Shahid Beheshti University

Even though the Shahid Beheshti University of Iran was officially inaugurated in 1959, the idea of establishing a university that could impart authentic academic courses dates back to much earlier when the absence of such a structure in the higher education system of the country could be felt. Eventually, after Ali Sheikholeslam, a law graduate of New York University, was commissioned to establish such a university, the dream of the establishment of a comprehensive university became a reality.

Today’s Shahid Beheshti University was originally established as the “National University” in order to prevent the migration of Iranian students to pursue their higher education in other countries by providing the most up-to-date educational systems at various university levels.

Changes in the Name and Structure of the University

At the time of the establishment of this university, the word “national” was used for institutions that depended on the tuition fees paid by the students to function and did not use government funds. Therefore, in the first years of the university’s activities, only students from the affluent classes of society were able to get admission. However, in 1974, education at this university became free and as a result, all sections of society were eligible to get admitted to it. In 1979, a few months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the National University was officially declared a public university, and in 1983 it was renamed after “Martyr Beheshti”, an Iranian scholar, orator, and politician who was martyred in a terrorist attack after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The last important change that occurred in the structure of the Shahid Beheshti University was that its medical and paramedical faculties were detached from it and transformed into an independent university named “Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences”.

Faculties and Scientific Centers

The first batch of students of the “National University” were given admission in the fields of banking, financial and economic sciences, and architecture. Thereafter and by 1966, the faculties of Medicine, Foreign Language, Science, Dentistry, and Law were formed making it a comprehensive university. Presently, the number of faculties at Shahid Beheshti University stands at 19 (in four categories of engineering, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences).

In addition, the following 20 specialized research institutes and centers are also affiliated with this university:

1. Laser and Plasma Research Institute

2. Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute

3. Environmental Sciences Research Institute

4. Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences

5. Electrical Networks Research Institute

6. Cyberspace Research Institute

7. Institute of Medical Science and Technology

8. Family Research Institute

9. Institute for Science and Technology Studies

10. Interdisciplinary Quranic Studies Research Institute

11. Center for GIS Studies

12. Center for Regional/Spatial Researches

13. Gemology Center

14. Center for Oil and Gas Exploration

15. UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy

16. Protein Research Center

17. Iranian Research Center for Silk Road

18. Waqf Research Center

19. Center for Economic and Political Studies

20. Unconventional Water Resources Center

Presently, the number of faculty members of this university stands at 900 and with about 20 thousand students the Shahid Beheshti is one of the largest universities in Iran.

Campuses of the Shahid Beheshti University

Apart from the central campus, Shahid Beheshti University admits students in three other campuses:

Zirab Campus: The process of building this campus in the scientific research park of Shahid Beheshti University in the forest lands of the Zirab city of Mazandaran province started in 2000 and ended in 2002. With an area of nearly 9 thousand square meters, this campus teaches and imparts training to its students in such fields as rural development, pulp and paper industries, cellulose industries, and lignocellulosic composites.

Abbaspour School of Engineering: The history of this school dates back to 1970 when it began its activities in the northeast of Tehran province as a specialized electrical training center. However, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, various technical fields were added to it at associate and bachelor levels. Presently, this campus operates as the best center in Iran in providing applied scientific training in water and electricity, energy, and petrochemical industries.