FERI

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (acronym FERI) has its origins in the two-year Junior Technical College founded in 1959 on the initiative of Maribor's economic organizations and technical associations. Since the city of Maribor became the country’s most developed industrial center, the need for skilled engineers increased considerably. The Junior Technical College quickly solved the staffing shortage. Teachers with valuable practical experiences gained during their employment in various industrial sectors passed their knowledge on to students.

In 1973, the Junior Technical College was transformed into the four-year Technical College, which was renamed the Faculty of Technical Sciences in 1985. In the beginning, the Department of Electrical Engineering offered only one programme - Electrical Engineering with two tracks (Electronics and Power Engineering). Later, Automation, Computer Science, and Information Technology were added. In the eighties, the main political focus shifted towards a more centralized approach to research and education, which decisively influenced research work both at the university and in various industrial sectors. Through the years, the Faculty has strengthened its ties with foreign universities and other institutions.

In cooperation with the Faculty of Economics and Business, the interdisciplinary programme Industrial Engineering was introduced in 1993.

The division of the institution into four faculties was proposed on the basis of the new Higher Education Act in order to maximize effectiveness. This proposal was put forward in the 35th anniversary year of the Faculty. On 21st December 1994, the Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia passed the Ordinance on the Transformation of the University of Maribor, which transformed the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science into the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The programmes Telecommunications and Media Communications were introduced in the academic years 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 respectively.

Bachelor’s Bologna programmes were introduced in the academic year 2007/2008.

Through the years, the Faculty extended its scope of work to other academic fields. Today, both teachers and students are involved in various international and national R&D projects. Scientific findings are published in annual reports.