Faculty of Mining Geology and Sustainable Mountain Development

The history of the faculty begins on January 16, 1922, when the Polytechnic Faculty was opened on the basis of the decision of the Council of Professors of Tbilisi University. 

Initially, the Polytechnic Faculty had three departments: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mining. The Mining Department included the following specialties – mining (operational), metallurgical, and chemical-technological.

On October 1, 1928, by the decision of the Government of Georgia, the Georgian State Polytechnic Institute was established on the basis of the Polytechnic Faculty of Tbilisi University. At the beginning it included the following faculties: I. Civil Engineering Faculty, II. Mechanical Engineering Faculty, III. Mining-Chemical Faculty. Grigol Tsulukidze was appointed as the dean of the Mining Faculty.

As a result of the reorganization of higher educational institutions in Georgia carried out in 1930, six institutes were created on the basis of the Georgian Polytechnic Institute. In 1932, the Transcaucasian Mining-Chemical Institute was established. In 1933, the Mining-Chemical, Engineering-Construction, and Energy Institutes were merged under the name Transcaucasian Industrial Institute. 

In 1947, the institute was given the name Georgian Polytechnic Institute. Among the six faculties existing at that time was the Mining Faculty.

In 1972, when the 50th anniversary of the Georgian Polytechnic Institute was celebrated, the institute had 28 faculties, including the Mining Faculty, where education was conducted in six specialties, while at the Geological Faculty education was conducted in four specialties.

The deans of the Mining Faculty at different times were: R. Jikia, K. Gabunia, G. Chkheidze, G. Kartvelishvili, B. Abesadze, N. Tkemaladze, D. Shervashidze, A. Laliyev, G. Japaridze.

In 1955, the faculty was renamed the Mining-Geological Faculty. From 1971 to 1992, the Mining and Geological faculties existed separately, and in 1992 they were merged again. During this period, the deans of the Mining Faculty were D. Bezhashvili, B. Demetradze, G. Butskhrikidze; and of the Geological Faculty – G. Japaridze, V. Chumburidze, T. Lortkipanidze, Z. Mgeladze. Z. Mgeladze was elected as the dean of the unified Mining-Geological Faculty. From 2005 to 2025 the dean of the faculty was A. Abshilava, and since 2025 – T. Kunchulia.

On the basis of the Resolution #333 of the Government of Georgia dated November 3, 2010, the Tkibuli Mining-Technological Institute of the Mining-Geological Faculty of the Georgian Technical University was established within the faculty structure, which began functioning in 2011. The institute provides training of specialists in the mining-geological and construction fields through professional educational programs.

Since 2025, based on the Resolution #01-05-/154 of the Academic Council of the Georgian Technical University, the faculty has been merged with the Faculty of Mountain Sustainable Development, which was established on the basis of the Decree #751 of the Government of Georgia dated April 4, 2019 and the Resolution #01-05-04/189 of the Academic Council of the Georgian Technical University dated December 7, 2021. The faculty ensured the preparation of young expert professionals equipped with interdisciplinary knowledge of mountain studies and sustainable development for high-mountain regions. The merged faculty was named the “Mining-Geological and Mountain Sustainable Development Faculty”.

N. Khozrevanidze was elected as the dean of the faculty.

Currently, education at the faculty is conducted at all three levels of study (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral), as well as in professional educational programs.