Teaching economics goes back to 1892 when the newly opened Department of Law included political economy, finance and statistics in its curriculum. In 1904 the First School of Higher Education was renamed Sofia University. Economics continued to be taught at the Faculty of Law. The years after 1923 were more favourable for the development of higher education in Bulgaria. The postwar economic crisis was over and the national economy had picked up. The country was in need of more trained economists, administrators and teachers.
Original documents from that period show that Sofia University had the vision to constantly modernize university structures and teaching progammes by incorporating the latest achievements in social sciences. An example of this trend is the opening of the Department of Public Economy within the Faculty of Law in 1938 which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the University. Some modern subjects were included in the curriculum, such as theorеtical economics and statistics, economic history and policy, public economy. The Department of Public Economy took a further step towards integration of teaching and research by working closely with the Statistical Institute for Economic Research established in 1934 within the University.
From 1944 on (after World War II) there have been substantial changes in university education. The Law for Higher Education was adopted thus entirely changing the University structure. According to the new Law, the Department of Public Economy at the Faculty of Law was transformed into the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. The new Faculty became very popular and in 1947/48 admitted the largest ever number of students within the University. During the first year of its independent existence the Faculty released its Annual Book where research papers of its teaching staff and of external collaborators were published.
The reforms in university education underwent further changes. In 1951 the Faculty of Economics and Social sciences was separated from Sofia University and transformed into the Higher Institute of Economics “Karl Marx”.
On 16 May 1990 the Faculty of Economics and Soial Sciences at Sofia University was reopened by the decision of the Academic Council. Thus, after a suspension of 40 years, the Faculty resumed its position within the structure of Sofia University as the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. The first students were enrolled in the fall of 1991.
Nowadays, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration is part of the European Community. This is reflected in the modernization of its degree programmes and its numerous cooperation agreements with foreign universities. It has truly become a knowledge centre preparing the economists and business leaders of tomorrow.
An article on the history of economic thought at Sofia University by Assoc. Dr. Sonia Georgieva, named “Creation and Development of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at “St. Kliment Ohridski” University of Sofia”, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the founding of the University, published in the Yearbook of FEBA (2009), can be found here .