Istanbul Technical University

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ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Oldest engineering college in Turkey.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) is one of the oldest engineering colleges in the world; it traces its origins to 1773, when the Ottoman Empire established a military engineering school in Constantinople as part of a modernization effort. In 1884 a separate department in the school was set up for civilian students. That department was transferred to the Ministry of Public Works in 1909 and was spread over several campuses in Istanbul until 1920, when its present campus was established on a hill overlooking the Turkish Straits. After Turkey was proclaimed a republic in 1923, additional departments were added to provide training in railroad construction, electro-mechanics, civil engineering, and architecture. In 1944 the school was reorganized and named Istanbul Technical University. Its eleven faculties offer instruction in thirty-three departments, including engineering, architecture, management, and the sciences. The university has also expanded its programs in research and development.


Bibliography


Lewis, Bernard. Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989.

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