The Department of General Physics was created on the base of the Department of Experimental Physics in 1945. In different years the Department was headed by docents S. P. Lytvynenko (1945–1959), V. N. Vyshnevskyy (1959–1962), B. M. Palyukh (1962–1974) and professors O. B. Lyskovych (1974–1996), Z. B. Stasyuk (1996–2003).

In 2003 after the division of the Faculty of Physics into the Faculty of Electronics and the Faculty of Physics, the Department was headed by docent Yu. V. Karavan (2003), professor V. D. Bondar (2003–2004), docent N. V. Pasternak (2004–2005), professor Ya. I. Shopa (2005–2015), docent T. M. Demkiv (October 2015–April 2016). Since May 2016 professor V. Yo. Stadnyk has headed the Department of General Physics; he was awarded the Honorary Title “Honored Professor of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv” on September 29, 2021.

While the Department of General Physics was created natural sciences students of the University were being taught Physics and the training to physics students for teaching work was being provided. Within the 70–80ss years the Department of General Physics was the key one for Higher Educational Institutions of Western Ukraine. Teachers of the Department prepared specialists for such specialties as “Physics” (specializations: “Physical Electronics” (1963–2003), “Physics of Medical-Biological Systems”, “Physical and Biomedical Electronics” (1992–2003), “Scientific and Technical Examination” (2005–2010)). Since 2010 specialists in the area of “Applied Physics” has been prepared by teachers of the Department of General Physics.

At the Department bachelors in specialties of 105 “Applied Physics and Nanomaterials”, 014 “Secondary Education (Physics)” of specialization “Physics and Astronomy” and 105 “Applied Physics and Nanomaterials” of specialization “Computer Technologies in Applied Physics” (2018 year of enrollment) and masters in specialty of “Applied Physics and Nanomaterials” (1 y. 4 m.) are studying. 

The training of bachelors and masters is provided by 7 teachers: Professors, Doctors of Physical and Mathematical Sciences V. Yo. Stadnyk (Chairperson, Department of General Physics) and T. M. Demkiv, Docents, Candidates of Physical and Mathematical Sciences O. I. Konopelnyk, N. Ye. Ftomyn, Ya. M. Chornodolskyy and P. A. Shchepanskyi, and Lecturer I. A. Pryshko. At the Department there are General Physics Practical Work Laboratory (Mechanics, Molecular Physics, Electricity, Optics) and Computer Equipment Laboratory.

From the moment of the Department creation scientific researches widely known over Ukraine and nowadays also in the European Union have been conducted. The staff of the Department takes an active part in international scientific conferences, publishes articles in foreign and Ukrainian professional issues. The teachers of the Department are the authors of 29 patents of Ukraine for inventions and useful models. In 2010 Docent O. I. Konopelnyk got a President grant for supporting of scientific researches of young scientists. In 2011–2013 years Laboratory Chief Manager, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences I. S. Novosad was a scholar of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for Young Scientists. Docent N. Ye. Ftomyn headed the theme named “Parametric crystal optics, optical properties and structure of complex oxides of the langasite family” carried out within the working time of a teacher. The employees of the Department continue to work scientifically on various state budget themes. Associate Professor P. A. Shchepanskyi received an award for employees of scientific institutions and institutions of higher education from the Lviv Regional State Administration and the Lviv Regional Council (November 16, 2020). Together with co-authors, he received the President of Ukraine Award for the work “New multifunctional monocrystalline and polycrystalline materials for batteries, hydrogen storage devices, sensor devises and electronics” (December 2022). He is a two-time scholarship holder of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for young scientists (2020-2022 and 2022-2024). He also worked as a senior researcher on the topic Fz-39NF (fundamental research of young scientists) “New dual-purpose single-, poly- and nanocrystalline materials for batteries, hydrogen accumulators, sensor technology and electronics” (head of the project is an associate professor of the Department of Experimental Physics, senior researcher M. Ya. Rudysh).

Professor V. Yo. Stadnyk was a scientific supervisor of the State budget theme Fz-53F named “New materials for functional electronics on the basis of semiconductor and dielectric crystals of А₄ВХ₆ and А₂ВХ₄ groups” and the Economic contractual theme F76/77-2018 named “Synthesis of a new class of crystalline materials of А₂ВХ₄ group and study of the prospects of their effective application in electromagnetic radiation controlling devices”, the State budget theme Fz-08F named “Transformation of the optic-electronic parameters and structure of new crystalline materials for sensor devices and optoelectronics” (2020–2022 years). Currently Professor V. Yo. Stadnyk is a scientific supervisor of the State budget theme Fz-01F named “New broadband materials for detecting and controlling electromagnetic radiation in dual-purpose devices“ (01.01.2024 – 31.12.2026).

Achievements of young scientists include above 200 scientific works and 3 utility models of Ukraine. Postgraduate students are actively involved in scientific work under the supervision of Professor V. Yo. Stadnyk and Docent Ya. M. C hornodolskyy, participate in international conferences and publish scientific results in leading foreign and Ukrainian issues.

The staff of the Department maintains close scientific contacts with the Institute for Scintillation Materials NAS of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Ukraine), SRC “Carat” (Lviv, Ukraine) and with a number of foreign institutions such as Institute of Physics Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa (Czestochowa, Poland), Depatment of Electronics and Computer Science, Koszalin University of Technology (Koszalin, Poland), Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland) and others.

The main areas of scientific activity of the Department are:

• methodology of teaching physics in secondary and higher educational institutions;
• spectral-luminescent studies of scintillation materials, luminophors and crystals;
• modeling of kinetic effects in semiconductors with non-parabolic law of dispersion and calculation of electronic energy structure of crystals;
• optical and electrical properties of conducting polymers, conjugated polyarenes, composite polymer materials with dispersed inorganic nanoparticles;
• high precision polarimetry of substantially anisotropic crystals;
• refractive parameters of mechanically free and uniaxially stressed crystalline ferroics;
• phase transformations in crystalline dielectrics and physics of incommensurate phases.

Employees of the General Physics Department also closely cooperate with the Lviv Regional Small Academy of Sciences and contribute to the education of the future generation of qualified physicists. Pupils actively participate in summer schools, in particular “Dive into the world of science: physics and chemistry” (June 6-10, 2022), and from September 2022 until now they are studying the course “Electricity and magnetism” in depth with great interest, passing laboratory work on General Physics Department, where theoretical material is readily explained to them, and they have assistance in conducting an experiment and calculating the relevant quantities based on the obtained results. In the process of learning, pupils performed 8 laboratory works under the guidance of assistant I. A. Pryshko. In addition, they had the opportunity to listen to the lectures on “Electric current in different environments” (read by assistant I. A. Pryshko) and about research conducted by scientists at various departments, get acquainted with some other educational laboratories and the faculty itself.