THE ISTANBUL TECHNICAL
UNIVERSITY
Considered as the world's second institution of higher learning specifically dedicated to engineering education, Istanbul
Technical University (ITU) has a long and distinguished history which began in 1773. ITU was founded by Sultan Mustafa III as
the "Imperial Naval Engineers' School" (Ottoman Turkish: Mühendishane-i Bahr-iHümayun), and it was originally dedicated to
the training of ship builders and cartographers. In 1795 the scope of the school was broadened to train technical military staff
for the modernization of the Ottoman army. In 1845 the engineering function of the school was further widened with the
addition of a program devoted to the training of architects. The scope and name of the school were extended and changed again
in 1883 and in 1909 the school became a public engineering school which was aimed at training civil engineers who could
provide the infrastructure for the rapidly developing country. By 1928 the institution had gained formal ecognition as a
university of engineering which provided education in both engineering and architecture. In 1944 the name of the institution
was changed to Istanbul Technical University and in 1946 the institution became an autonomous university with architecture,
civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering faculties.
www.itu.tr