University of Bucharest

Introduction

University of Bucharest is a public higher education institution, non-profit and with a non-political status. University of Bucharest was founded by the Decree no. 765 of July 4th1864 of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza and is one of the most important higher education institutions in Romania. Since the 1990s, University of Bucharest has undergone a complex process of revival,setting up new faculties and study programmes, reorganizing, redefining priorities of the institutional development, both at a national level and at an international one. In 2000, University of Bucharest comprised 18 faculties and over 20,000 students. At present, University of Bucharest includes 19 faculties and over 30,000 students of which approximately 35% are enrolled in the master's and doctoral programs. At the same time, University of Bucharest is one of the most important research centers in the country, currently comprising over 50 institutes, departments, research centers, and 5 research platforms. In 2000, University of Bucharest was awarded the Diploma of Excellence by the Ministry of Education. In 2007, the survey conducted by "The Times Higher Education Supplement" placed the University of Bucharest in its TOP 500, University of Bucharest being the only university in the country included in this classification. Furthermore, in April 2009 and April 2015, the External Institutional Evaluation Committee of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education(ARACIS) conferred University of Bucharest the qualification certificates indicating a “high degree of trust” in the institution regarding the management of the institution concerning theeducation programs and the academic standards (https://drive.google.com/file/d/13tDvDjzJuIIJPA6D9WSxlZNjKilv6SIo/view). In 2011, the University of Bucharest was ranked by the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sport as the first university for advanced research and education -Order of the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sport no. 5262/2011 regarding the results of the classification of universities (http//chestionar.uefiscdi.ro). In the University Charter, approved in 2016, the University of Bucharest is declaired an advanced research and education institution, which mission of training, research and social development defines the institutional functionality within a national and European context. In 2012, University of Bucharest was very well appreciated by the international team of experts in the process of Institutional Evaluation Programme, EUA. In 2015, another external evaluation conducted by ARACIS, confirmed that University of Bucharest is an institution of highest national recognition. University of Bucharest has several offices in Bucharest (31) of the faculties and departments. With some exceptions, most offices are located in the city center. Bucharest Botanical Garden, founded in 1860 is also part of the university management and administration, being recognized as an institution of culture, education and research. Besides the offices in Bucharest, the University of Bucharest also includes bases, centers and resorts such as those of Orşova, Brăila, Sinaia, Sfântu Gheorghe, Ţara Haţegului. There are over 28 fields of study leading to the Bachelor’s Degree, with a total of nearly 109 majors. The Bachelor’s Degree may be followed by a Master’s, characterized by in-depth study, undertaken in a critical spirit, and leading to openings in research or leadership in various organizations. Master’s studies may be either vocational or academic. Doctoral and postdoctoral studies benefit from significant financing. The doctoral schools’ criteria are demanding and Ph.D. students enjoy exceptional conditions for their research, which lead to a high percentage of successful theses. Researchers who have been trained at the University of Bucharest have a good reputation throughout the world. More than 200 bilateral cooperation agreements with foreign universities generate joint events, such as conferences, lectures held by invited professors, research courses. The University of Bucharest has granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to important international figures. Exceptional intellectuals and friends of Romanian culture have been proud to become members of our academic community: Rolf-Dieter Heuer, General Manager of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN); Jean Delumeau, the greatest French historian of Christianity; Saul Kripke, a genius in logic; Amos Oz, the most beloved and famous contemporary Israeli writer; Hélène Carrère D’Encausse, Permanent Secretary of the French Academy; Philip Kotler, the father of contemporary marketing − to name just a few (https://unibuc.ro/despre-ub/istoric/doctor-honoris-causa/). University of Bucharest strives to be connected to the labor market. It constantly analyzes the developments and the trends in the labor market, contributing with new areas of qualification and (pre)specialization that can facilitate the professional integration of graduates. Tracking students’ and graduates’ has become an objective for better understanding of the career paths and subject for institutional development. An Alumni data basis has been established in order to track students’ and graduates’. University of Bucharest’ mission, in the area of education, is to provide students with training at European level in the fields of sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, to produce new ideas and to review the current state of knowledge in these fields. In the area ofscientific research, the institutional mission is to massively contribute to the development of scientific creation and of national culture, to the development of society, to the integration of Romania within the EU. Looking for excellence in research and international collaboration, ICUB - The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest is a newly established research institute, a research division of the University of Bucharest. ICUB is organized in four divisions: a. Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences; b. Exact Sciences; c. Humanities; d. Social Sciences. The institute ICUB offers every year a number of grants for young researchers (maximum 5 years from their PhD) who have a work contract with the University of Bucharest and a number of fellowships for visiting professors. University of Bucharest is a socially responsible institution. The University Charter acknowledges, along with the training and research mission of the University of Bucharest, its contribution to the development of the Romanian society. University of Bucharest is currently a member of CIVIS alliance which is a transnational collaboration of civic universities, fostering multilingualism and European cultural diversity, being committed to become a space for innovative and responsible teaching, research, cultural exchanges and citizen action within Europe, from Baltic to Mediterranean Sea, while engaging with the world, its inhabitants and its institutions.