The Department of Physics was established in 1946 by Prof. Sazdo Ivanov, the first rector of the State Polytechnic, today Technical University - Sofia. In 1989, the department was renamed the Institute of Applied Physics, which in 1999 was transformed into the Department of Applied Physics. Since 2016, it has become part of the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Informatics as Department of Applied Physics (DAP).
The Department of Applied Physics provides general physics training for all students, full-time and part-time, at the bachelor's level at TU-Sofia, training in physical disciplines in the three foreign-language faculties, as well as training in some specialized disciplines. For general physics training, the department has eight well-equipped laboratories.
In 2018, at TU-Sofia in the professional direction "General Engineering", a bachelor's specialization "Applied Physics and Computer Modeling" was opened, the successor of the existing bachelor's specialization "Engineering Physics", established in 2012 under the leadership of Prof. Ivan Uzunov.
The “Applied Physics and Computer Modeling” program is focused on an in-depth study of the physical nature of the processes and phenomena through which modern photonic, laser, optical, electronic, and nanotechnologies—as well as other fields of modern engineering—are developed and implemented. Another key focus of the program is computer modeling and simulation, which today replace many costly physical experiments while simultaneously providing the information necessary for a given technology regarding the properties of the objects and systems under study and the processes occurring within them. Students in the program learn to use computer technologies and high-level professional software products to solve practical problems with engineering applications. The curriculum also includes the required set of engineering, language, economic, and business knowledge and skills necessary for successful careers in industry.
To support the program, two new general physics laboratories have been established at the Faculty of Physics, equipped with experimental setups from the German company Phywe. Specialized laboratories have been established in optical information technologies, laser engineering and laser technologies, condensed matter physics, optics, and quantum electronics.
