Department of Physics is one of five departments at the Faculty of Science, which is a part of the University of Sarajevo. The formation of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo in 1950, with its Department of Science, can be regarded as the starting point of modern physics development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The detachment of the Department of Science into a separate faculty in 1960 was a second milestone, and the completion of a modern building in 1964 for the needs of Physics and Chemistry departments of the Faculty of Science was the next milestone on the path to further development of physics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) disrupted that development. Many professors and associates left Sarajevo, and some even lost their lives. The premises were devastated and equipment almost destroyed, but classes at the Department of Physics were taught even during the war. In the years after the war, the conditions for physics research were aggravated, but despite all difficulties, some admirable results were achieved.
Amongst the first teachers were Professors Branko Galeb, Vera Šnajder, Krunoslav Ljolje, Zdravko Stipčević, Dimitrije Čajkovski, Egvin Girt and others, who taught physics to numerous generations of students. Many physicists who graduated from Faculty of Science Sarajevo spread knowledge in schools and colleges throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in some other areas of Yugoslavia, whilst others created scientific research teams. The quality of physics studies in Sarajevo was recognized in many major university centres around the world.
Numerous physicists graduated from the general physics and physics education study programmes and they never had trouble with finding jobs, be it due to skills shortages or by joining a scientific base of the region in which they operated. Department of Physics is proud of its numerous students who have earned their master’s or doctoral degrees in Sarajevo or other university centres, and the actual study programmes at the Department of Physics are going to, as always, insure the highest level of quality physics graduates.