The core of our university is the School of Mining Engineering, established in 1924. This unit went through the stages of Mining Vocational and Chief Sergeant School, Mining Technical School, and Academy of Engineering and Architecture, and was later affiliated with Hacettepe University by Law No. 2809, taking the name Zonguldak Faculty of Engineering.
Under Additional Article 9 of Law No.3837 published in the Official Gazette numbered 21281 and dated 11 July 1992, Zonguldak Karaelmas University was established. As part of this law, Zonguldak Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences was renamed Çaycuma Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and became a part of the University.
Additionally, under the same law, Devrek Faculty of Science and Letters, Faculty of Medicine, Karabük Faculty of Technical Education, and Bartın Faculty of Forestry were established, affiliated with the Rectorate. Ereğli Faculty of Education was established with the decision of the Council of Ministers numbered 95/6413, published in the Official Gazette numbered 22175, and dated 18 January 1995. Fethi Toker Faculty of Fine Arts and Design was established with the decision of the Council of Ministers numbered 2002/4306, published in the Official Gazette numbered 24799, dated 28 June 2002.
With the decision of the Council of Ministers, published in the Official Gazette numbered 9744 and dated 18 December 2005, Karabük Faculty of Science and Letters and Karabük Faculty of Engineering were established. With the decision of the Council of Ministers, numbered 2005/9691 and dated 21 November 2005, Çaycuma Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and Devrek Faculty of Science and Letters were renamed, respectively, the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Letters.
With the decision of the Council of Ministers numbered 96/8655, published in the Official Gazette numbered 22805, and dated 02 November 1996, Karabük School of Health and Zonguldak School of Health were established. Zonguldak School of Health started accepting students in the 1997-1998 Academic year. With the decision of the Council of Ministers, published in the Official Gazette numbered 9466, and dated 12 October 2005, the School of Maritime Administration and Management was established. With the decision taken at the Higher Education General Assembly on 5 March 2004, the State Conservatory became operational.
Later affiliated with Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Zonguldak Vocational School, Alaplı Vocational School, Safranbolu Vocational School, and later Bartın Vocational School, Çaycuma Vocational School, Devrek Vocational School, and Karabük Vocational School continued to operate under Zonguldak Karaelmas University. Also, among the Zonguldak Vocational School of Health Services, Bartın Vocational School of Health Services, and Karabük Vocational School of Health Services that were established with the protocol signed by the Ministry of Health and Council of Higher Education, only Zonguldak Vocational School of Health Services continued to operate under Zonguldak Karaelmas University.
In addition to this, with the decision of the Higher Education General Assembly on 5 March 2006, Mithat-Mehmet Çanakçı Gökçebey Vocational School was established. Also, the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Graduate School of Social Sciences, and Graduate School of Health Sciences, which were established with the same decision, started to operate with Master’s and Doctorate Programs.
With the Law No. 5662, published in the Official Gazette dated 29 May 2007, Karabük University was established, and Karabük Faculty of Technical Education, Fethi Toker Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Karabük Faculty of Science and Letters, Karabük Engineering Faculty, Safranbolu Vocational School, and Karabük Vocational School became affiliated with the newly established Karabük University.
Similarly, with the Law No. 5765, published in the Official Gazette numbered 26892 and dated 31 May 2008, Bartın University was founded, and Bartın Faculty of Forestry, Bartın Vocational School, School of Physical Education and Sports, and Bartın Vocational School of Health Services that were on the Bartın Campus became a part of Bartın University.
Zonguldak Karaelmas University was renamed as “Bülent Ecevit University” under Article 18 of the Law no.6287 published in the Official Gazette numbered 28261 and dated 11 April 2012. With the decision of the Council of Ministers published in the Official Gazette numbered 28332 and dated 23 June 2012, the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Theology were established. With the Council of Ministers decision no.2015/7311 published in the Official Gazette numbered 29290 and dated 9 March 2015, the School of Applied Sciences and with the decision numbered 2015/7322 Çaycuma School of Civil Aviation was established. The proposal for the establishment of the Çaycuma Vocational School of Food and Agriculture was evaluated in the Higher Education General Assembly dated 15 December 2016 and approved pursuant to Article 7/d-2 of Law No.2547, as amended by Law No. 2880. Also, two new faculties were established in 2016. With the decision numbered 2016/8562 published in the Official Gazette, the Faculty of Architecture and Design was established, and with the decision numbered 2016/8555, the Ereğli Faculty of Tourism was established on 8 April 2016. Finally, with the decision of the Higher Education General Assembly, pursuant to Article 7/d-2 of Law No. 2547, as amended by Law No. 2880, Devrek Vocational School of Justice was established.
With Article 6 of Law No.7141 published in the Official Gazette, numbered 30425 dated 18 May 2018, “Bülent Ecevit University” was renamed as “Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University”.
Occupying a strategic position in the Western Black Sea Region, our university continues to operate with its 16 faculties, 3 graduate schools, 9 vocational schools, and 1 state conservatory in Zonguldak Province and districts.