University of Bucharest facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Bucharest

Universitatea din București
Latin: Universitas Studiorum Bucurestiensis
Other names	UB, UniBuc
Motto	Virtute et Sapientia (Latin)
Motto in English	Virtue and Wisdom
Type	Public
Established	1694 – Princely Academy of Bucharest 1821 – Saint Sava College 4 July 1864; 161 years ago (1864-07-04)
Academic affiliations	IAU, UNICA, EUA, CIVIS
Endowment	RON 1.14 billion (US$274.76 million) (2018)
Budget	RON 364.7 million (US$87.67 million) (2018)
Rector	Marian Preda
Academic staff	1,300 (2022)
Students	32,576 (2022–2023)
Undergraduates	22,428 (2022–2023)
Postgraduates	8,911 (2022–2023)
Location	Bucharest , Romania
Campus	Urban
Colors	navy blue

The University of Bucharest (often called UB or UniBuc) is a big public university in Bucharest, Romania. It's a place where students go to learn and do advanced research. It was officially started on July 4, 1864, by Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He turned an older school, the Princely Academy, into the university we know today. This makes it one of Romania's oldest universities. It's also part of a special group of top Romanian universities called the Universitaria Consortium.

The University of Bucharest offers many different study programs. You can study in Romanian or English. The Ministry of Education in Romania sees it as an "advanced research and education university." This means it's a leading place for learning and discovering new things.

History of the University

The original 1857 university main building, designed by Alexandru Orăscu

A photograph from 1864 by Carol Szathmari

The University of Bucharest was officially created on July 4, 1864. This happened thanks to a special order from Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Since then, it has become a very important place for learning and a key part of Romanian society.

The university has a long and interesting history, going back to 1694. That year, Constantin Brâncoveanu, who was the ruler of Wallachia, started the Princely Academy. At first, lessons were taught in Greek. Later, in 1776, Alexander Ypsilantis changed the school's plan. He added courses in French, Italian, and Latin. After 1821, the Saint Sava College continued the work of the Princely Academy.

In 1857, the first stone was laid for the main University Palace building in Bucharest. In 1859, the Faculty of Law was created. Then, on July 4, 1864, Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza brought together the Faculties of Law, Sciences, and Letters to form the University of Bucharest. Over the years, more faculties were added, like Medicine in 1869 and Theology in 1884.

In 1956, students from this university tried to organize a peaceful protest against the government at the time. However, they were stopped. (You can learn more about this in the Bucharest student movement of 1956 article). For a short time in the 1950s and early 1960s, the university was called the "C. I. Parhon University."

During World War II, in 1944, parts of the main university building were damaged by bombs. They were rebuilt between 1969 and 1971. The area around the old university building, known as University Square, was a central spot for many protests during the Romanian Revolution in 1989. In 1990, it was also a place for protests against the former communist government.

In 1996, Emil Constantinescu, who was the head of the University of Bucharest at the time, was elected President of Romania.

How the University is Organized

The University Palace, the main building of the University of Bucharest

Faculties: Areas of Study

The Faculty of Law at the University of Bucharest

The University of Bucharest has 19 faculties. These are like different schools within the university, each focusing on a specific area of study. They cover many subjects, including:

• Business and Administration
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Law
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Geography
• Geology and Geophysics
• History
• Journalism and Communication Studies
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Letters (like Romanian language and literature)
• Mathematics and Computer Science
• Psychology and Education Sciences
• Sociology and Social Work
• Political Science
• Orthodox Theology
• Roman Catholic Theology
• Baptist Theology

Academic and Research Units

The university also has special departments that focus on different areas of learning and research. These include:

• A Technology Department
• A Distance Learning Department (for online studies)
• A UNESCO Department for understanding different cultures and religions
• A Department of Education Pedagogy (about teaching methods)
• A French-speaking Doctoral School for Social Sciences

The university also has its own publishing house, where they print books and research papers. There are many research groups and institutes, like the Institute for Political Research and the Center for Nuclear Research. The university offers master's and doctorate programs for advanced studies. It also works with over 50 universities in 40 different countries. This allows students to take part in European programs like ERASMUS, which lets them study abroad.

University Buildings (Campus)

The Central University Library, a beautiful building with a classic design

The University of Bucharest doesn't have just one big campus like some universities. Instead, its buildings are spread out across the city of Bucharest. Its two main buildings are:

• The Old Building: This is in University Square, right in the city center. It houses faculties like Mathematics and Computer Science, History, Chemistry, Geography, and Letters.
• The Palace of the Faculty of Law: This building is near the Opera House and is home to the Faculty of Law.

