Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania
Forum: European and Russian Med Schools Forum
Location: Romania
Basic Science Tuition: $3,600 per year
Time required for MD: 6 years
Year founded: 1990
Loans: Private loans
Student reviews: Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu Review
History of LBUS
To open a school is not a minor event, because education means enlightenment. It means approaching new horizons and shaping young destinies. It means changing the future by molding the minds of young people. But to have had a school opened already in 1380 is a landmark in the history of a city. And it was the city of Sibiu which saw the opening of this school.
The truth is that the citadel of Sibiu was permanently motivated by the desire to see its residents improve their knowledge, as knowledge has always meant power. Since the Church had constantly offered the best conditions for study, gathering under its protective wings the minds most avid for knowledge, it was a Theological Pedagogical School which in 1786 marked the beginning of higher education in Sibiu. In 1850, the school changed its profile and became a Theological Pedagogical Institute for Higher Education, which initially offered two year courses and, starting in 1861, three year courses; simultaneously, a Pedagogical section was founded, with a four year program of studies.
But the religious education provided by this Divinity School could not meet all the needs of the society of that time. The necessity of secular education was strongly felt throughout the 19th century. The scholars of the time, many of whom had achieved their education abroad, constantly advocated the need for an institute of higher education, or an academy as it was called at the time. Avram Iancu, one of the most beloved heroes and martyrs of the nation, wrote in his will: “I therefore wish and resolutely decree that my fortune, both movable and unmovable, should be bequeathed after my death to my nation for its betterment to aid in the establishment of an Academy of Law, as I strongly believe that those fighting with the weapons of the law will one day succeed in wresting the rights of my nation.” But the times were not friendly. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, in which Transylvania was incorporated, rejected all petitions requesting the founding of an academy.
Yet the socio-economic realities of the time acutely demanded specialists trained in law and administration. Aware of these pressing needs, the German population, which enjoyed a privileged status at the time compared to the Romanian majority who were only tolerated in Transylvania, managed to inaugurate an Academy of Law in Sibiu in 1844. For twenty years the courses were taught in German, though the students enrolled were not all German. After 1865, as a result of the policy of forced assimilation led by the Austro-Hungarian authorities, the teaching of Hungarian was imposed in all schools. The Academy of Law in Sibiu was no exception, and courses were taught in Hungarian until 1887, when the Academy was forcibly disbanded by the same authorities.
Once again, the hopes and dreams of everyone teaching and learning at this Academy of Law were crushed. Still, a large number of the 1,387 students who graduated from the Academy would become spokesmen for the Romanian cultural movement in Transylvania. Many of them would go on to help organize the Great Unification of Romania, which, though completed in Alba Iulia, was prepared here in Sibiu, in the very building that today houses the Rectorate.
Years passed and Sibiu would not see another institute of higher education for some time, despite the efforts of the local community. Then came the Second World War. The Dictate of Vienna (1940), which stripped Romania of Northern Transylvania in favor of Hungary, unexpectedly meant a new beginning for higher education in Sibiu, as the University of Cluj was forced to relocate to Hermannstadt (Sibiu) for shelter.
During those hard years of war, Sibiu witnessed and encouraged a flourishing of higher education. Though the times were difficult, the number of students grew from 2,307 in the 1940/1941 academic year to 3,386 in 1943/1944. More significant than the numerical growth was the excellent performance of the academics and students in exile, who published around 2,000 papers over those four years and held 300 conferences in 25 towns. They even started a literary circle remembered today as the “Sibiu Literary Circle.” In a time when so much was being destroyed, a group of idealistic young philology students committed themselves to something more enduring: culture, meeting to discuss ideas under the influence of the man whose name the University bears today, Lucian Blaga.
In 1945, the University of Cluj returned home, but it left its spirit in Sibiu. Another quarter century would pass before Sibiu saw its own university again. In 1969, the School of History was founded as a branch of the University of Cluj. Two years later it became the School of Philology and History, whose Department of Philology included German, English, and Romanian sections. That same year, the School of Public Administration, offering a program of study not found elsewhere in Romania, came into existence. The following year brought a new school, the School of Wood Processing, functioning as a branch of the University of Brasov.
