University of Belgrade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
University of Belgrade |
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Established | 1808 |
| Type | Public |
| Rector | Dejan Popović |
| Faculty | 2,500 |
| Students | 78,000 |
| Location | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www.bg.ac.yu |
The University of Belgrade (Serbian: Универзитет у Београду or Univerzitet u Beogradu) is the oldest and most important higher education institution in Belgrade and Serbia. It is also one of the largest universities in the Balkan region counting over 78,000 students and 2,500 teaching staff.
The University has 31 faculties, 8 scientific research institutes and a system of university libraries and information centres. The faculties or academic departments are clustered into five groups based on their academic characteristics and they include: faculties for biotechnical sciences, social sciences, medical sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, and faculties of technical sciences.
The University has over 78,000 students which can choose from around 150 basic educational programs, around 1,700 postgraduate students also study at the University of Belgrade in various programmes. Since its founding, the University has educated more than 330,000 bachelors, around 21,300 masters, 29,000 specialists and 12,600 doctors. [1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Though its roots go back to 1808 when the Great School was founded in Belgrade, it officially became a university on February 27, 1905 when a royal charter was granted to the institution. At the time it had three faculties: engineering, law and philosophy. The University was located in Captain Miša's building where its Rectorate is still located.
The university experienced massive growth and expansion in the years preceding the WWII and especially after the establishment of Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. In the 1960s and 1970s the University of Belgrade greatly increased its resources and space. The enrollment grew exponentially as the university developed into a notable regional and international educational institution. Many students from the countries participating in the Non-Alignment Movement were educated in Belgrade. The university is noted for its exceptional programmes in engineering, architecture, philosophy and social sciences.
Ever since the 1980s, the quality of university's programs began to deteriorate due to political instability in the country, subsequent war in Bosnia and Croatia and chronic lack of investment in the resources, students and the faculty. As a result many of the university structures are dilapidated and lack modern teaching equipment worthy of a higher education institution of this size and reputation. During the socialist era, the university faculty, especially in the social sciences, tended to be populated according to political affiliation which seriously impaired the quality and impartiality of academic research and teaching. The state had de facto control over the university. This trend continued well into the era of Slobodan Milošević's rule in Serbia, when the university in Belgrade often struggled with outside political pressure and lack of academic and administrative autonomy. Often faculty and university leading figures would be changed and scores of professors and students be removed or retired for dubious reasons; these issues are still largely unresolved. Understandably, Belgrade university was a recognizable centre of political opposition during the 1990s in Serbia. Massive anti-government protests were staged by Belgrade university students and professors during late 1996 and early 1997 which seriously shook down Milošević's regime and forged a strong democratic movement that eventually toppled his government in the autmn of 2000.
Ever since October 5, 2000 overthrow the university has made strides to improve its facilities, resources and teaching quality. There have been several initiatives to reform the higher education legislation in the country. The government has nevertheless been extremely slow to move and the initiatives mainly remain mulled over at various committees without any real results coming about. University has lately made great efforts to reform its internal structure and adapt better to the Bologna convention of higher education in Europe. Even though positive changes have been made lately and the university has improved the quality of its services and academics it still has a long way to go before crucial measures are taken for the university to become truly independent of political influence rebuild its resources. Recently the university governing council has been preparing a new university statute which should soon take effect and open way for throughly reforming this institution. The new statute should closely follow the Bolgna European higher education protocol recommendations, make the university administration more efficient and transparent, improve access to students and provide clear infrastructure and more transparent rules regarding admissions and appointment of teaching and administrative staff. Above all this new statute should as well finally firm up university's academic and financial autonomy and so assure a better future of its development.
University of Belgrade has been the driving force for the establishment of almost all other universities today present in Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia as well as many universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[edit] Faculties
[edit] List of the 31 faculties
|
|
[edit] Electrical Engineering
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering [4] (Serbian: Електротехнички факултет - Elektrotehnički fakultet) is one of the elite faculties in Serbia. Every year around 500 students attend the first year of studies.
The Faculty has a number of departments. Most popular was the Department of Energetics, famous for its work in planning and maintaining power plants around the world; nowadays most popular are the Department of Computer Science, Department of Electronics, and Department of Telecommunications.[citation needed] There is a new department opened recently (in 2005), the Department of Software Engineering [5].
