UC.PT

The University of Coimbra

The University was founded in Coimbra in 1290 by King Dinis. The Papal confirmation was also given in 1290 (on 9th August) by Nicolas IV.
The royal charter announcing the foundation of the University of Coimbra was dated 1st March 1290; it is one of the oldest universities in Europe.
The University was faithful to Pombal's Reform during the agitated liberal period, developing slowly and with difficulty through secularisation by the merging of the Faculties of Civil Law and Canon Law into one Faculty of Law, for instance.
In October 1910 Portugal became a Republic and, after the founding of the University of Oporto and the University of Lisbon, the University of Coimbra was no longer the only one in the country.
For centuries the University of Coimbra has been the country's only university and so received students from Azores and Madeira and from the former overseas provinces (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Macau, Timor, etc.).
Many of these students played an important role in the political, religious, legal, scientific and cultural life of the Portuguese speaking world and have created in Coimbra an enduring tradition of academic excellence.
According to its tradition, internationalisation continues to be one of the main goals of the University.
It was under Salazar's dictatorial government that the complex of University buildings underwent substantial architectural alterations; much of "upper" Coimbra was destroyed.
The democratic structure of the University was strengthened with the promulgation, on 28th August 1989, of its revised statutes, approved in an Assembly of Representatives of each body of the university community.
These statutes define the mission, nature and purposes of the University, its autonomous guiding principles, its major functions, its structure and its governmental organs.
The University from A to Z
Universidade de Coimbra
Paço das Escolas
3001-451 COIMBRA
PORTUGAL
Phone: +351 239859810
URL: http://www.uc.pt
The University of Coimbra (UC) is a public university that offers 63 undergraduate programmes (licenciaturas) , 300 postgraduate programmes (pós-graduações and mestrados), 46 fields of postgraduate doctoral programmes (doutoramentos), 85 titles/year of periodical publications and study collections, 176 units of I&D (research centres), 1 General Library, the Joanine Library, 31 libraries and specialised documentation centres and 9 thematic museums.
The Faculties and departments are located in different campus, known as pólos.
Campus I
Located on the old part of the town, Alta, and here you'll find:
the Rectorate - Pátio da Universidade
the University Main Library - Largo da Porta Férrea
the Joanine Library - Pátio da Universidade
the Faculty of Arts - Largo da Porta Férrea
the Faculty of Law - Pátio da Universidade
the Faculty of Medicine - Rua Larga
the Faculty of Pharmacy - Rua do Norte
the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - Rua do Colégio Novo
the Department of Mathematics - Largo D. Dinis
the Department of Physics - Rua Larga
the Department of Chemistry - Rua Larga
the Department of Earth Sciences - Largo Marquês de Pombal
the Department of Zoology - Largo Marquês de Pombal
the Department of Botanics - Calçada Martim de Freitas
Campus II
Located on the right bank of the river, Quinta da Boa Vista, you'll find the Engineering Departments of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology.
Campus III
University Hospital and Health Sciences Campus - Praça Mota Pinto
On the left bank of the river is the Faculty of Sports Sciences and Physical Education - Estádio Universitário, Pavilhão 3 - Santa Clara
Each Faculty has different departments and institutes, with its own libraries and I&D centres.