Editing Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (section)

== History ==
If the upgrading of the College of Health to the status of Faculty of Medicine in 1949 is regarded as the first step in establishing the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, the university is the fifth oldest in Iran after the universities of Tehran (1934), Tabriz (1947), Shiraz (1946) and Isfahan (1946), not counting the founding of other academic colleges such as the West Minster Medical College (1878), now [[Urmia University]])<ref name="ARCHIVES OF IRANIAN MEDICINE" />).

Mashhad Faculty of Medicine is part of [[Mashhad University of Medical Sciences]], which merged with the Faculty of Literature to form the University of Mashhad in 1954 when the new faculty opened with five different fields. With the expansion of higher education, the following faculties were subsequently established: Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nutrition, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Engineering, the Institute of Optometry, the university's high school, and the Teaching Center. Mashhad University was renamed Ferdowsi University in 1974.

Before the [[Iranian Revolution|1979 Iranian revolution]], the curriculum and research agenda at Ferdowsi were designed with the help of [[Georgetown University]].<ref>[http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED375690&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED375690 Problems and Issues in Higher Education: Perspectives on Iran-United States Educational Relations and Influences. p. 8]</ref> However, this collaboration was halted after the revolution.<ref name=":1" /> 

The university also has one of the largest campuses in Iran.<ref name="inomics.com">{{Cite web |url=https://inomics.com/ferdowsi-university-mashhad |title=Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Mashhad, Iran - INOMICS &#124; Economics, Finance, Accounting, Business, Management, Marketing, Politics, International-relations, Education, Psychology, Statistics, Law, Logistics Institutions |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104100549/https://inomics.com/ferdowsi-university-mashhad |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="es.foursquare.com">{{Cite web|url=https://foursquare.com/v/ferdowsi-university-of-mashhad--%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF/50c4307ae4b0bde4a9c24a51|title=Ferdowsi University of Mashhad &#124; دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد|website=Foursquare}}</ref>

After emerging regional health organizations in the universities of medical sciences in 1994, [[Mashhad University of Medical Sciences]] was separated from Ferdowsi University. Meanwhile, a number of new faculties and schools such as Faculty of Administration and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Shirvan Agricultural College, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Neishaboor Faculty of the Arts, Institute of Plantation Science, The Seismology Research Center, the University's College, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning were established one after the other.<ref>[http://en.um.ac.ir/content/The-history The History of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad] Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Retrieved 30 August 2014.</ref>