Plovdiv University, named in honor of the Bulgarian historian Paisii Hilendarski, is Plovdiv’s leading cultural and scientific institution. It is the largest institution of higher education in Southern Bulgaria, and the second largest Bulgarian university, after St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. The year 2001 marked the university’s fortieth anniversary.

University of Plovdiv was built on the foundation of the Higher Teacher-Training Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, which opened in July 1961. The Institute was promoted to university status by government decree on 12 January 1972, when it took its present name “Paisii Hilendarski” University of Plovdiv.

In 1973, it became the first higher institution in Plovdiv to offer language and literature studies, offering the B.A. degree in Bulgarian Language and Literature and Russian Language and Literature. Soon after that, a program in Slavonic Languages and Literature (with Specialization in Czech Language and Literature) was added. A degree in Education was offered for the first time in 1984, Law degree programs were introduced in 1992, and Economics degree programs were launched in 1994. Today, the University of Plovdiv is a true university by international standards. It provides training for students in the four major fields of higher education: natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and economics. “Paisii Hilendarski” University has been institutionally accredited by National Certification and Accreditation Board (Protocol No. 1 of 15 February 2001). Over 7,500 full-time and 5,000 part-time students are enrolled in the programs and courses by the university’s eight faculties. The full-time teaching staff consists of 34 Full Professors, 167 Associate Professors and 360 Assistant Professors.

Faculties:
1. Biology
2. Economics and Social Science
3. Mathematics and Informatics
4. Education
5. Physics
6. Languages and Literature
7. Philosophy and History
8. Chemistry
9. Law

THE FACULTY OF BIOLOGY

The Faculty of Biology has existed as an autonomous academic division since 1990, and began offering courses forty years earlier as the Biology program, when Paisii Hilendarski University opened its doors in 1961. The Faculty of Biology has a highly qualified teaching and research staff and maintains consistently high academic and research standards. At present there are 64 full-time faculty members: seven full professors, nineteen associate professors, 38 assistant professors and 24 scientific support personnel. Among the teaching staff there are 34 members who have earned their Ph.D. and nine who are Doctors of Sciences. Many faculty members have studied and done research in the EU countries, USA and Russia. The Faculty of Biology has welcomed guest lecturers from the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, England, Greece, and other countries, enhancing the already high level of the faculty's academic training and research.

The faculty of Biology is made up of the following departments:
1. Evolutionary Biology
2. Human Anatomy and Physiology
3. Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology
4. Botany and Biology for Teachers
5. Zoology
6. Biochemistry and Microbiology
7. Ecology and Environmental Protection

The academic training and research are conducted in the Faculty of Biology building located just above the Roman Amphitheater, at the laboratory of genetic engineering on Hristo Karpachev Street, and the well-equipped microbiology laboratories on Kostaki Peev Street. The Faculty of Biology has its own LAN and a computer room.

The Faculty of Biology provides training in the following programs:
• BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Biology, Ecology and Environmental Protection, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
• BS in Biology and Chemistry with Teacher Certification
Those who earn undergraduate degrees from Plovdiv University are qualified to do research in molecular, cellular and organism biology in the fields of industry, agriculture, and forestry. The Faculty of Biology also offers Master's programs in Microbial and Plant Biotechnologies; Organism Biology with a specialization in Zoology, Botany, and Physical Anthropology; Ecology; and Environmental Protection. Graduates of the Master's programs can pursue careers at Bulgarian Scientific Institutes under the aegis of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and may do research at laboratories specializing in Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Agriculture, and Hygiene. Biologists trained at Plovdiv University may also pursue careers at natural sciences museums and national parks, and may work in the pharmaceutical, microbiological, and food and flavor industries. Graduates from the Bachelor's and Master's programs are eligible to enter the Ph.D. program.

FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences was established in 1994. It soon established itself as a viable academic endeavor at Plovdiv University and quickly developed into:
• A modem academic center of excellence providing training in Economics and Political Science
• An active part of Plovdiv University academic life
• A respected and highly sought-after partner in inter-university and international cooperative exchanges.

The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences offers Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral programs in:
• Macroeconomics
• International Economic Relations
• Marketing
• Management
• Political Science
Graduates from the Bachelor's programs in Economics, as well as graduates from other university faculties, are eligible to enter the Master's programs, which include:
• International Trade
• Policies and Strategies of Public Administration
• Health Economics
• Corporate Finance
• Human Resources Management
• Business Administration
• Accounting Organization and Techniques The Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences also provides vocational training and specialization in:
• Capital Markets and Investment Brokers
• Financial Management
• Health Economics and Health Management
• Social Management
• Agricultural Management The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences is involved in projects that explore a wide range of topical and significant economic, management and social issues.

