Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

The first proposal for launching the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad was announced concurrently with the establishment of Tehran University in 1934. However, the first step was converting the Higher Institute of Public Health to a Medical Faculty in 1949. Shortly after, the Medical Faculty admitted its first group of medical students, and in December 1949 this institute was officially inaugurated as the first Center for Medical Sciences in the North East of Iran by the Minister of Culture, the late Dr. Zanganeh. Finally in 1956 after the foundation of the facultys of Literature and Theology, the complex was named "Mashhad University". Later on in 1957, the rules and regulations for employment and education of Tehran University were adopted for use in this new university.

Since then other faculties have been gradually added to the university based on the local demand. These are the Faculty of Science (1961), the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Agriculture (1973), the Faculty of Engineering (1975), the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (1987), the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1991), the Faculty of Mathematics (1996), the Faculty of Architecture, the Faculty of Urbanism and Islamic Arts, and the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment (2001). In 1975 after the separation of the facultys related to the Medical Sciences from the university, the name of the university was changed from "Mashhad University” to "The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad".

The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad has now nearly seven decades of brilliant educational, research and cultural history and it is well known among institutes of higher education in Iran. It is currently one of the nation’s top three universities and also the largest center of higher education in the North East of Iran.

At present, the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is composed of 12 facultys, 38 research centers, 7 centers of excellence, 820 faculty members (%50 of whom are professors or associate professors), over 20000 students (9996 undergraduate, 6143 Masters, and 3905 Ph.D. students), and 1050 staff members.

Currently, 1279 foreign students are enrolled in different academic programs at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. In addition, there are also 187 foreign students who are passing their six-month training courses in language at the International Center for Teaching Persian to Non-Persian Speakers. These students would begin their academic education after they pass this six-month course of study.

University Honors

List of distinguished people from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad:

• Dr. Ali Shariati, Distinguished faculty member of History
• Professor Mohammad Taghi Fatemi, Professor of Mathematics
• Dr. Ali Akbar Fayyaz, Professor of Persian Language and Literature
• Dr. Gholam Hossein Yousefi, Professor of Persian Language and Literature
• Dr. Sayyed Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, Professor of Islamic Philosophy
• Dr. Kazem Modir-Shanechi, Professor of Quranic Sciences and Hadith
• Dr. Mohammad Vaezzadeh, Professor of Quranic Sciences and Hadith

 The Distinguished Professors of the University

• Late Dr. Hossein Razmjoo, Department of Persian Language and Literature
• Late Dr. Mohammad Ali Rajaee Bokharaee, Department of Persian Language and Literature
• Late Dr. Lotf-Allah Mafakham Payan, Department of Geography
• Late Dr. Sayyed Mohammad Taghi Edalati Sharbaf, Department of Physics
• Late Javad Hadidi, Department of French Language and Literature
• Dr. Sayyed Mohammad Alavi Moghaddam, Department of Persian Language and Literature
• Dr. Rampoor Sadr Nabavi, Department of Social Sciences
• Dr. Afzal Forooghi, Department of French Language and Literature
• Dr. Rahmatollah Fattahi, Department of Information Sciences and Knowledge Studies
• Dr. Gholam-Hossein Haghniya, Department of Soil sciences
• Dr. Elaheh Kafshdar Goharshadi, Department of Chemistry
• Dr. Mohammad Sal Moslehiyan, Department of Pure Mathematics
• Dr. Mohammad-Reza Taraghiyan, Department of Applied Mathematics
• Dr. Naser-Reza Arghami, Department of Applied Mathematics

