguistics has exchange agreements with universities around the world with teachers and curricula in more languages than one can shake a stick at. If it's not offered in the regular university rotation, ask for it.

UY's Psychology department is unique in that it adds Biblical perspective into the mixture, making its particular program a solid prerequisite for the Christian Counselling program offered by the Uralican Transdenominational Seminary.

Social Sciences

What drives society? What factors play into it? These questions are the driving force behind the regular degree programs from UY's Faculty of Social Sciences - Environmental Studies, Geography, Political Science, and Sociology.

Environmental Studies is a rigorous program that involves studying the factors contributing to Uralica's general environment, whether it has to do with the weather, the air or water quality, soil value, or simply maintaining sustainability. It was UY Environmental Studies students that did the bulk of the brainstorming behind the massive cleanup effort of the Pechora River in northern Uralica.

A large portion of the Environmental Studies program has links in the Geography program, which has everything to do with how the land is laid out, whether on the level of a city (and a walk around Syktyvkar or Perm' is not uncommon for Geography students), or the vastness of Eastern and Northern Europe and Siberia. Getting fresh air is NOT an option in this course - it's mandatory!

Ever wondered how Francoism, Tygaism, Neo-Tribalism, and Marxism-Leninism have shaped Robertian politics? Or just want a better idea about how "the system" works? Take Political Science! Domestic and international politics are explored, even compared and contrasted against each other, in this department. Also, Sociology is the right thing for those who wonder about the dynamics of human social interaction, but want to learn about it in a Christian context.

There are also two professional programs offered by UY - Child and Youth Care and Social Work - which can be taken separately, or together to prepare one doubly for the often stressful task of protecting children from harm, while following Christian principles.

Fine Arts

Fine Arts are the pride and joy of Uralican culture in general, so if you're coming into this faculty from outside of Uralica, be ready for a very enriching experience in your craft! Visual Arts tend to range from ethnic carving and sculpture to modern painting. UY also has one of the few instances in the region where both traditional theatre AND modern acting practices are taught within the same school. The School of Film, on the other hand, prepares people for doing more "behind-the-scenes" work. Several Uralican novellists teach classes in the School of Creative Writing.

But no section of Fine Arts is as large, as competitive, or as diverse as the School of Music. Sometimes music schools have a reputation for being stuffy, self-important and exclusionist. But not this one. What other music school could claim that they have all five members of the quintessential Christian death metal/thrash band enrolled? Pelastus members Matti Pitkänen, Lauri Sinisalo, Tanne Kangur, Samppa Niskanen, and Jarno Mäkelä are all Performance majors in Music, and in fact two of them (Kangur and Niskanen) specialise in two instruments (Kangur in electronic bass and contrabass, Niskanen in piano and voice). The inclusion of Pelastus is perhaps the biggest advertisement for their Performance in Metal program, which teaches aspiring shredheads the tricks of the trade on electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, and various styles of metal vocals.

Another major selling point for the School of Music is the fact that Uralica's most prolific composer, and one of Planet Bob's most celebrated female composers (or composers, period) is the founder and chair of the school. Dr. Sirkka Numminen is as prolific a teacher as she is a composer, teaching composition and cello. Her fiancé, Dr. Martin Kosk, also a renowned composer, teaches music theory, piano, and harpsichord.

Engineering and Computer Sciences

In today's world, one needs to stay on the cutting edge. UY's programs are no different, continuing the tradition of excellence in its engineering programs that its forerunners in Canada had. Of particular note, though, is the cut-above-the-rest Architectural Engineering program that is offered by UY, which explores various traditional architectures and the process of building them, as well as more modern architecture.

Although a game design program is not taught at UY per se, there is one early-level course that is often taken by students often transferring to technical colleges like the Bolak Corp. Institute of Technology, which do offer such things. Computer Science in general, however, can prepare one for such a career, or a career in other information technology fields.

Business

In a fast and frantic business world, it helps a person to be one step ahead of the competition, but at the same time, a good economy is driven by a combination of competition and solid ethics. In UY's Business programs, the ultimate goal is to come out with an understanding of how one can keep up in the world of business while maintaining Christian Biblical ethics and fair play in doing so. The Bachelor of Commerce Program is the perfect forerunner to any certified MBA program in TOOL, CCC, or for that matter, any other Robertian alliance, while Uralica's own MBA program provides a Christian vantage point on a tried and true program.