[edit] Physics
The Faculty of Physics [6] consists of the following institutes:
- Institute for Physics
- Institute for Meteorology
Institute for Physics consists of the following departments:
1. Department for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
2. Department for Applied Physics and Informatics
3. Department for General Physics
4. Department for Physics and Technics
5. Department for Physics and Chemistry
Faculty of Physics work in close collaboration with famous Institute for Nuclear Sciences "Vinča" [7] (previously known as INS "Boris Kidrič" - Vinča) - old-Yugoslav only institute for nuclear sciences, Institute for Physics in Zemun [8], Faculty of Electrical Engineering [9], Institute Mihailo Pupin [10], and all other institutes and educational instances in Serbia and in the regions. Faculty is also respected for its collaboration with Dubna, CERN, ETH, Superkamiokande, University of Sheffield, University of London, MIT, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Moscow State University ("Lomonosov"), Saint Petersburg State University, and other institutes and schools.
.
Faculty is well known for its rigorous path in theoretical physics.
Bachelor studies last 4 years. Each year is divided into two semesters. Students MUST attend 30 hours of teaching per week (it is the maximum value allowed by the Law on Higher Education). Informally, that number rises to over 40 h/week.
All subjects are compulsory.
.
Master studies last for three years, two of which student attend classes and passes exams. Third year is for writing dissertation.
Doctorate studies last four years minimum, after master studies have been finished.
Faculty is well known not as a money-rich institution, but as a talent-rich school. Among others, its most famous students (and professors) are/were: Milan Damnjanović [11] (head of NanoLab), Jasmina Vujić (chair of Department of Nuclear Engineering, UC Berkeley [12]), Pavle Savić (candidate for the Nobel prize in physics), Fedor Herbut, Ivan Božović, Nikola Konjević, Ilija Savić, Aleksandar Belić, Dragoljub Belić, Ivanka Milošević, Aleksandar Stamatović, Ivan Aničin, Dragomir Krpić, and others...
List of professors: [13]
Faculty's students mostly come from world famous Mathematical Gymnasium [14] that already gave more than 300 PhD's [15] and holds world record in number of medals won at the International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science [16].
.
Bachelor diploma of Faculty of Physics is widely accepted as a masters degree in Europe and in USA; students usually directly enroll at PhD studies at prestigious world universities such as Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, Urbana, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Sheffield, Lomonosov, ETH, etc.
(professors of Faculty of Physics, currently working in other countries: [17] and [18], in preparation)
[edit] Organizational Sciences
The Faculty of Organizational Sciences (FOS) is the faculty for management and information systems in Serbia. FOS belongs to the group of technical faculties and is a constituent part of Belgrade University. It was founded in 1969, after having been initiated by more than 200 organizations with the aim of strengthening the economy with valuable contemporary knowledge in organization, management and information systems.
FOS is equipped with technology for performance of scientific and academic research activities in the area it develops: IT equipment, multimedia and the Internet. FOS is the main Internet provider for Serbia and Montenegro academic network.
The Faculty offers undergraduate studies, graduate studies (Specialist, M Sc. and Ph.D. programs), scientific work and research activities.
[edit] References
- ^ University of Belgrade official statistics, see columns 1 (bachelor), 5 (master), 7 (specialist) and 9 (doctorate)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- University of Belgrade Website (Serbian)
- Guide through The University of Belgrade (English) (Serbian) (German)
- Studentski svet, studentski portal (Serbian)
- Vodic kroz Univerzitet u Beogradu (English) (Serbian) (German)
- INFOSTUD Information Center (Serbian)
- University in Belgrade at Beograd.org.yu (English)
- Abbreviated University Profile (English) (Serbian) (German)
 |
Universities in Serbia |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| State: Belgrade • Kragujevac • Niš • Novi Sad • Priština • University of Arts • Police academy | |||
| Private: BK • Economics Academy • European • Megatrend • Novi Pazar • Singidunum • Union | |||
| Private faculties: Business and law studies • European law and political studies in Novi Sad • Information Technology • Management • Sport and tourism | |||