This growth led to the founding of the autonomous Institute of Higher Education in 1976, comprising the Schools of Philology and History, Public Administration, and Mechanical Engineering. But once again the political climate turned against academic life: despite strong national and international performance, the dictatorial regime of the 1980s gradually suppressed the Schools of Philology, History, and Law until they ceased to exist. Only the School of Mechanical Engineering continued, as an Institute of Subengineers under the Polytechnic School of Cluj-Napoca, where seventy-five percent of students trained as mechanical engineers.
This spirit of higher education endured, waiting for better times. Those times arrived with the Revolution of December 1989, which swept away decades of isolation and repression. Shortly after the Revolution, which claimed the second greatest number of martyrs in Sibiu, the Ministry of Education recognized the city’s academic potential. On March 5, 1990, the Ministry decreed the founding of a university encompassing five schools: Letters, History and Law, Medicine, Food and Textile Processing Technology, Engineering, and Sciences. On May 12, 1995, the University of Sibiu was named after the distinguished Romanian writer and philosopher Lucian Blaga.
It was a new beginning, and this time nothing could prevent the University of Sibiu from becoming what it deserved to be: a center of academic excellence and social renewal.
LBUS in the World
In a highly interconnected world, LBUS keeps pace with academic developments through international cooperation. After 1992, marking the start of Dr. Ciocoi-Pop’s administration, LBUS adopted a policy of expanding academic contacts and partnerships, believing that among Romania’s forty-eight state universities, eight military academies, and forty-nine private universities, success would come only through interaction and cooperation.
LBUS has since established academic links and partnership agreements with eighty-five universities in thirty-five countries. Partnerships with American, German, French, and English universities have produced student exchange programs, fact-finding trips for academics, and valuable ongoing cooperation. New ties have also been formed with Chinese, Russian, Italian, Greek, and Polish universities.
In recognition of its steady development, LBUS holds full membership in several prestigious international academic organizations, including the International Center of Tübingen, the International Association of European Universities, and the Alliance of Universities for Democracy. In partnership with organizations abroad, LBUS has also established a number of organizations for students, most notably CAS and UBA.
C.A.S. (Career Advisory Service): Founded in 1996 in cooperation with the British Council and supported by the Know How Fund, CAS builds links between students, graduates, and the job market through daily consulting, interview facilitation, workshops, seminars, and long-term courses. Its annual Summer Job Fair gives students the chance to meet employers and secure internships or full-time positions.
U.B.A. (University Business Association): A club facilitating ongoing exchange among faculty, business people, and students, aimed at helping students develop business skills, contacts, and English language ability while supporting job and internship placement. The club grew out of a program funded by the United States Information Agency (USIA), with Missouri University (Columbia, USA) assisting LBUS in developing a business school recognized nationally for academic and research excellence.
I.C. (International Centre, Tübingen): A consortium of 18 universities across 8 countries formed to establish and deepen academic cooperation between Eastern and Western academics.
C.R.E.: The association of executive heads of universities in Europe. By the autumn of 1984, its membership included around 360 universities and equivalent institutions across 23 European countries. Headquartered at the University of Geneva since 1964, CRE’s main objective is to promote cooperation among European universities.
A.U.D.E.M. (Alliance of Universities for Democracy): A consortium of higher education institutions formed to strengthen the role of education in promoting democratic institutions, economic development, decentralized decision making, human health, and shared moral and social values. Originally focused on Central and Eastern Europe, the Alliance expanded to include Western European institutions in 1993.
I.A.U.P. (International Association of University Presidents): Founded in 1964 in Oxford, England, this association of university chief executives works to strengthen the international mission and quality of member institutions, and to promote global awareness, competence, peace, and international understanding through education.
European University Association (EUA): An organization of European universities and national associations of university presidents, serving as a voice for the higher education community in Europe. EUA’s mission is to promote a coherent system of European higher education and research, providing support and guidance to member institutions in enhancing teaching, learning, research, and their broader contribution to society.
