The Faculty of Chemistry and Biology

The Faculty of Chemistry and Biology was created in accordance with the order of the rector of the Melitopol State Pedagogical University No. 173 dated July 1, 1975 “On the division of the Faculty of Biology into Natural and Geographical and Chemical and Biological.” The prerequisite for its creation was the opening of the “chemistry-biology” specialty in 1974.

The formation and development of the faculty took place thanks to the fruitful work of many scientists – florist and geobotanist D.I. Sakalo; plant physiologist L.S. Lukyanov; zoologist B.A. Yankovsky; cytologist Yu.P. Antipchuk; chemists G.I. Lysenko, N.M. Vorontsova, T.I. Khoroshilova and many others. Professors I.P. Anosov and A.M. Solonenko, who headed the university for a number of years, made a significant contribution to the development of the faculty in recent years.

The deans of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology in different years were associate professors and professors V.M. Dyatlov, P.D. Neznaev, L.V. Antonovska, O.O. Danchenko, V.O. Khromyshev.

In 2022, after the transfer of the university to the city of Zaporizhzhia, as a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation, the faculty was headed by candidate of biological sciences, associate professor S.M. Podorozhny.

Over the years of its existence, the faculty has trained more than ten thousand highly qualified teachers, most of whom today, despite the state of war and military aggression, remained loyal to their state and work in comprehensive schools, new-type educational institutions (gymnasiums, lyceums, colleges), institutions of higher education according to Ukrainian programs.

Many of our graduates have found employment abroad at enterprises, scientific institutions, landscape companies, etc.

In order to ensure a high-quality educational process in the conditions of martial law, in 2022 the department optimized its structural subdivisions – the department of human and animal anatomy and physiology and the department of ecology, general biology and rational nature management were merged into the department of human biology and ecology, and the departments of inorganic chemistry and chemical and organic and biological chemistry merged into the department of chemistry and chemical education.

Today, three departments of the faculty – the department of botany and horticulture, the department of human biology and ecology, the department of chemistry and chemical education – prepare specialists with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the following specialties:

014.05 Secondary education (Biology);
014.06 Secondary education (Chemistry);
014.15 Secondary education (Natural sciences);
091 Biology and biochemistry;
101 Ecology;
102 Chemistry;
205 Forestry;
206 Horticulture.

In addition, the faculty trains specialists of the third educational and scientific degree (doctor of philosophy) in two specialties – 091 Biology and 101 Ecology.

Over the past two years, two educational and scientific programs 091 Biology and 101 Ecology (Doctor of Philosophy) and one educational program “Horticulture. Landscape design” (master’s degree).

Despite the difficult conditions of wartime, the status of a relocated university, the faculty is constantly improving and updating existing educational programs and opening new ones.

In 2023, the faculty opened new educational programs:

Biology of the sea;
Secondary education (Natural sciences);
Garden therapy.

Garden therapy is a unique interdisciplinary program that combines knowledge of psychology, horticulture and landscape design for the rehabilitation of different segments of the population.

The educational process at the faculty is provided by experienced scientific and pedagogical workers, true patriots of Ukraine – doctors and candidates of sciences, professors and associate professors.

A modern material and technical base has been created at the faculty, which makes it possible to harmoniously combine the educational process with the research work of students – computer classrooms, lecture halls, specialized laboratory halls are equipped with modern audio and video equipment, multimedia projectors and other modern equipment.

The faculty includes zoological, anatomical and botanical museums; there are 4 research laboratories.

Over the past five years, the faculty has created an interdepartmental laboratory of chemical analysis and molecular genetic research with modern equipment that allows conducting fundamental and applied scientific research in various areas of analytical chemistry and molecular biology.

Separate structural subdivisions of the faculty (Department of Botany and Horticulture, Department of Human Biology and Ecology) are part of the scientific and educational center “Biodiversity”, created on the basis of MDPU, which enables active involvement of students in scientific research work while performing various scientific projects, contracts, etc.

The material and technical base formed, the high level of scientific developments in the field of biology and ecology, and the active involvement of applicants in scientific research work made it possible to receive five-year funding in 2021 within the framework of the contract with the Ministry of Education of Ukraine to fulfill the tasks of the perspective development of the scientific direction “Biology” at Melitopol State Pedagogical University named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

An important component for the acquisition of relevant competences, preparation and performance of coursework and qualification work are educational and industrial practices – the faculty has formed and constantly expands the network and geography of places where they take place.

The bases for conducting practices are the agrobiological complex of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi MSPU, the “Forest-city” training and field department, the training and field bases of the villages Bohatyr and Stepanivka, as well as leading scientific institutions, reserves, national parks, botanical gardens, landscape companies and garden centers of the Zaporizhia region and Ukraine.

The students of the faculty take an active part in the scientific work of the university, in the All-Ukrainian Olympiads in basic disciplines, competitions of student scientific works, in which prizes are awarded in biology, chemistry, and ecology.

In recent years, international cooperation with educational institutions and scientific institutions of the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, Austria, etc. has been actively developing.

The main value and pride of the faculty is its student body, which is famous not only for its achievements in academic and scientific work, but also in artistic amateur activities and sports.

In the difficult post-war times, the majority of our applicants remained loyal to our university and faculty and continued their studies remotely. Today, in addition to studying, they are engaged in active volunteer work, and also protect our Motherland in the ranks of the Armed Forces.

The war changed our lives, we lost our homes, we were scattered all over Ukraine and abroad. We go to classes from Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Cherkasy, Uman, from various countries of Europe, Asia and America. But the main thing is that we did not lose faith, we united and became one big faculty family.

We will definitely, together with our students, return to the walls of our native University, restore our material and technical base, our glorious traditions and celebrate the 100-year anniversary.