The Faculty of Science was established in 1920 as the fifth faculty of Charles University. It currently has 29 departments, 3 museums and a large Botanical Garden where the Study Department and some students’ facilities are located.

Nowadays the faculty is academically and organizationally divided into four sections: biological, geographical, geological and chemical. In addition to these sections the faculty has several specialized teaching and research centres, including interdisciplinary institutions such as the Institute for Environmental Studies. All parts of the faculty are active in both teaching and research.

The main mission of the Faculty of Science is to create highly qualified experts in biology, chemistry, geography, geology and in other interdisciplinary fields. Its scientific and research effort aims to solve key problems concerned with the development of human society. Some of the priority long-term subjects are human health, the study of the function and prediction of the development of ecosystems and the biosphere, and the development of environmentally-friendly materials based on the utilization of renewable resources.

The Faculty of Science offers three educational levels, bachelor, master and doctoral. All bachelor and master programs include both theoretical teaching and practical exercises in laboratories, and some courses combine the academic studies of natural science with teacher training in a chosen field. Bachelor courses are introductions to deeper studies that follow on in the master’s programs. Master’s study programs train experts for scientific and research institutes, government careers, industry and the private sector. Graduates of the master’s courses with the teacher training element are qualified to teach in secondary schools and secondary vocational schools. Doctoral study programs train highly specialized staff for science and research activities.