The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac, or today the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Kragujevac, was formed at the initiative of the former Kragujevac District and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, by Regulation of the Executive Council of the National Assembly of the People's Republic of Serbia No. 522 of October 1, 1960, as a department of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade . The Department of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering began its work on October 9, 1960, in the premises of the First Kragujevac Gymnasium. The first lectures in the subject of Mathematics were given on October 10, 1960, by Prof. Dr. Božidar Đerasimović. The first head (dean) of the Department of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac was Prof. Branislav Ilić, B.Eng.
The new buildings of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering were erected on a field next to the Upper Park in 1962, and the final move to the new buildings took place on January 5, 1963. The constructed facilities included 5,600 m 2 of classroom space and 700 m 2 of laboratory space. The construction of the facilities created the necessary conditions for the successful work and development of the faculty. The first results were visible after a few years: on October 10, 1964, the first diploma thesis was defended (Miloš Kojić), on November 23, 1968, the first master's thesis (Aleksandar Kuzmanović), and on June 24, 1969, the first doctoral dissertation (Branislav Devedžić). Thus began the process of creating its own teaching staff as a basic prerequisite for the faculty's independence.
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac became an independent faculty, within the University of Belgrade, on December 2, 1971. The first dean of the independent Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac was Prof. Dr. Dušan Simić, B.Sc.
Since 1976, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has been part of the "Svetozar Marković" University in Kragujevac, today the University of Kragujevac .
For special merits and successes achieved in the education of experts and scientists, contribution to the economic development and progress of the country, and other significant results, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac was awarded the Order of Merit for the People with Silver Rays (1985).
From its foundation to the present day, the Faculty has developed and continues to develop intensively, with significant spatial, personnel, and material strengthening. With the construction of new buildings, in the period from 1987 to 1990, the process of spatial expansion was completed so that the total area of all faculty buildings is 15,000 m 2 , of which about 8,000 m 2 consists of laboratories, centers, design offices, computer and other classroom space.
With the accreditation of all levels of mechanical engineering studies in 2008, and then of new study programs in the fields of military-industrial engineering, industrial engineering and engineering management in the jubilee year of 2010, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering entered a new cycle of development. The Government of the Republic of Serbia, at its session held on July 28, 2011, adopted a Decision to change the name of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac to the "Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac".
In the expected wave of change brought by the return of the automotive industry to Kragujevac, the Faculty recognized a new opportunity for development. In cooperation with the company FIAT Automobile Serbia and the Polytechnic of Turin, a new study program, Automotive Engineering , was designed at the Faculty and subsequently accredited in 2013 . In parallel with this process, and in order to respond to the needs of the local community, the Urban Engineering study program was developed , which was also accredited in 2013.
Following modern trends in engineering education as well as the needs of the labor market, the Faculty of Engineering is opening a new study program within the scientific discipline of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the 2015/2016 academic year. The goal of the new study program, entitled Computer Engineering and Software Engineering , is to educate engineers in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science, which includes hardware and software design, databases, development and application of artificial intelligence in modern information systems, and development of web and mobile applications.
In 2015, in addition to the existing doctoral studies in Mechanical Engineering, doctoral studies in Serbian and English in the fields of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management were accredited . High employment rates for engineers have resulted in an increase in interest in engineering studies in the last few years. A diploma from the Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac represents confirmation of fundamental knowledge, applicable in mechanical engineering, informatics, engineering, military industry, transportation, management, anywhere in the world. This ensures a prestigious place in the global community of engineers for our engineers of all levels of academic education.
During 2017, the faculty received an extension of the accreditation of the basic academic studies Computer Engineering and Software Engineering from the existing 40 to 90 students for enrollment in the first year of study (Serbian and English). In order to provide students enrolled in the basic academic studies of Urban Engineering with the conditions to complete the second level of studies, the master's degree in Urban Engineering was also accredited . The master's degree in Environmental Engineering was developed to offer the environment experts who acquire knowledge in specific areas of the engineering profession (quality living and working environments, conservation of natural resources and energy efficiency).
At the beginning of 2018, accreditation was obtained for the master's degree in Bioengineering with the aim of providing experts who can join the work of hospitals, scientific research organizations, private bioengineering companies, and software companies.
Along with the overall accreditation of the institution and study programs, in 2019 the second level of studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering was also accredited , so that in 2021 the accreditation process would be completed with the accreditation of doctoral academic studies in both the fields of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering . During the same year, in cooperation with the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Kragujevac, a joint study program of basic academic studies in Environmental Engineering was accredited .
Following an abbreviated procedure in September 2022, the Faculty accredited the Master's degree program in Mechanical Engineering for the enrollment of 128 students in the first year of study.
In the period from 1960 to the present day, the Faculty of Engineering has significantly contributed to the faster economic and social development not only of Kragujevac, Serbia and the entire former SFRJ, but also of many companies around the world. This contribution can be most briefly and simply seen through the following several characteristic data (as of October 1, 2022):
» A large number of candidates have obtained various degrees at the Faculty, including:
- 1149 Mechanical Engineer (I degree),
- 3210 certified mechanical engineers,
- 1668 Engineer (BSc),
- 932 Master of Engineering (MSc),
- 19 technical science specialists,
- 239 Master of Engineering Sciences
- 148 doctors of technical sciences,
- 89 Doctor of Science - Mechanical Engineering;
- 4 Doctor of Science - Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management;
» Hundreds of research topics of a fundamental, applied and developmental nature have been implemented and a multitude of scientific and professional papers have been presented and published at congresses, conferences, workshops and seminars of a national and international nature and in leading national and international journals;
» a large number of scientific, textbook, monographic and other publications have been published, important for carrying out educational and scientific activities, improving and innovating the knowledge of faculty associates and experts from the economy;
» The Faculty also publishes three international journals (Mobility & Vehicle Mechanics – MVM, Tribology in Industry and International Journal for Quality Research), which contribute to the spread of scientific thought both in the country and abroad;
» The Faculty has developed and is developing cooperation with many scientific and other institutions from the country and abroad, striving in this way to provide all the necessary prerequisites for the education and training of its teachers and associates;
» The Faculty is the holder and implementer of several international TEMPUS, EURECNA, WUS, EUREKA, COST, FP6, FP7, IPA and other projects.
Even this small part of the presented results shows that the Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac is an institution with a rich tradition, impressive results, and is recognizable in domestic and global contexts.
