| Mihai Coșcodan | |
| Office: | 1st Moldovan Ambassador to Bulgaria, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Macedonia |
| Term Start: | 24 June 1994 |
| Term End: | 28 July 1998 |
| Successor: | Gheorghe Hioară |
| Birth Date: | 17 October 1940 |
| Birth Place: | Năpădeni, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Death Place: | Chișinău, Moldova |
| Party: | independent |
| Children: | 2 |
| Alma Mater: | Tiraspol Pedagogical Institute, Lviv University |
| Profession: | University Professor |
| President: | Mircea Snegur Petru Lucinschi |
| Primeminister: | Andrei Sangheli Ion Ciubuc |
| Office1: | Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova |
| Termstart1: | 4 August 1992 |
| Termend1: | 5 April 1994 |
| President1: | Mircea Snegur |
| Primeminister1: | Andrei Sangheli |
| Office2: | Member of the Moldovan Parliament |
| Termstart2: | 17 April 1990 |
| Termend2: | 4 August 1992 |
| Constituency2: | Ungheni |
| Honorific Suffix: | OR |
Mihai Coșcodan (17 October 1940 – 29 April 2016)[1] was a Moldovan university professor, scientist, and politician. He served as a member of the Moldovan Parliament from 1990 to 1994 and was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence of Moldova.
Born on 17 October 1940 in Năpădeni, Ungheni district, in the former Moldavian SSR, Coșcodan pursued higher education at the Tiraspol State Pedagogical Institute, specializing in geography and biology. He later earned a Ph.D. and became an associate professor. He began his academic career in 1965 as an assistant in the Department of General Geography at the State University of Tiraspol and continued his postgraduate studies at Lviv University.
Coșcodan held various academic positions at the State University of Tiraspol, including head of the Department of General Geography and Cartography from 1970 to 1977 and dean of the Faculty of Geography from 1977 to 1987. He served as rector of the university from 1987 until 1992. His academic contributions were particularly significant in the fields of geography and environmental studies.
In the political sphere, Mihai Coșcodan played a key role during the formative years of independent Moldova. Elected as a member of the first Parliament of the Republic of Moldova from 1990 to 1994, he was actively involved in the country's transition from Soviet rule. In addition to his parliamentary duties, he served as Deputy Prime Minister in the governments of Valeriu Muravschi and Andrei Sangheli between 1992 and 1994.
Coșcodan's courage was also notable during the volatile period of the early 1990s. According to the newspaper Sovereign Moldova, despite Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov's prohibitions, Coșcodan, as rector of the Tiraspol Pedagogical Institute, ensured that a polling station was opened in Tiraspol during the presidential elections, demonstrating his commitment to democratic processes.
After his parliamentary term, Coșcodan transitioned into diplomatic roles, serving as Moldova’s ambassador to Bulgaria from 1994 to 1998. He also held ambassadorships to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia during this period. Following his diplomatic service, he returned to academia, joining the Free International University of Moldova as Deputy Rector and later taking on leadership roles at Moldova State University.