“Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău

“Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău is an important constituent part of the Romanian educational system; its achievements are nationally and internationally acknowledged for the quality of its academic and research activity. “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău is situated in Central Moldavia, in Bacău, the capital of the county of Bacău. The town has a population of 134 000 inhabitants and a long history, as it is one of the oldest in Romania. The first documents attesting the existence of the town were issued during the reign of Alexandru cel Bun and date back to 1408. The town is situated at the crossroads of national and international transport corridors that connect Bucharest with the northern part of the country, and Moldavia with Transylvania.The University emerged and has developed in an organic connection with the historical and cultural traditions of the region. In 1961, the Pedagogical Institute was founded. It had three faculties: Humanities, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences. The Faculty of History and Geography, and the Faculty of Physical Education were added in 1964; in 1976, the Faculty of Engineering is founded (its first study programme was Machine-building Technology). In the same year, the Pedagogical Institute becomes the Institute of Higher Education of Bacău. In 1984, the Institute of Higher Education of Bacău was transformed into a Sub-engineers' Institute, under the guidance and administration of the Polytechnical Institute of Iaşi. In 1985, the study programmes Inorganic Chemistry Technology, and, in 1986, Power Networks are transferred from the Polytechnical Institute of Iaşi to the Sub-engineers' Institute of Bacău . In 1990, under the provisions of the Order of the Minister of Education, no. 7751/1990, the Sub-engineers' Institute became the University of Bacău, with two faculties: the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Letters and Sciences. In the period 1990 – 2004, the Faculty of Engineering developed and diversified its structure into 11 study programmes for diploma engineers (5-year courses) and 4 study programmes for engineers (3-year courses). In 1996, the Department of Physical Education and Sports, then a constituent part of the Faculty of Letters and Sciences, was transformed into the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports. In 2005, the name of the faculty is changed by governmental decision into the Faculty of Movement, Sports and Health Sciences.