The Consortium, in order to build a program with maximum potential for long-term impact in Ukraine, undertook the M.A. program with a partner university in Kyiv. UKMA was one of Ukraine's first higher educational institutions, established as an Academy in the mid-17th century and closed down almost two centuries later by Czarist Russia. It was newly re-established shortly after Ukrainian independence in 1991. EERC and UKMA have formed an effective partnership in operating this first-ever Ukrainian M.A. in market economics. The Master's Program in Economics offers a two-year curriculum including theoretical and practical coursework.
Instruction is conducted primarily in English by a variety of visiting Western faculty.
Ukrainian faculty team-teach basic courses alongside the visiting Western professors. The student body comes from a wide range of technical and professional backgrounds. A first class of graduates will be completing their studies in July 1998, and will either pursue Ph.D. studies abroad or will take up jobs in Ukraine's public and private sectors. The Eurasia Foundation was established in 1993 with a major grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, with support from the Congress. The Foundation works to promote economic reform and democracy in the NIS and has awarded almost 3000 grants to support projects at the grassroots level in the twelve NIS countries.