The Academy of Watercolours and Fine Arts is an artistic higher educational institution of a new type, which has no equivalent not only in Russia but also abroad. The Academy is the first Russian higher educational institution to offer training in a new field of study, Painting and Fine Arts. Alongside fundamental mastery of drawing and painting, an integral part of any artist’s professional background, students study various techniques and types of visual art. The Academy trains artists with a broad profile; the educational program includes watercolour, tempera, oil painting, pastel, etching, mural painting, stained glass, mosaics, Florentine mosaics, sgraffito, small sculpture, ceramics, pottery, modelling and sculpting with porcelain, porcelain and ceramic painting, miniature enamel, the basics of jewellery, book illustration, and other areas. All course work is carried out in the form of real orders, which increases students’ responsibility and helps them to accumulate invaluable practical experience. The Academy is furnished with the latest equipment, giving students the opportunity to become acquainted with new technology in all areas of study.