West University of Timişoara (UVT), through the Social Assistance Department within Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, marked, on October 4, 2025, the official opening of the master's degree program in Military Social Assistance, an innovative educational program with a deeply human mission: training specialists capable of supporting the psychosocial balance and resilience of military personnel and their families.
The opening ceremony, held in the presence of representatives of the partner military and civilian institutions, began with the intervention of Prof. Dr. Cosmin Goian, director of the Department of Social Assistance and coordinator of the study program, who highlighted the role of this initiative in strengthening the connection between social sciences and the military environment, the history of this specialization in different countries of the world, as well as the university's commitment to training specialists dedicated to the field.
The teachers from the founding team of the master's degree took the floor: Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Irina Vastag, Major (retd) Eugen Bucur, Jurist Constantin Oprina and Chief Police Commissioner Dr. Vasile-Laurențiu Dincă, who emphasized the importance of this moment for the academic and military environment.
The event was attended by numerous guests from the military and civilian environment, including Liliana Oneț, sub-prefect at the Timiș County Prefect Institution, Colonel Marian Toma, chief inspector of the Timiș County Gendarmerie Inspectorate, Colonel Florentin Dragomirescu, deputy commander of the 18th ISR Brigade "Decebal" Timișoara, Colonel Radu Purda, officer in command of the "Dr. Victor Popescu" Military Emergency Clinical Hospital Timișoara, chief commissioner of penitentiary police Ramona Bană, deputy director of Social Reintegration - Timișoara Penitentiary, Major Corina Gagica, psychologist within the "Glad Voievod" Mobile Gendarmerie Group Timișoara, Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Dr. Mihail-Sorin Vartolomei, president of the Timiș county branch of the National Association of War Veterans, Second Lieutenant (retd) Mihail Onea, president of the the Timiș branch of the Association of Military Veterans and Veterans with Disabilities "Saint Great Martyr Demetrius - The Fountain of Myrrh".
The master's program aims to develop academic, theoretical and practical skills in the field of military social assistance, providing students with an interdisciplinary and applied learning framework. Graduates will be prepared to provide psychosocial support, counseling and intervention in crisis situations, contributing to the well-being of military personnel and their families.
The Master's Degree in Military Social Assistance goes beyond the status of a simple educational offer, expressing a vision focused on the human dimension of the military institution. The program is based on the recognition that, beyond hierarchical structures, training requirements and operational rigors, soldiers are individuals interacting with their own families and communities, exposed to emotional, social and psychological vulnerabilities. In this context, the performance and cohesion of a modern army are not defined exclusively by material resources (modern equipment and facilities) or strategic capabilities, but, equally, by the ability to support the mental health, emotional balance and psychosocial resilience of its members.
UVT rector, Marilen Gabriel Pirtea: "Military Social Assistance is not just a new professional specialization, but it is even a special social mission. Specialized assistance of this type fulfills the mission of understanding the suffering, sometimes inevitable, and responding to the real needs of those in the defense field, to support the balance of those who carry out military tasks, increasingly important, strategic for the country."
The Master's Degree in Military Social Assistance marks a national premiere, strengthening the collaboration between the academic environment and the military structures in Romania.
