History
Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, officially exists as independent science and education institution since 1995.
"Velika škola" was founded in 1808. in Belgrade when Serbs were engaged in liberation wars and uprisings so as to create a nation state.
After the Turks had burned down the magnificent Library of the School in Belgrade (1813), a retreat to Kragujevac ensued.
"Velika škola” was reopened under the new name of "Licej" in 1838. in Kragujevac, which was the capital of the liberated part of Serbia. This year is taken to be the founding year of Belgrade University.
Historical circumstances, uprisings and struggle against Ottoman occupation were not favorable for science and education. However, the instruction of mathematics in Serbia began immediately after the foundation of the "Licej" in 1838. In 1841 it was transferred to Belgrade and it was restructured to comprise two sections (colleges) – the School of Law and the Faculty of Philosophy, and in 1863 it was transformed into the Higher School. With three faculties within the Higher School, namely the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Philosophy and the Technical Faculty, the Higher School was moved to the edifice that one of the most prominent Serbs of the day, Captain Miša Anastasijevic, had endowed to his fatherland.
Since teaching of mathematics in Serbia began immediately after the establishment the "Licej", further development of this scientific discipline is the same as development of basic sciences
in Serbia.
In 1853, Natural-technical Sciences department was founded in the "Licej", as one of its three departments. The ten-year period (1863-1873) natural sciences and mathematics one could study in the Technical Faculty of High School, and in the end of this period, Faculty of Sciences returned to the Faculty of Philosophy with the establishment of Science and Mathematics Department.
In 1853, the Science and Engineering Department was founded within the "Licej" as its third department.In the 1863 - 1873 periods, natural sciences and mathematics were studied within the framework of the Faculty of Engineering of "Velika skola". Finally, by the end of that decade, these sciences were returned to the Faculty of Philosophy through the foundation of the Science and Mathematics Department of that Faculty. This means that the first Chair of Mathematics was founded on the Natural Science Section of Faculty of Philosophy on 20th December 1873. on "Velika škola". During the next seventy-four years, until 1947, science and mathematics developed within the framework of the Faculty of Philosophy. That year the Science and Mathematics Department became the independent Faculty of Science and Mathematics.
Through reorganization of the Faculty of Science and Mathematics, in 1990s the Department of Mathematics acquired operative and organizational autonomy. The status of an independent institution within the structure of the University of Belgrade was acquired by the Faculty of Mathematics in 1995, through the constitution of its own management bodies and enactment of the Statute of the Faculty.
Since its founding, the Faculty has graduated out more than 6000 graduate students, 700 holders of M.S. degree and more than 400 holders of doctoral degrees who occupy important positions in various institutions, government offices, research institutions, companies and schools in the country and abroad and these are quality indicators by which the Faculty of Mathematics is most recognizable all around the world.Ten members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts were elected from teaching staff of this Faculty.
Teaching and research activities are performed by more than 100 teachers and assistants with about 2000 students on undergraduate and postgraduate studies today.
There are 3 academic programs today: Mathematics, Informatics and Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Distinguished matematicians (from "Lives and work of the Serbian scientists", edts.: V. Đorđević, D. Vitorović, D. Marinković, Serbian Academy of Sciencies and Arts, Belgrade, 2006.)