Each year the Faculty celebrates its Day of Academic Excellence, at which it awards students' academic contributions tc the department by presenting them with awards worth BGN 3,000 in the name of the renowned Bulgarian scholar Prof. Kiril Grigorov. The academic staff of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences has undertaken a variety of inter-university and international projects as participants in the Tempus and Socrates programs.

New courses for the Master's programs have been prepared in collaboration with colleagues from the Greek-British Association for Education and Development; the University of York Center of Health Economics; Brussels Free University; the Universities of Utrecht (the Netherlands); the universities of Magdeburg and Bielefeld (Germany); the University of Limerick (Ireland); Umea (Sweden); St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia; and the New Bulgarian University.

The core curriculum includes innovative academic courses in Risk Theory; Comparative European Legislation; Strategies for Entering International Markets; Economics of Health Care; Motivation and Motivation Mechanisms of Management and Organizational Performance; and Organizational Design of a Human Resources Management System.

The curricula of all programs include English, German, and French courses for both general and specific purposes. An achievement test in one of these languages is required, and is administered by the State Board of Examiners.

Exchange programs have enabled students to study in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden, funded by various European programs.

The academic staff of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences includes one Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, seven full professors, sixteen associate professors, sixteen assistant professors, two Doctors of Science, and 25 Ph.D. holders. A number of the teaching staff are in demand as expert consultants on issues related to privatization, financial and insurance management, modern banking, accounting audit, sociological and political surveys and analyses, and human resources management.

The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences is divided into the following departments:
• Department of History and Theory of Economic and Political Systems
• Department of Marketing and International Economic Relations
• Department of Management and Quantitative Methods in Economics

FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science was the first autonomous faculty established at Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv. Courses were first offered in 1961, when the Higher Teacher Training Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (the forerunner of the present university) was founded in Plovdiv. The initial programs of study at that time were Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

During the first ten years the Mathematics program witnessed sustainable development, which culminated with the establishment of the Faculty of Mathematics in 1970, as one of the first two university faculties to be founded. The fledgling Faculty of Mathematics offered courses in Mathematics, Mathematics and Physics, and Industrial Mathematics. (The other faculty founded in 1970 was the Faculty of Natural Sciences and offered programs in Physics, Chemistry and Biology).

After the Informatics specialization was launched by the Mathematics program and with the introduction of the Mathematics and Computer Science program, the Faculty of Mathematics was re-named in 1990 as the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. New programs of study were introduced: Information Technologies (offered jointly with the Plovdiv branch of the Sofia Technical University), Computer Technologies, and Computer Science with a Specialization in Computer Technologies in Business.

At present there are Bachelor of Science degree programs in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science (full-time or part-time), and Mathematics and Computer Science (full-time or part-time). Students also matriculate in Master of Science and Doctoral degree programs in the fields of Mathematics, Computer Science and Information Technologies.

There are 86 members of the full-time academic faculty, who are supported by nine departmental staff members. Among the faculty members, 43 have attained the academic ranks of full professor or associate professor, and 43 are assistant professors. Five members of the teaching staff have earned the Doctor of Science degree, and 48 have been awarded the Ph.D. Many faculty members have studied, done research or have been guest lecturers at accredited universities in the USA, Europe, Africa, and Japan. There are faculty members who have been appointed members of scientific committees and specialized scientific councils by the Higher Education Commission on Certification. The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics is made up of the following departments and research units:
• Department of Algebra
• Department of Geometry
• Department of Real Analysis
• Department of Complex Analysis and Differential Equations
• Department of Applied Mathematics and Modeling
• Department of Computer Science
• Department of Computer Systems
• Department of Computer Technologies
• Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Teaching Methodology
• Computer Facilities Unit
• English Teaching Unit

The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics is located in the university's new campus, where up-to-date lecture halls, auditoriums, and seminar rooms facilitate academic studies. Among the Faculty's facilities are ten computer rooms, a dedicated server and an intranet network and a wireless Internet access. The university library maintains growing specialized collections in the fields of Mathematics and Computer Science.

