Until 1939 in Moscow State University there was one undivided General Physics Chair. It was headed by a number of well known Russian scientists. One of them was S.I.Vavilov (in 1929-1932), who had later become the President of Academy of Science of the USSR.

The teaching of general physics for Geology&Soil Faculty and other natural science faculties was brought about under supervision of Professor Glagoleva-Arkadieva who was the first to obtain the millimeter range radio waves using the invented "mass-radiator".

In 1939-1953 the Chair was headed Professor E.I.Kondorsky. He was a leading scientist in the field of magnetic phenomena, and during 14 years the experimental and theoretical research of condensed matter magnetization, magnetic hysteresis and ferromagnetic resonance have been conducted under his leadership. Prof. Kondorsky is well known in the among the experts in magnetism as a founder of the theory of coercive field of ferromagnets.

In 1953 the natural science faculties of Moscow State University have moved to the new campus at Leninskie Gory (Lenin Hills), and the Chair headed by Prof. E.I.Kondorsky was divided into two new Divisions: the Chair of General Physics for the Faculty of Mechanics&Mathematics and the other for the Faculty of Biology&Soil and other natural science faculties.

Professor K.P.Belov has been elected as Head of the latter Chair and the organization of this department is, in fact, the beginning of the history of the Chair of General Physics for Natural Science Faculties. Prof. K.P.Belov has managed the Chair in 1954-1988, and during this period many new research and educational laboratories have been created. Since 1954 the scientific themes of the Division were connected with the experimental investigation of magnetic, magneto-elastic, electric and other properties of ferromagnetic, ferro- and antiferromagnetic metals, alloys, ferrites, halkogenide spinels and other compounds of transitional and rare earth elements. The Laboratory for Problems of Magnetism was founded at 1964 as a part of the Chair. This laboratory has been equipped by the crystal growth and strong magnetic field apparatus. The scientific staff headed by Prof. K.P.Belov has accomplished a number of important results and this research is summed out in 10 monographs. The doctor dissertations have been defended by the staff members of the Chair: R.Z.Levitin, S.A.Nikitin, E.P.Svirina, V.I.Sokolov, L.I.Koroleva, A.S.Markosian, I.B.Krynetsky, A.S.Andreenko, A.M.Tishin, Z.A.Kazei as well as a number of candidate dissertations.

Prof. K.P.Belov has created a scientific school of physics of rare-earth intermetallic materials magnetism that has special governmental support as a Leading Scientific School of Russian Federation.

Prof. I.M.Reikhrudel and Dr. G.V.Smirnitskaya studied the physics of gas discharge in electric and magnetic fields which has led to delopment of unique method of sputtering in high vacuum discharge with oscillating electrons capable of multicomponent thin film preparation. This implies also the magnetic superlattices (MSL) and magnetic spin-tunnel junctions (MTJ).

In 1980-1981 two new laboratories - one of Physics of Ferroelectrics and another of Hyperfine Interactions in Spin-Ordered Magnetics (Prof. B.A.Strukov and Prof. P.N.Stetsenko respectively) have joined the Chair.

Laboratory of Physics of Ferroelectrics is well known in the ferroelectric community by the study of critical phenomena in ferroelectric crystals. The precise methods of elastic, electric and thermal investigations of the ferroelectrics very close to the phase transition points were worked out and applied to the number of ferroelectrics. Nearly 20 students accomplished their candidate degree in physics and mathematics in this laboratory. The book of B.A.Strukov and A.P.Levanjuk "Physical Foundation of Ferroelectric Phenomena in Crystals" was published in Russian in 1983 and 1995 and translated into English, Spanish and Japanese.

The staff of Laboratory of Hyperfine Interactions in Spin-Ordered Magnetics have developed a unique experimental complex including the majority of essential methods of investigation of hyperfine magnetic fields on nuclei, such as nuclear gamma-resonance (Mossbauer effect), nuclear magnetic resonance (nuclear spin-echo) and measurements of nuclear specific heat at ultra-low temperatures. The researchers have also designed and built a unique fully computerized vibrating sample magnetometry setup as well as a number of major improvements and options for each installation in the lab allowing automated temperature scanning measurements and so on. This high-quality experimental base permitted to obtain several important fundamental results by the investigations of new magnetic materials such as magnetic superlattices, nanocrystalline magnetic alloys, half-metallic Heusler alloys. The local atomic magnetic moments and their distributions on nonequivalent sites, the mechanisms and parameters of exchange interactions, the peculiarities of phase transitions in low-dimensional and nanocrystalline magnetics are being investigated. Using these results 2 Doctor's degree dissertations and 14 theses of candidate of science have been defended by the scientific staff and postgraduate students.

As a result of active teaching and scientific research the following awards have been obtained by the scientific fellows of the Chair:

• Diploma on Scientific Discovery (N 225 in State List of Scientific Discoveries)
• Two State Prizes of the USSR
• Two Lomonosov Prizes of the 1st Grade
• One Lomonosov Prize of the 2nd Grade.

In 1988 Professor B.A.Strukov was elected to head the Chair of General Physics for Natural Science Faculties. The development of the Chair continues now under his supervision.

In 2003 the Chair was renamed to Chair of General Physics and Magneto-Ordered Matter.