Minsk State Linguistic University is a leading academic and research institution in the Republic of Belarus in the sphere of foreign language education. There are nine schools at the university which train teachers, translators/interpreters and experts in inter-cultural communication in 14 foreign languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, Persian (Farsi), Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian as a foreign language.

Students major in two foreign languages and they can choose an additional specialization in one of the following fields: foreign literature, Belarusian language and literature, Russian as a foreign language, international relations, international economic relations, economics and management, modern information technologies, computational linguistics, rhetoric, orthophony (teaching a foreign language to children with impaired hearing), foreign country studies, translation of fiction, technical translation, simultaneous translation and other.

Upon graduating from MSLU students can obtain one of the following qualifications: linguist, teacher of two foreign languages; linguist, translator/interpreter; specialist in international communication. With a wide range of specialities and specializations, the university can fully meet young people's demands in the humanities, philology, linguistics and pedagogical education. The university's qualified faculty members make a great contribution to its dynamic development. More than forty departments of the university employ professionals many of whom are the pride of the Belarusian education and science.

The university has two Councils for Doctoral Theses Defence, one for the degree of Candidate and Doctor of Science in Philology, the other for the degree of Candidate of Science (Ph.D) in Foreign Lanfuage Pedagogy and Methodology.

There are four world recognized research schools focusing on different aspects of linguistics and language study.

- Belarusian School of Phonetics;

- Research School of the foreign language methodology;

- School of Functional Linguistics;

- Text. Organisation School.

The University runs 12 research programs which are aimed at carrying out research in different fields of linguistics, applied linguistics, communicative linguistics, speech studies and communicative theory, literary studies.

In order to further develop the Belarusian linguistic school, to promote constant exchange of scientific and educational ideas and to update regular academic and optional courses MSLU maintains cooperation with the leading scholars of the Republic of Belarus and other countries. The university runs joint projects with Russia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Spain and other countries. The university hosts important international conferences and workshops. Leading specialists of MSLU represent the Republic of Belarus in international scientific symposia and congresses.

The prestige of the university has been constantly growing. MSLU is responsible for establishing the concept and standards of foreign language teaching in Belarus. These standards are clearly expressed in the national program "Foreign Languages" worked out by the scholars of MSLU.

Being the head institution for linguistic education provision, the university coordinates scientific and methodological work of foreign language schools and departments of nine Universities and seven pedagogical colleges of Belarus.

The university houses a national methodological center for foreign language education which develops curricula and programs, as well as educational standards, for all elements and stages of the educational system in Belarus.

The university sets the innovative policy in Belarus in applying information technologies in foreign language teaching. The detabase of modern teaching technologies includes computer technologies, video- and audio technologies, and complex video-audio-computer technologies intended for teaching film translation and subtitles design. In order to fulfil this task the university has adequate technical facilities, which meet the world standards.

The university maintains stable contacts with a great number of foreign partners. It has 45 agreements on cooperation, and participates in 14 international programs, including such well-known ones as TEMPUS, LUNGUAUNI, LUNGUA-PAX, and TACIX.

The university represents Belarus' interests in the Council of Europe's project on "The Language Policy in Europe in the Conditions of Multilinguism and Multiculturalism". It has developed original ideas in the framework of the Council of Europe's programme on Lifelong Education.

The university's approach to lifelong foreign language learning from the elementary level through higher education and extending it to adult learners has been approved by the Centre of Modern Languages in Graz, Austria.

MSLU works on two UNESCO programs within the frame of the Culture of Peace Through Language program and it is a co-founder of the CIS Association of Linguistic Universities.

The university maintains close contacts with embassies in the Republic of Belarus. It has joint educational and scientific programs with the embassy of France, Great Britain, China, Turkey, and the United States. There are also joint projects with the embassies of Austria, Spain and Sweden which are situated in the Russian Federation.

Minsk State Linguistic University is well known in the world as a university providing a high quality of education. Students from 32 countries come to Belarus to study at MSLU. Many of them have long-term internships at the university.

Five professional associations work under the auspices of the university; these include: the Belarusian Association of Teachers of English, French and German; the Belarusian Association of Communicative Linguistics; and the Belarusian Association of American Studies. The university is a member of the International Association of Russian Language and Literature Teachers.

In view of the government's policy aimed at increasing the importance of foreign languages on a national scale, Minsk State Linguistic University faces the task of developing and implementing an effective model of teaching foreign languages at different levels of education. The university's task is to educate a new generation teaching professionals for schools and higher educational institutions, who will be able to teach on the basis of modern information technologies and be prepared to develop alternative teaching programs which would meet international standards.