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

The Faculty of Education is a major academic branch of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv . It has been located in a modern facility since 1992, at 236 Bulgaria Blvd.,Plovdiv 4003. The Faculty of Education delivers training to 1,486 students (1,007 full-time and 479 part-time).The objectives of the Faculty of Education may be defined along two lines, those associated with academic instruction and those that concentrate on educational research. The academic objectives of the Faculty of Education are:
• To offer instruction in various degree-granting programs that meet national and regional demands and standards;
• To help students acquire knowledge and skills in education theory and practice;
• To plan and develop educational and other social activities;
• To assess and forecast trends and processes in the areas of teacher-training and social integration;
• To develop creative approaches to problem solving, as the needs arise in teacher training or other forms of social practice:
• To provide opportunities for practice in educational and other social institutions, as well as in non-governmental organizations;
• To establish links and continuity between the various degree-granting programs.

The research objectives of the Faculty of Education include:
• Involvement of academic staff and students in research studies;
• Writing and publication of research papers, monographs, textbooks, study guides, reports, articles, and so forth;
• Participating in and holding conferences related to pedagogy;
• Participation in international research projects.
The Faculty of Education was founded pursuant to Decree No 27 of the Council of Ministers of 22 July 1983 and initially offered programs in Primary Education and Preschool Education. The Faculty of Education at Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv offers the following programs:
• Education - full-time, leading to B.Ed, and M.Ed.;
• Preschool and Primary Education - full-time or part-time, leading to B.Ed, and M.Ed.;
• Special Education - full-time, leading to B.Ed, and M.Ed;
• Social Education - full-time, leading to B.Ed, and M.Ed.;
• Primary Education and a Foreign Language - full-time, leading to B.Ed.;
• Preschool Education and a Foreign Language - full-time, leading to B.Ed.;
• Physical Education - full-time or part-time, leading to B.Ed.
The Faculty of Education is recognized throughout the country, and is a highly respected and important branch of the university. Some of the teaching staff have participated in EU programs, in collaboration with other Faculties. Contacts have been established with universities from Greece, Turkey, and The Netherlands, and international students from Greece and FYR Macedonia have matriculated in some of the Faculty's programs.The academic and research activities at The Faculty of Education are organized in the following departments:
• Pedagogy and Psychology
• Primary School Education
• Preschool Education
• Aesthetics
• Music
• Physical Education and Sport Theory and Methods

FACULTY OF PHYSICS

The Faculty of Physics, which was established in 1974, began as the Physics program offered when the university was first established in 1961. The Faculty of Physics boasts of a highly qualified research and teaching staff. Almost half of its members have been granted the academic ranks of Full Professor or Associate Professor, and almost 60 % have obtained postgraduate degrees. Faculty members have studied and done research in Russia, India, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, England, and other countries. The Faculty has established numerous (long-term international research contacts and has jointly participated in international projects with EL) countries. Academic and scientific work in the Faculty of Physics is carried out by the following departments:
1. Department of Experimental Physics
2. Department of Nuclear Physics
3. Department of Theoretical Physics
4. Department of Electronics
5. Department of Solid State Physics
6. Department of Physics Education
Each of the departments is staffed by highly qualified personnel and benefits from modern research facilities: fifteen Physics laboratories, a computer room, two research laboratories, a "Mikrotron" laboratory, and four workshops. These facilities ensure high standards of training, and as a result graduates of the Physics Faculty are highly respected for their scientific achievements around the world.Programs offered by the Faculty of Physics:

• Engineering Physics - BS in Physics, MS in Physics, Ph.D. in Physics
• Physics and Mathematics - BS in Physics and Mathematics with teacher certification
The Faculty is also planning to offer degrees in Computational Physics. The Faculty of Physics provides training to students enrolled in five other disciplines. Students who receive a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Plovdiv University are qualified for:
• Science and Applied Science Research in the fields of physics, electronics, laser technologies, nuclear physics methods, polymers, and computer science;
• Research, development and implementation of existing facilities and installations, in a variety of technological processes;
• Development of new experiments and improvement of existing control methods for the physical testing of materials and for the automation of the physics experiments;
• Operators in various industries.Postgraduate training provides a thorough fundamental instruction in a range of fields.

The following postgraduate degrees are offered by the Faculty of Physics:
1. Optics and Laser Science
2. Nuclear Physics Methods
3. Polymer Physics
4. Condensed Matter Physics
5. Medical Radiation Physics
Depending on the students' choice and needs, areas of study may be added or omitted. Those who earn a Master's Degree in Physics may go on to study for the Ph.D.

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE

The Faculty of Languages and Literature was established as an autonomous division in 1991, although the first programs in the humanities were offered some eight years earlier, during the 1973-74 academic year, when the Department of Bulgarian Language and Literature was set up. The Faculty of Languages and Literature is the largest of the eight faculties at Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv . It provides training to 4300 students in fourteen programs. The students at the Faculty of Languages and Literature constitute more than a fourth of the entire student body of 16,000. There are 2,800 full-time students, including thirty international students, and 1,500 part-timers. The total number of students who have graduated from this faculty exceeds 6,300; of that number, 3,622 completed the Bulgarian Language and Literature program.

