Faculty of Horticulture with Viticulture

The Faculty of Viticulture and Horticulture was founded in 1950 when the Agricultural University was structured as an autonomous university. Still it is the only one in that scientific field in Bulgaria and in South-East Europe. 

During its 70-year history it has developed as a Faculty of authority and an integral part of the Agricultural University, with its specific and unique image.

The following Departments are functioning in its structure: Viticulture and Fruit-Growing; Horticulture; Irrigation, Land Planning and Agrophysics; Agricultural Machinery.

Training and research activities of the Faculty are carried out by 48 academic staff members, out of them 4 full-time professors, 20 associate professors, 14 chief assistant professors, 1 assistant professor, including one DSc and 37 PhD holders. The work of the academic staff is assisted by 10 experts, technicians and specialists.

Training for the Bachelor’s degree is offered in the following majors:

  • Viticulture and Horticulture
  • Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture 
  • Agricultural Engineering
  • Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design.

Since its foundation, the Faculty has trained over 10 000 students in Viticulture and Horticulture, over 2 000 students in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, over 400 students in Agricultural Engineering. 166 students have being trained in the latest major offered by the Faculty – Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design (166 students). 

The Master’s degree training is carried out in two areas of higher education:

  • Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, professional field Crop Production:
    • Ornamental plants and landscape design
    • Viticulture and the basics of winemaking
    • Fruit growing – production and management
    • Seeding and planting material production;
  • Technical Sciences, professional field General Engineering:
    • Agricultural Machinery.

The Faculty of Viticulture and Horticulture carries out training in PhD degree in the professional fields Crop Production and General Engineering. 

During its existence the Faculty has trained over 70 Bulgarian and foreign doctoral students. The graduates are working in 16 countries on four continents: in Europe (Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Slovakia); Africa (Benin, Egypt, Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Syria, Sudan); Asia (Bangladesh, Yemen, Iraq); America (Cuba, Uruguay).

The Departments have modern scientific and experimental laboratories and training-and-experimental fields, in which different fruit species and over 300 grapevine cultivars are grown. Student training is conducted in the orchards and vineyards. Many-year experiments have been carried out on rootstocks and new cultivars of different fruit species and vines, on technologies for growing perennial crops and for vegetable production, complying with the latest requirements to minimize pesticide application. 

The Experimental Winery is among the few university wineries in Europe and the world and the only one in Bulgaria for experimental microvinification. It provides the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in the production of various types of wines.

The extensive experience and the hard work of generations of teachers at the Faculty of Viticulture and Horticulture have created excellent conditions for adequate theoretical and practical training of BSc, MSc and PhD students, and, combined with the good living conditions and job opportunities in the country and abroad, the Faculty is attractive to young people.