UNIVERSITY OF NIS

 THE FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

ABOUT THE FACULTY

 

Civil engineering, as one of the oldest forms of human creativity has constantly been developing, as a result of the aspiration to create more and more successful engineering and architectonic structures and spaces. And while architecture and art are based on emotions, the civil engineering has rationality and structural realization at its basis. Architecture is the art of shaping the space, which is expressed through civil engineering. This is probably the most complete comment of the unbreakable bond between these disciplines. Designing and construction of civil engineering and architectonic structures is a beautiful and challenging activity, and a very responsible one, because it is an imperative that it results in stable, functional and beautiful and durable structures. At the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Nis, for almost half a century the experts trained in planning and arranging settlements and cities, for designing and building of buildings, roads, railways, bridges, dams and other civil engineering and architectonic structures. To create in civil engineering and architecture means to create structures with a personal mark, that will endure decades and even centuries.

       

Pursuant to the Law, the Assembly of SR of Serbia passed the Act on 18th of May 1960 to found the Technical Faculty in Nis with Civil Engineering, Electronic, Mechanical and Architectonic divisions, and later with the Occupational Safety division. In the first five years, the Technical Faculty operated as a part of the University of Belgrade, and the first students enrolled on 1st of October 1960.

The University of Nis, as a community of all faculties in Nis, was founded in 1965. The abrupt development of the Technical faculty lead to establishment of separate faculties from the existing divisions. Thus in 1970, the existing Civil Engineering division of the Technical Faculty becomes the Faculty of Civil Engineering and on 2nd February 1998 by the decision of the government of the Republic of Serbia, the name of the Faculty of Civil Engineering is changed into The Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

Currently, there are more than 1000 students with state grants studying at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Nis, and 186 self-financed students. Since founding in 1960 over 3 000 students acquired the diploma of a graduate engineer, and the first degree diploma, was acquired by 301 student.

There are 93 teachers and researchers working at the Faculty, 40 being the holders of a PhD title, and 26 being the holders of MA titles. The Faculty activities are supported by around 40 permanently employed non-teaching staff.

The faculty is equipped with modern teaching aids, computer center, numerous laboratories and a library with over 12 000 books and journals concerning civil engineering and architecture. The faculty is a higher education institution having the capacity of a legal person operating within University of Nis (hereinafter: University), organizing and teaching academic study programs at all levels of studies and develops and realizes the scientific and professional work in the domain of technical and technological sciences and arts, whose founder is the Republic of Serbia.

Pursuant to the Law, the faculty can organize specialist and professional studies and realize educational programs regardless of the age.

No political, partisan and religious organizations and actions are allowed at the faculty.

The faculty has full scientific and educational autonomy, pursuant to the law.

The area of the faculty is inviolable, according to the law.

The Faculty operates in its place of establishment.

The Faculty may operate outside its place of establishment, upon acquiring approval of the Government of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter: Government).

All the employees and students of the Faculty are guaranteed free educational and scientific work and creativity and dissemination of scientific ideas.

The students of the faculty are entitled to be fully informed about realization and method of teaching, examination procedures and regulations of the studies.

The faculty is constantly improving the quality and efficiency of studies. In the recent years, the teaching process has been intensively reformed so as to conform to the Bologna declaration and the new Law on higher education. In the teaching process, the computer and visual presentation have been progressively used, as well as other forms of contemporary teaching process.

As a part of practical training during the course of studies, it is common that the students, within some teaching courses, realize concrete tasks at competitions, and exhibit their projects at the faculty and in the public exhibitions. Students, teachers and researchers also often participate in general competitions, winning prizes and acknowledgments of merit.

Other activities of the students are also notable, such as participation in national and international professional meetings where they present their work, then permanent participation in annual manifestations.

 

These are Gradjevinijada and Architecture Students Congress, where they win prizes for sport and knowledge, as well as the professional training through exchange with students from other countries via the students associations IAESTE, IACES and so on.

 

For the purposes of affirming the profession, further education and informing of students, staff and teachers, and the broader professional community, the Faculty also occasionally organizes lectures of prominent scientific and professionals, scientific and professional conferences, presentations of new domestic and foreign products from the domain of civil engineering and architecture etc.

Except through the production of master and doctoral theses the scientific work at the Faculty is performed through a successful implementation of scientific research projects funded by the Ministry for Education and Science of the Serbian Government, business organizations and state institutions.

Since the founding, the faculty nurtures cooperation with universities and other institutions in the country, and abroad. This cooperation is realized primarily through the participation of teachers and researchers at the international congresses and symposia, and through seminars led by prominent world experts in relevant fields, as well as through the exchange of lecturers, postgraduates and PhD candidates . Nowadays, the cooperation is carried out within international Tempus projects and projects under auspices of the German foundation DAAD. Apart from civil engineering and architecture Faculties from our country, the following faculties are taking part in these projects: The faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and the Institute for Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology of Skopje, Faculty of Civil Engineering Tirana, Faculties of Architecture of Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, Graz and Antwerp, Faculties of Civil Engineering from Bochum and Weimar, Technical College of Berlin etc.

Specific activities of teachers and staff in solving practical problems in the field of civil engineering and architecture are conducted via the organizational unit of the Institute of Civil Engineering and architecture. Working as a synthesis of science and practice, takes place through the development of various projects, studies expertise, technical control, laboratory testing etc. within the eight departments, associated with 10 laboratories. In terms of scientific and professional competence, as well as the complexity and scope of work, the Institute is one of the strongest institutions of its kind in southeastern Serbia. There is a long-term cooperation with more than 60 institutions, and in the past about 7000 reports/analyses were produced, used for construction of structures in the country and abroad.

 

 A significant segment of the work at the faculty is publication of textbooks, monographs, collections of tasks and practicum. The Faculty publishes a national magazine "Proceedings", in which are published scientific papers, written primarily by the teachers and researchers of the Faculty. They also regularly publish their scientific papers in the international Journal "Facta Universitatis" in the Volumes of Civil Engineering and Architecture, published by the University of Nis. The journal "Science + Practice" published the results of scientific and professional work of teachers and staff of the Faculty.

As a prominent educational and scientific institution, The Faculty of Civil Engineering is clearly committed to retain the prominent position in the higher education system of Serbia in the future period, to successfully contribute to the scientific-research activities, to develop new ideas in civil engineering and architectonic domain, to broaden its cooperation with other universities, faculties and corresponding governmental and industrial institutions. The main goal is to reach the standards of European universities and get better conditions for efficient education and professional training of civil engineers and architects.