The Medical University Pleven is located in the city of Pleven. Pleven is in the north of Bulgaria and its 110,000 inhabitants make it the 7th biggest city of the country. The city is 105 miles from the capital Sofia. There are good public transportation connections between the two cities. The international railway Sofia – Bucharest – Moscow goes through Pleven. In general, the city has a well-developed transportation system. The town of Pleven is situated in the central part of the Danube Plain. It has a population of 137,768 people. It is 174 km. northeast of Sofia. The city is a regional center. Its central location in Northern Bulgaria defines its importance as a major administrative, economic, political, cultural and transport center.

The town of Pleven offers wonderful conditions for active recreation and tourism, there is the Kaylaka Park located in a picturesque canyon with rich natural and exotic vegetation and valuable historical landmarks. To this day Pleven has preserved its cultural and historical heritage. Particularly interesting are the Regional History Museum, the Pleven Panorama, which presents the five - month battles during the Russo - Turkish War of Liberation in 1877 - 1878 and many others.

INTRODUCTION

The Medical University Pleven, one of the five medical universities in Bulgaria, and the MU Pleven school of medicine was founded in 1974 in order to expand the horizons, the size and the reputation of the city hospital, founded in 1865. Nowadays, it comprises a preclinical department, a hospital institute with more than 1000 beds, and clinics for every big medical field, as well as diverse specialized clinics and research facilities with modern diagnosis and therapy equipment. The MU Pleven school of medicine and the hospital combine tradition and modern possibilities, teaching and therapy facilities. These are efficiently put to use for patient treatment, student training, doctor training, postgraduate student training and research.

The MU Pleven school of medicine has every necessary department for medical higher education, including theoretical, preclinical and clinical departments. Up to now, more than 6,000 Bulgarian and international students have graduated at this university. Italians make up the biggest group of international student at the university. Other international students come from Germany, Spain Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Greece, Turkey, Nigeria, Albania, Cyprus, Congo, Algeria, the USA, Japan, the United Kingdom and France.

Advantages of Pleven

The Medical University Pleven also feels committed to the promotion of cultural diversity, so its doors are open to students from all over the world. Over the years, a vast amount of students from more than 45 different countries have graduated at this university. Pleven was the first Bulgarian university to offer degrees with English as the language of instruction. The 6-year medical degree in English is structured for teaching in small groups, up to 6 students, which enables them to receive the best possible practical training in the framework of a higher education degree. The optional subjects include disaster medicine, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, emergency medicine (internships at hospitals), IT, medical statistics and sport medicine. The students can also attend lectures and seminars in the New Telecommunication Endoscopic Training Center for Robotic Surgery at the Medical University Pleven.

The university also offers the students exchange programs such as ERASMUS, LEONARDO DA VINCI or IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students Association). As a part of the conferences organized by the university every year, on October 9th 2011 an international conference of medical sciences for students and young doctors was held. The university is very close to the university clinic (where students have their practical clinical training), the student dorms, the university sports facilities and the city center. Pleven is the biggest economic, cultural, social and logistic center in north Bulgaria. The living costs are significantly lower than in the capital Sofia.