The Department of Structural Mechanics was established in 1934. Professor Yakov Stoliarov was the first head of the department. First, the department was a unit of the Mechanical School, but since 1945 it has been a unit of the Building School. In 1989, it was merged with the Department of Hydraulics and Water Supply under the named of the Department of Structural Mechanic and Hydraulic.

Nowadays, the department has 15 staff members, including 12 Associate Professors, 3 members of the assisting personnel and 1 postgraduate student.

In 2017, the staff of the department are Dr.Sci.Eng., Professor G. Vatulia; Associate Professors PhD S. Berestianska, E. Galagurya, I. Yehorova, M. Kovalov, L. Kravtsiv, O. Lobiak, O. Opanasenko, A. Petrov, O. Plugin, I. Kalashnikov; Senior Lecturer PhD M. Pavliuchenkov; postgraduate student I. Buchenok; heads of laboratories: PhD D. Petrenko, S. Deryzemlia; engineer R. Pavlenko.

12 subjects are taught at the department: strength of materials, strength of materials and basics of elasticity and plasticity theory, structural mechanics, structural mechanics and metal construction, structural mechanics (special course), hydraulics, hydraulics, hydraulic and air-operated drives, hydraulics and hydraulic drive water supply and water disposal, basics of ecology, technical mechanics of liquid and gas.

The students do not graduate from this department, but the subjects of the department are taught for the students majoring in 3 specialties and 8 education programs at the Building School and the School of Mechanics and Energy:

State-of-the-art teaching of the subjects is impossible without ongoing updating of training and methodology facilities, also by developing interactive study courses. Over the last years the department has developed and published curriculums on strength of materials and structural mechanics for students of all specialties, including those taking into account the modular knowledge system of the students, composed work books on every course unit, and developed the training software. Student's books on strength of materials and structural mechanics approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, laboratory practical course of strength of materials and structural mechanics, and a problem book were published.

The department has been performing a lot of research. Since the foundation of the department, three scientific schools were established:

• professor O. Uhinchus’s school of the theory and methods of hydraulic and hydrotechnical construction calculation (30 PhD and 2 doctoral theses were defended);
• professor O. Vynohradov’s school of optimal designing (27 PhD theses were defended);
• professor E. Chykhladze’s school of the theory and practice of steel-concrete constructions (30 PhD and 1 doctoral theses were defended).

Since 1996, the specialized scientific board D 64.820.02 works at the department were in doctoral and PhD theses are defended in specialties:

05.23.01 – building constructions, buildings and structures;
05.23.05 – construction materials and products.

In 2006, the Transport Construction Diagnosis Centre was established at the department.

The department has fundamental technical facilities, such as the strength of material laboratory (since 1950), the hydraulic laboratory (since 1952).

The department maintains close creative relations with Ukrainian, Russian and other foreign industrial enterprises and design organizations.

All this would not be achieved if we were not a united team of like-minded people who are striving to make their life more interesting and diverse.