International exchange programs in the humanities have been established with the universities of Poznan (Poland), Szeged (Hungary), Novi Sad (Yugoslavia), Brno (Slovakia), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Charles University (Prague), Minsk (Byelorussia), and Paris(France). Other contacts recently established include the universities in Lisboa (Portugal), Gent (Belgium), Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris), London University (UK), and Dresden (Germany).

The Bachelor programs offered by the Faculty of Languages and Literature are:
• Bulgarian Language and Literature
• Bulgarian Language and Literature (part-time)
• Russian Language and Literature English
• Language and Literature Ethnology
• Bulgarian and Russian
• Bulgarian and Russian (part-time)
• Bulgarian and English
• Bulgarian and French
• Bulgarian and German
• Russian and French
• Russian and English
• Russian and German
• Bulgarian and History
• Bulgarian and History (part-time)
Master's programs were initially offered only in Slavonic Languages and Literature, but a number of other postgraduate programs have recently been approved, among which are English, German, and European Studies.The faculty currently employs 167 people full-time, 30 of whom teach at Plovdiv University on a second contract, their home institutions being elsewhere. Of the 137 full-time teaching staff, there are two Full Professors, 29 Associate Professors, four Doctors of Science, and 46 holders of the Ph.D. in Languages and Literature. Forty-two members of the full-time teaching staff are also alumni of Plovdiv University. Languages and Literature faculty members have been visiting lecturers in Kiev (Ukraine), St Petersburg (Russia), Aix-en-Provence (France), Vienna (Austria), and Poznan (Poland). Members of the teaching staff have also done research and lectured at top-ranking universities in the USA, Europe, Africa, Japan, and Australia.
The Faculty of Languages and Literature is divided into 11 departments providing training in 14 programs:

• Department of Bulgarian Language
• Department of General Linguistics and History of the Bulgarian Language
• Department of Slavonic Languages and Literature
• Department of Literary History and Comparative Literature Studies
• Department of Bulgarian Literature and Theory of Literature
• Department of English Language and Literature
• Department of German Language and Literature
• Department of French Language and Literature
• Department of Russian Language and Literature
The Faculty of Languages and Literature is located in the Main Building in downtown Plovdiv, where lectures and seminars are given in the facility's lecture halls, auditoriums, and seminar rooms. The Faculty of Languages and Literature has one computer room, with its own dedicated server (http://slovo.uni-plovdiv.bg). and a LAN network. Libraries with specialized holdings in Slavonic and Western Languages are available to students and staff, as is a Language Center. The objectives of the Faculty of Languages and Literature are to:
• Provide specialists with expertise in various fields of the humanities;
• Integrate the deep-routed historical and cultural heritage in the region into the modern European models of scholarly community and facilitate interaction among ethnic groups, languages, and cultures.
• Initiate innovations in education and research techniques in the humanities.
• Provide the region and the country with staff in the fields of education, culture, and science; establish and manage the non-material domains of social life; further profitable relations and commercial activities related to the humanities, such as media, advertising, and publishing.To complete its mission, the Faculty of Languages and Literature:
• Develops appropriate information, academic, scientific and administrative infrastructures through synergetic interchange with groups and communities in Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Balkan region, Central Europe and the European Union;
• Takes part in international accreditation agreements, and sets up educational and research structures that allow for the adoption of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY

The Faculty of Philosophy and History was established in 2004. It offers training to students in 4 degree programs – Philosophy, History, Ethnology and Sociology. The total number of first-year students is 100 people per year.
The predecessor of the Faculty, however, was established in 1994, when Ethnology studies was first introduced in Bulgaria, and in 1995 the Sociology program was launched and the Department of Ethnology and Sociology was established at the Faculty of Languages and Literature. The Department of History was also established that year. The independent programs of History and Philosophy started in 2002. The teaching staff of the Faculty, 33 people in total, are distributed into 3 departments – Dept. of History with 10 lecturers, Dept. of Sociology with 9 full-time lecturers and Dept. of Ethnology and Philosophy with 14 lecturers.
The main focus of the Faculty is on the organization of the four study programs. The lecturers from the Faculty of Philosophy and History also deliver lectures to students from other faculties of the University - Faculty of Languages and Literature, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, as well as the affiliate colleges in Smolyan and Kardzhali. For the 2005/2006 academic year the Faculty offers 8 Master’s programs. The unique combination of programs and specialists at the Faculty of Philosophy and History offers resources for interdisciplinary developments. Faculty of Philosophy and History has the largest number of PhD students at the University – 8 in total. The ECTS functions at all degree levels. The Faculty has 3 computer rooms and a local computer network.

