When, in 1997, the FCTUC began its expansion for the Campus II, where in 2001/2002, already functioned the Departments of Informatic Engineering, Electrotechical and of Computers, Mechanical, Chemical and Civil, went elapsed 225 years since the foundation, in 1772, of the Faculties that were its root.

The FCTUC holds now 14 Departments, that cover the majority of the scientific areas of the Natural, Physical, and Exact Sciences, of Engineering, of Life, of the biggest Art than is Architecture and of Anthropology and, as enclosed establishments, the Museums of Natural History and of Physics, the Botanical Garden, the Geophysical Institute and the Astrononomy Observatory.  There are several integrated Investigation Units  and associated ones and around 7000 students. 

The model of the Faculty of Sciences had been modernized, in the curricular and scientific plans, in 1965, but the organizational model  and the diversity of the degrees remained barely without alterations, since 1911. In fact, during the 1st Government of the Republic, the University of Coimbra was reformatted, namely with the conjunction of the old Faculties of Mathematics and of Natural Philosophy for give rise to the Faculty of Sciences; the two existing bachelorships, respectively the one in Mathematics and the one in Natural Philosophy, unfolded in four:  Mathematical, Geographical Engineering, Physic-Chemical Sciences Preparation Courses (3 years) in Engineering.

The Faculty of Sciences’ affirmation was felt in the slopes of Education, Science and even Political.  Here we remind twoformer Presidents of the Republic: Professor Bernardino Machado, that was a fellow of Anthropology, Professor Sidónio Pais, that was a fellow of Mathematics.  But the structures were kept as they were in 1772.  In the 19th century, it had only been built the Geophysical Institute and reformatted the Jesus College.  Afterwards only the Observatory Astronómico and the Department of Mathematics were added (1969).

Looking back at the foundation, in 1772, of the Faculties of Mathematics and of Natural Philosophy, there was the troubled period that marked the end of the Old Regime and the beginning of the Liberalism, the political consequences of the French Revolution and of the Peninsular Wars (1789-1813), and more directly, the replacement of the notorious Professors that founded those Faculties.

The origin was the reform made by the Marquis of Pombal, inspired by the current encyclopedists and enlighted persons of the time, and that was expressed in the sucessfully planned and implemented (1772-1801) curricular organization of the courses, of the methodologies of education, of the output of books - text, of the reconstruction of the College of Jesus, to install and equip the Museum of Natural History, the Cabinet of Experimental Physics with his Anatomical Theater and to its Pharmacy.  There were built the Chymico Laboratory, the Botanical Garden and the old Astronomical.Observatory  Qualified professors and illustrated persons were recruted.  With these two Faculties, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics entered in Portugal.

The Faculties of Mathematics and of Natural Philosophy completed each other in order to assure the two bacharorships, as happens nowadays with the Departments of the FCTUC to assure the 23 Degrees.  Naturally, in the end of the 18th century, the dimension, compared with the one of today, differentiated itself by two orders of cpmparison: in that time, the number of professor and of substitutes was about the 15, the students the hundred, in each year formed itself a scarce dozen of graduates, licensed and doctors, and in each Faculty there was 4 to 6 annual subjects.