The history of the Silesian University in Opava (Slezská univerzita v Opavě) is actually quite short. It was established by a law passed by the Czech National Council on July 9, 1991. However, for more than one hundred years, Opava‘s cultural representatives had proposed the creation of an institution of the university type, applying in 1870, 1945 and 1968. Only after the political changes in 1989 their dream came true and two faculties were created in close cooperation with the Masaryk University in Brno: the Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava and the School of Business Administration in Karviná. Since 1991 the Silesian University has been expanding. In 1999 the Mathematical Institute in Opava was established after its separation from the Faculty of Philosophy and Science. In 2008 several other institutes were separated from the same faculty and the Faculty of Public Policies in Opava was created. The Institute of Physics as the youngest part of the university was established in 2020.
The Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava offers bachelor, master and doctoral study programs in humanities, namely in Linguistics, Library Science, History, Archaeology, Gastronomy and in Computer Science. Creative Photography represents the artistic disciplines.
The Faculty of Public Policies in Opava offers bachelor programs in Public Administration and Social Politics, Social Pathology and Prevention, Educational Care for Seniors, Special Education, General Nursing, Midwifery, Dental Hygiene, master programs in Public Administration and Social Policy and doctoral study programmes in Modern History of Central Europe.
The School of Business Administration in Karviná is aimed not only at the regional and entrepreneurial field, but also at the analysis and evaluation of the impact of globalization and integration processes on individual sectors of the Czech economy. The school offers bachelor, master and doctoral study programs in Economics, Marketing, Management, Finance and Banking, Economic Policy and Administration and Management Informatics.
The Mathematical Institute in Opava provides bachelor, master and doctoral study programs oriented towards Mathematics.
The Institute of Physics in Opava offers bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs in the areas of Applied Physics and Theoretical physics and Astrophysics.
The Silesian University in Opava is a member of the European University Association and other international institutions. At the beginning of the third millennium it successfully underwent a demanding evaluation process, carried out by European University Association. The Silesian University in Opava is involved in several international student and teacher exchange programmes, particularly within the framework of ERASMUS, it also has a vast cooperation with foreign universities in many research projects. The Silesian University in Opava applies ECTS credits and standards in all its study programs. The Silesian University in Opava is a university with a positive trend and a future of prosperous development.
The administrative seat of the Silesian University is Opava, which is a historical city originating from the 12th century with a rich history and significant cultural background. Until the end of the second decade of the 20th century Opava was the political and administrative centre of the region. Initially it was a seat of the Princedom of Opava, later a capital of the then named Austrian Silesia, one of the provinces of the Habsburg Monarchy, afterwards, in the times of the former Czechoslovakia it was a seat of the administration of the Silesian County.
