Sisian Branch

Gagik Khachatryan

Gagik Khachtryan

Acting Director

Contacts

The Sisian branch of the Armenian National Agrarian University was established upon the RA Government resolution N.976 on June 25, 2004. In 2006 the branch was provided with an instructional building. In 2005-2006 academic year the branch organized the first admission for seven specialties of distance learning. The branch has so far produced over 477 graduates and many of them work by their profession in various organizations of the region.

Since 2019, the Sisian Branch has also been implementing a secondary vocational education program through the full-time program.

Currently the branch organizes higher education for the following specialties through the bachelor’s degree:

Profession Academic plan
  • Agronomy
  Agronomy, selection and genetics
  • Food technology
  Food technology
  • Agrarian Engineering
Engineering of Land and Water Resources
  • Agroeconomics
  Economics of AgriFood System
  • Agroeconomics
  Economics and Management of Agrarian Production
  • Veterinary medicine
  Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise:

The secondary vocational education program through the full-time program is implemented for the following specialties

  • Accounting
  • Management
  • Organization and management of transportation (by types of transport)
  • Milk and dairy products technology
  • Technology of protected ground
  • Greenhouse economy

Currently over 120 students from different regions of Armenia receive higher professional education on mentioned specialties. As in Head branch, Sisian branch as well offers tuition fee discount in different categories.
The branch has well-equipped classrooms, agri-biological, technological-natural science instructional laboratories, a library rich in fiction and professional literature. Over the years, the logistic base of the laboratories and library fund have been regularly updated and replenished at the expense of the Head and Sisian branches. Issues aimed at upgrading the training-laboratory base, improving the quality of education continue to be in the focus of the branch management.
The branch has two structural subdivisions:

1. Department of Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences
2. Department of Agri-Technological and Natural Sciences 

About 15 of the 50 specialists teaching at the branch, who have an academic degree, are invited from the Head branch. The computer room, equipped with an electronic whiteboard and technical means of training, also allows you to organize distance lectures from the Head branch.

Taking into account the need to make students theoretical knowledge more substantial, making it a priority of establishing and maintaining partnerships with employers in this field, cooperation agreements are signed with various organizations on the initiative of the branch management, and the main goal is to effectively organize students’ training and production practice.

In December 2016, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between ANAU Sisian Branch and “Strategic Development Agency” Non-governmental Organization, within the framework of its “Development of Vocational Education and Training in Syunik Region” program, which aims to promote professional development in the field of agriculture by 2020 and to make market-oriented practical education available in the fields of veterinary medicine, milk processing and providing consulting services to farmers.

Within the framework of the cooperation, SDC NGO has equipped the laboratory base of the branch with modern technologies, a number of professional training courses for lecturers have been conducted.

Up to 2021, the idea of creating an educational and experimental economy has been implemented, which will include agricultural machinery-tractor’s educational experimental station, greenhouses, livestock building, orchards, educational experimental fields, which will provide wonderful opportunities for students to acquire practical abilities and skills. Within the framework of the joint project of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the ANAU, since 2022, educational and counseling courses have been implemented in the Sisian Branch for those displaced from Artsakh.

In 2022, funded by the Agency for International Development of USA, within the framework of the “Workforce Development in Armenia” project, the Sisian Branch of the Armenian National Agrarian University, in cooperation with the employers of the sector, the dual educational program “Greenhouse economy” has been developed and introduced.

Dual educational programs provide an opportunity to combine the acquisition of knowledge in enterprises, in a real working environment and in secondary professional educational institutions.

Since the day of foundation in 2016 the branch had been headed by A. Kostandyan, Associate Professor of Economics. In 2017-2018 Hranush Baghdasaryan was the acting director of the branch, and starting from February 1st, 2019, by the order of ANAU Rector Vardan Urutyan, associate professor Tigran Vandunts, the candidate in economics, was appointed acting director of the branch. And since June 23 of 2022, Mary Yolyan is the acting director of the Sisian Branch. Since November 1, 2022 until the director’s competition, Gagik Khachatryan, Candidate of science was appointed acting director of the branch.