Educational Awards

• Winner of the National Award for Outstanding Student by a student from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, August 2015
• Achieving the first rank in the National Nano Competition of Iran at the Bachelor’s level, September 2015
• The best Award winner poster at the International Conference on Nano in Mashhad, June 2015
• Award winner of two bronze medals at the Chemistry Olympiad in the 20th Scientific Student Olympiad, August 2015
• Achieving the first rank in the National Sheikh-Bahai Techno-preneurship Festival, May, 2015
• Achieving the second rank in the 16th National Statistics Students’ Competition by the students’ team of the Faculty of Mathematics, September, 2015
• Achieving the first rank at the National Robotic Competition by the robotics team of the Faculty of Engineering, September, 2015
• Achieving the third rank at the 19th Student Scientific Olympiad, September, 2014
• Achieving the third rank in practical projects of the Khwarizmi International Awards, 2014
• Achieving the first and the second ranks in the Robotic League, March, 2014
• Achieving the first rank at the 19th National Chemistry Olympiad, August, 2014
• Achieving the second rank at the 19th Scientific Student Olympiad, September, 2014
• Award winner of the best doctoral thesis, September, 2013
• Achieving the first and the third ranks at the 18th Scientific Student Olympiad, October, 2013

Research Honors

• Achieving the 3rd rank 3 in Iran, 95th in Asia, 455th in world based on the 4ICU Ranking, 2015
• Award winner of the Dehkhoda Medal for 2 faculty members of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, December, 2015
• The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad ranked in the top one percent of the world's influential universities, July, 2015
• Developing the technical knowledge of reproducing one of the world’s top five flowers by researchers, August, 2015
• Acknowledging two faculty member of the Department of Chemistry as Iran’s prominent chemists, September, 2015
• Achieving the third and the fourth ranks in modern languages and chemical engineering based on QS ranking 2014
• Achieving the sixth rank among universities affiliated with the Ministry of Science based on URAP ranking system, 2014
• Paying tributes to three distinguished faculty members of Geology as Iran’s Top Scientists, October, 2013
• Achieving the first rank in the 20th Student Yearbook Festival in the field of Art and Architecture, December, 2013

Honors in Research and Technology

 Culture and Sport Achievements

• Achieving championship at the13th Male Cultural-sports Olympiad, September 2016
• Achieving the second rank at the 13th Female Cultural-sports Olympiad, September 2016
• Achieving championship at the Public Sports Olympiad of Girls, September 2015
• Achieving the rank of outstanding consulting center of Iran by the Consulting Center of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, March 2016
• Winning 11 outstanding titles by the Art and Cultural Center of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in the Rooyesh Festival, June 2015
• Winning the title of outstanding lady of Khorasan Razavi by a faculty member, April 2015
• Achieving the championship at the12th Male Cultural-sports Olympiad, September 2014
• Achieving the second rank at the 12th Female Cultural-sports Olympiad, September 2014
• Achieving the first rank in cultural activities of Iranian universities, 2013
• Achieving the 11th top ranks in the Quran competitions of region 3, May 2013
• Achieving the first, the second and third ranks in the Quran Festival of Iran, October 2013
• Achieving the 5 top ranks at the Khwarizmi Festival in the field of student press, May 2013
• Achieving the 4 top ranks at the 7th international Festivals of Press and News agencies, May 2013
• Achieving the 4 top ranks at the Quran competitions of faculty members, July 2013
• Winner of 9 top titles for Art and Cultural Centers at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, March 15, 2013
• Winner of 8 top titles at the Motion Festival, December 2011
• Achieving the third rank at the Students’ National Quran Competition, May 2011

 Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies

Faculty of Theology and Islamc Studies was established at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 1958. The aims of this faculty are to increase the understanding of religious texts, to provide an overview of theological and doctrinal perspectives, to promote Islamic doctrines and principles, and also to deepen awareness among those who are enthusiasts in the knowledge of Islamic gnosis and worldview. In this faculty, the students of different areas and subjects become familiar with Islamic culture and civilization, religion and religious knowledge, religion and rationality, Quran and Hadith, and Philosophy and Logic. The graduates of the Faculty of Theology are capable of doing research, teaching and directing propaganda in different areas of Islamic science.

The Educational Departments of the Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies are:

Comparative Religions and Mysticism

Islamic history and muslim civilization

Qur'an and hadith studies

Islamic Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic law

Islamic philosophy and Theosophy

Islamic Studies (in English and Arabic)