If one is less interested in running business and more interested in getting into the hyper-competitive world of international trade, then UY's MComm in International Business is for you. Or you could simply study what makes the gears of all business turn on Planet Bob, in our Economics degree programs.

Education

Uralican teachers need to come from somewhere! And with the rigours of Uralican grade school, no place is better for preparing teachers for their craft than Uralikan Yliopisto. Elementary, Secondary, Music, Art, and Physical Education are available to choose from. But just because you study Physical Education doesn't mean you have to teach it. One can do a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Recreation Education, or a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, en route to one of a variety of potential careers in sports, health, and fitness services.

Or say you want to make sure your teaching skills are good enough for the post-secondary level. MEd will prepare you for teaching at any college, while a PhD in Education will give you all the tricks of the trade needed to succeed at teaching at the university level... anywhere.

Uralican Transdenominational Seminary

The love of Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit will sometimes compel young men and women to a greater calling, and as Uralica is a predominantly Christian nation, there is no better a place to prepare oneself for special ministry than at UY. For the undergraduate, Religious Studies offers a broad-spectrum look at Christianity as well as other world religions, while Biblical Studies gives a more focussed look into the Word of God. Also, there is a Bachelor of Arts program in Biblical Linguistics offered jointly with the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences, for those who want to get a head start on translating the Word into the language of the people, or helping a people to develop writing systems and/or literacy for their own language.

Ever wanted to dive deep into the mysteries of the Christian faith? UY's Theology program will hit you with as many details, mysteries, nuances and subtleties as you can handle and then some. The MDiv and DD programs are great prerequisites to have for any theological writer or pastor.

Or, if you want to have an edge in your preaching, organise worship teams (and teach others how to do so effectively), or just flat-out go into the field of missionary/evangelistic work, then the Divinity program is for you.

Sometimes, people need someone who can help them with problems in their life, and UY's Master of Counselling degree will prepare candidates for the vocation of providing counselling help to myriad situations, while teaching them to employ the grace and compassion of Jesus Christ.

Interdisciplinary Programs

UY offers a variety of interdisciplinary programs, however the largest and most diverse of these is the Computer Music program, offered jointly by Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Music. Run by legendary Uralican electronic music producers Karl Miller and Klaas Janssen and taught in by Jyrki Koistinen, the Computer Music program allows engineer, performer, and composer alike to strut their stuff. Janssen recalls a time where he recommended that a student sell her final project - an extraordinary VST plugin to rival even Native Instruments' material - and even went so far as to offer her K$350 for it.

I remember this one Hungarian woman with a knack for programming and an ear for music - I believe she was an CM Honours student in Software Development - had this one project she had spent two trimesters on, day in and day out, and when she finally presented this virtual instrument with a full bank of 128 presets, I was absolutely blown away by the dedication and hard work she had put into this. If you ever buy the "SzeleSzinte" for 350 kanadalainens, that's the project. You wouldn't be disappointed. I bought myself a copy for that price. Best VSTi plugin in my repertoire for making ambient pads, sequences, and even effects.

There are other programs as well, of course. A couple are programs one would more expect to find at a technical college, but are offered here as university majors to give the students that extra edge. For example, the BMus in Professional Sound Management - jointly offered by Music, Physics, and Computer Engineering. One can only imagine how Pelastus' #1 roadie, Lazar Filimonov, got his job - he was a student in Computer Science but always had a passion for music, and switched into the Sound Management program just as the Pelastus guys were starting their degrees.

Another degree is the BEng or BSc in Applied Acoustics, which adds Architectural Engineering into the Pro Sound Management program (drop non-mutual Physics requirements for BEng or non-mutual Computer Engineering requirements for a BSc) for a completely different approach. This program focusses more on the building of buildings to maximise acoustics so as to suit a certain environment.

Finally, there is the BFA in Film Editing and Sound Incorporation. Although most movie producers these days have seperate people doing either, this program prepares you for both. Some UY students have been asked to help with editing even when they are still in school! Such is the nature of what they are being taught.

Impressed yet? Visit uy.edu.ur for more information!

(OOC: the site doesn't exist. This was meant to sound like an advertisement. Also, starting next week, I will be doing "Featured UY Class Of The Week" under the guise of a scholastic magazine.

Anyone wanting to check out the work I've put into this RP can go to the Wiki Page here: http://cybernations.wikia.com/wiki/Uralikan_Yliopisto )