The Faculty of Physics is the successor to several higher education institutions in Rijeka that have been providing university-level physics education since 1960. Over the decades, physics has been taught within various organizational structures of the University of Rijeka, culminating in the establishment of the Faculty of Physics as an independent institution.
Today, the Faculty operates in modern facilities located on the University of Rijeka Campus at Trsat. It offers a three-year undergraduate program in Physics, followed by five two-year graduate programs aligned with the Bologna Process. Three programs prepare future teachers (Physics and Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Physics and Philosophy), while the research-oriented graduate program in Physics offers three specializations: Solid State Physics, Astrophysics and Elementary Particle Physics, and Physics and Environmental Science. A new graduate program in Medical Physics is in development. In addition, the Faculty jointly runs the interdisciplinary graduate program in Materials Engineering and Physics with the Faculty of Engineering.
Faculty members also contribute to teaching physics at other University of Rijeka faculties and deliver lifelong learning programs, including the Bridging Program for Materials Engineering and Physics and a Specialized Program in Science and Mathematics for primary school teachers.
Since 2017, the Faculty has offered a doctoral program in Physics, modeled after modern European doctoral studies. The program emphasizes original research contributions in fields where the Faculty has strong and internationally recognized expertise: condensed matter physics, elementary particle physics, and astrophysics.
Research at the Faculty of Physics is conducted in close collaboration with national and international partners, as well as with the University’s Center for Micro- and Nanosciences and Technologies. Experimental work takes place in state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with advanced instruments funded through EU programs and national research projects—unique facilities in this part of Europe. Supported by modern infrastructure and highly qualified researchers, students gain cutting-edge knowledge and skills that prepare them to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the future.