Other faculties have their own buildings and research places in different parts of the city. For example:

• The Faculty of Physics is located in the town of Măgurele, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Bucharest.
• The Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Philosophy are on Splaiul Independenței.
• The Faculty of Psychology is on Șoseaua Panduri.
• The Faculty of Political Science is on Sfântu Ștefan Street.
• The Faculty of Orthodox Theology is near Unirii Square.
• The Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology is on General Berthelot Street.
• The Faculty of Baptist Theology is on Berzei Street.

University Rankings

University rankings show how a university compares to others around the world. In 2012, the University of Bucharest was ranked among the top 601-701 universities globally by the QS World University Rankings.

The University of Bucharest has received special awards for its excellent work. It was given the National Academic Excellence Diploma in 2000 and the National Academic Excellence Medal in 2004. All the degrees and diplomas from this university are recognized internationally, which means they are accepted in other countries.

Working with Other Organizations (Affiliations)

The University of Bucharest is part of many international groups and partnerships. This means it works together with other universities and organizations around the world. Some of these include:

The university has about 225 agreements with European partner universities through the ERASMUS program. This allows many students to study abroad for a period of time.

People from the University

Past and Present Teachers (Faculty)

Many talented people have taught at the University of Bucharest. Some famous names include:

• Ion Barbu – a mathematician and poet
• George Călinescu – a writer and literary critic
• Mircea Cărtărescu – a well-known writer
• Emil Constantinescu – who later became the 3rd President of Romania
• Neagu Djuvara – a historian
• Eugène Ionesco – a famous Romanian-French playwright
• Nicolae Iorga – a historian, literary critic, and politician
• Solomon Marcus – a mathematician
• Dimitrie Pompeiu – a mathematician
• Simion Stoilow – a mathematician
• Nicolae Titulescu – a politician

Former Students (Alumni)

Many successful people have studied at the University of Bucharest. These former students are called alumni. Some notable alumni include:

• Albert-László Barabási – a physicist
• Mircea Cărtărescu – a postmodern writer
• Zoia Ceaușescu – a mathematician
• Emil Cioran – an essayist and philosopher
• Daniel Dines – a billionaire entrepreneur
• Mircea Eliade – a historian of religion and writer
• Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen – an economist
• George Emil Palade – a cell biologist who won the Nobel Prize in 1974
• Nicolae Paulescu – a physiologist who discovered insulin
• Andrei Pleșu – a philosopher and politician
• Victor Ponta – a former Prime Minister of Romania
• Mihail Sadoveanu – a writer
• George Simion – a politician and activist
• Șerban Țițeica – a physicist

Rectors: Heads of the University

The rector is the main leader of the university. Here is a list of the rectors of the University of Bucharest:

• Gheorghe Costaforu (1864–1871)
• Vasile Boerescu (1871)
• Ioan Zalomit (1871–1885)
• Alexandru Orăscu (1885–1892)
• Titu Maiorescu (1892–1897)
• Grigoriu Ștefănescu (1897–1898)
• Constantin Dimitrescu-Iași (1898–1911)
• Ermil Pangrati (1911–1912)
• Ioan Bogdan (1912)
• Thoma Ionescu (1912–1915)
• Ioan Athanasiu (1915–1920)
• Mihail Vlădescu (1920–1923)
• Ermil Pangrati (1923–1929)
• Nicolae Iorga (1929–1932)
• Nicolae Gheorghiu (1932–1936)
• Constantin C. Stoicescu (1936–1940)
• Petre P. Panaitescu (1940–1941)
• Alexandru Otetelișanu (1941)
• Horia Hulubei (1941–1944)
• Daniel Danielopolu (1944)
• Simion Stoilow (1944–1946)
• Alexandru Rosetti (1946–1949)
• Ilie G. Murgulescu (1949–1950)
• Constantin Balmuș (1950–1952)
• Avram Bunaciu (1952–1954)
• Nicolae Sălăgeanu (1954–1957)
• Iorgu Iordan (1957–1958)
• Jean Livescu (1959–1963)
• Gheorghe Mihoc (1963–1968)
• Jean Livescu (1968–1972)
• George Ciucu (1972–1981)
• Ioan-Ioviț Popescu (1981–1988)
• Ion Dodu Bălan (1989)
• Nicolaie D. Cristescu (1990–1992)
• Emil Constantinescu (1992–1996)
• Ioan Mihăilescu (1996–2005)
• Ioan Pânzaru (2005–2012)
• Mircea Dumitru (2012–2019)
• Marian Preda (2019–Present)

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Bucarest para niños

• List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)