FACULTY OF CHEMISTRY

The Faculty of Chemistry was set up in 1991, and like the other faculties it began as an academic program during the first days of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv some forty years ago. The Chemistry Department has an impressive and celebrated faculty and maintains very high standards of academic instruction and scientific research. Its full-time staff of eighty includes fifty teaching staff, five of whom are Professors, fifteen Associate Professors, thirty Assistant Professors, and thirty support personnel. Five members of the teaching staff have been awarded the Doctor of Chemical Sciences degree, while another eighteen have earned the Doctor of Chemistry degree. Most of the faculty members have studied and done research at respected universities in Russia, the USA, Germany, England, and elsewhere, a prerequisite for maintaining the high level of instruction and research that the Chemistry Faculty demands. The Faculty of Chemistry has established long-term international research and development contacts and has been a partner on international projects involving universities from Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and other countries. The Faculty of Chemistry is comprised of the following departments:
1. General and Inorganic Chemistry for Chemistry Teachers
2. Analytical Chemistry
3. Organic Chemistry
4. Physical Chemistry
5. Chemical Technology
The Faculty's departments, which undertake most of the academic and research work, are staffed with highly qualified personnel and have the necessary facilities and materials to carry out their work, such as laboratories, chemicals, modern scientific instruments and equipment. The faculty campus is a four-story building located adjacent to the Main Building in downtown Plovdiv. Instruction takes place in the auditoriums, seminar rooms, academic and research laboratories located on the Faculty premises. The total area allocated to the Chemistry Faculty, including laboratories and the office space, amounts to 2,200 square meters. The Faculty of Chemistry also has two computer rooms, its own dedicated server (http://www.argon.acad.bq) and a LAN network linking the faculty's departments.In 1999 The National Certification and Accreditation Board granted accreditation to the Plovdiv University Faculty of Chemistry, thus enabling it to provide instruction in the following degree-granting programs:
* Chemistry - BS, MS and Ph.D.
* Chemistry and Physics - BS in
* Chemistry and Physics with Teacher Certification
The Master's Program offers a thorough grounding in the discipline, along with a wide range of specializations. Those specializations are:
1. Inorganic Chemistry
2. Organic Chemistry
3. Analytical Chemistry
4. Applied Chemistry
5. Medical Chemistry
6. Chemistry and Environmental Studies
7. Food Chemistry
Graduates of the Master's Program may continue their training in fields such, as management of chemical production facilities, research in various fields of chemistry, biological research, and medicine. Students who earn the Master's Degree in Chemistry at Plovdiv University are eligible to study for the Ph.D.

FACULTY OF LAW

The Faculty of Law at Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv was founded in 1992. Tha mission of the Law Faculty is to prepare legal experts who pursue careers in administering justice and applying the law, working in concert with both the central and local governments, so as to protect the interests of citizens and to facilitate the operations of legal entities. The training on the Law program complies with the State Requirements and with the laws in force in the Republic of Bulgaria.
During its relatively brief existence, the Faculty of Law has established itself as a highly respected member of the university community. The wide interest in the Law program derives from both its highly qualified academic staff and the up-to-date and rigorous curriculum it has developed. Along with the courses stipulated by the State Requirements, the curriculum offers modern courses such as Copyright, Patent Law, Human Rights, EU Law, and so forth.
The Faculty of Law employs 41 full-time staff. Among them, 21 are Full Professors and Associate Professors and nineteen art Assistant Professors. One faculty member is a Professor Emeritus, two are Doctors a Science, and 22 have earned the Ph.D.
The Faculty of Law has set up a Legal Advice Center which has seven offices that specialize in preparing court documents and prosecution documents, providing lawyer protection in criminal actions, initiating labor actions, applying and interpreting administrative and tax law, and so forth. The Faculty of Law is located in the Main Building of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv. It maintains a large and growing law library that includes the latest editions of related textbooks, reference books,etc.
The Faculty of Law prepares highly qualified legal experts by delivering not only theoretical knowledge, but also by creating right conditions for the acquisition of practical skills. In this way it admirably prepares them for their chosen fields of jurisprudence. The Faculty of Law already has six classes of alumni: legal experts who work as judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates, lawyers, civil servants and researchers.

University website: University of Plovdiv - Paisii Hilendarski