University Agency of Francophonie (AUF): Headquartered at the University of Montreal campus (Quebec, Canada), AUF was established in 1961 to support cooperation and solidarity among Francophone higher education institutions and to foster academic and research development.
University Network of the European Capitals of Culture (UNeECC): An international non-profit association founded in Pécs, Hungary, in December 2006 by 40 founding members, created to help universities in European Capitals of Culture use that platform to build new forms of academic and educational collaboration.
University Library
The Library of the Sibiu Institute of Higher Education was founded in 1969 and became a University Library in 1990, when the University of Sibiu was established. Until 2008, when a new building was completed within the Faculty of Medicine complex, the library operated out of several locations, including the Faculty of Letters and Arts and the Academy of Land Forces. As of 2000, it has been known as the Central Library of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu.
The library’s collections have grown every year through new acquisitions, inter-library exchange, and donations, developing an encyclopedic range that meets the research needs of every faculty at the university.
Library at a glance:
- More than 600,000 bibliographic units, with 350,000 already registered in the online catalogue
- 14,000 volumes of periodicals
- Subscriptions to major electronic databases (Springer Link, Legis)
- Alice for Windows and Liberty 3 specialized library software
- Free access to bibliographic data
- Free-access reading rooms across 4 levels and distinct subject areas
- 400 seats in the reading rooms, equipped with internet connections, computers, scanners, and multifunctional printers on every level
Mission: The Central Library’s role is to create, organize, develop, and host cultural and scientific collections from Romania and abroad across all types of documentary formats, and to build the informational foundation needed for educational and research activities. Its qualified staff guide users to the sources of knowledge they need, using modern research tools and information technology.
Victor Papilian Faculty of Medicine
The Victor Papilian Faculty of Medicine in Sibiu was founded in 1990. Its General Medicine degree program was accredited in December 2000 (Act published in M.O. 639/7), and its Dental Medicine degree program has been accredited since August 2005 (Act published in M.O. 766/23). The Nursing study program (3 years) has also been accredited, while the Midwifery and Nursing program (4 years) has been temporarily authorized to operate.
The Faculty is constantly focused on developing high quality medical training that meets national and international standards of competitiveness, in line with European Union requirements, so that its degrees are recognized throughout Europe.
More than 1,300 students are currently enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, supported by 138 full-time teaching staff. The Faculty is authorized to run doctoral studies, MA courses, and postgraduate programs.
Facilities include clinical hospitals with more than 3,000 beds, along with a modern teaching building of over 5,000 square meters. The informatics laboratory is equipped with a network of 20 computers with fiber-optic internet access, giving students and staff fast access to specialized information. Medical students also benefit from excellent accommodation through the university campus.
Depending on academic performance, students may qualify for scholarships from the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as scholarships abroad through the Faculty’s partnerships with institutions in France, Germany, Switzerland, England, and other countries.
Department for Doctoral Studies
Doctoral studies, as the third level of study in the higher education system under the Bologna Process (1999), are a priority for Romanian higher education. They are regulated by Education Law no. 84/1995, Article 14 of Act no. 288/2004 on the organization of academic studies, and Government Decision no. 567/2005 on the organization of doctoral studies.
Since 1990, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu has been authorized to deliver doctoral study programs across 6 main areas: humanities, engineering, economics, law, medicine, and theology, continuing a long tradition of higher education in Sibiu.
LBUS has built a strong reputation through the excellence of its graduate and doctoral studies, competitive programs, and quality of instruction. Since its doctoral studies center was established, it has awarded 300 doctoral degrees across 14 fields, including philology, history, theology, law, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, computer science, economics, management, finance, cybernetics and economic statistics, and medicine.
The academic environment at LBUS encourages dialogue and diversity of opinion, giving current and prospective doctoral students access to European doctoral programs and the opportunity to work with respected research centers, guided by doctoral advisors of national and international standing in teaching and research.
LBUS also gives special attention to the international dimension of doctoral studies, offering foreign students access to its doctoral programs and building co-advisorship partnerships with prestigious universities across Europe and the USA. Looking ahead, it aims to broaden its academic offerings further into fields such as socio-political sciences, exact sciences, agriculture and forestry, and the arts.
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