Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), established in 1959 (The ex- National University of Iran), started its academic life in 1960 with only 174 students in two faculties: Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Faculty of Banking and Economics. The first Master's course at SBU was offered in the Faculty of Architecture in 1961, while the first Ph.D. program was introduced in the Faculty of Economics in 1991.
Development of new facilities in the main campus paved the way for increased academic activities, so that by 1978 several other faculties became active at SBU, e.g. Faculties of Literature and Human Sciences, Basic Sciences, Law, Earth Sciences, Statistics and Informatics, and Education and Psychology.
SBU combines the tradition of a classical university with the dynamic character of a modern and interdisciplinary scientific enterprise. Since 1990, the university has placed more emphasis on postgraduate, in particular PhD, and research programs, while still aiming to enhance the quality of its well-established undergraduate courses.
Students at the university are inspired by an outstanding and rewarding academic environment not only in Iran but in the region. The University and the members of the academia are at the forefront of world research in many fields and the teaching is informed by the very latest developments in each discipline.
At the present time, SBU has 16 faculties, including: Letters and Human Sciences, Theology and Religions Studies, Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Law, Sciences, Economics and Political Sciences, Education and Psychology, Mathematical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Management and Accounting, Architecture and Urban Planning, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Renewable Energies and New Technologies Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and Chemistry.
