Carnegie Institute of Technology

This article is about a center of higher learning. For the foundation which supports scientific research, refer to the Carnegie Institution of Washington. For the Carnegie Institute which operates the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, see that article.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT), is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the sons of local steel mill workers. Since its inception more than 100 years ago, the school’s original four programs have expanded into Carnegie Mellon University. Today, CIT has seven departments of study and is consistently ranked one of the top ten engineering programs in the nation and the world.^[1]

There are approximately 1,650 full-time undergraduate, 620 master’s, and 680 doctoral students enrolled at CIT. The college employs 170 faculty members whose research is recognized and supported by such sources as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Environmental Protection Agency.^[2] As part of Carnegie Mellon University, the College of Engineering works to carry out the university’s mission of “changing the needs of society by building on its traditions of innovation, problem solving and interdisciplinarity”.^[3] Students in the College of Engineering have the advantage of working with experts in their own field of study, as well as with students and faculty across the other engineering departments and academic colleges. Because of the college’s small size and focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, students graduate with a high-quality education that extends far beyond their expert technical knowledge, ensuring they have the problem-solving skills needed to be successful in a diverse collection of individual careers.^[4]

CIT has led the way in many engineering fields and trends, establishing the nation’s first robotics institute in 1978 and the Information Networking Institute in 1989.^[5]

History

By 1905, the massive buildings of the Carnegie Technical Schools were being constructed in a field east of the University of Pittsburgh. The first students of the School of Science and Technology began classes in unfinished buildings, still surrounded by new construction. The school initially offered two- and three-year programs to train the children of Pittsburgh's working class.

In 1912, with the original campus nearly complete and three more schools (the School of Fine and Applied Arts, the School of Apprentices and Journeymen, and the Margaret Morrison Carnegie School) holding classes, the Carnegie Technical Schools changed its name to the Carnegie Institute of Technology and began offering four-year degrees.

Over the next five decades, Carnegie Tech became well-known not only for its engineering and science programs, but also for its progressive programs in drama and fine arts and its rigorous approach to the social and management sciences. This recognition as an academically prominent institution set the stage for merging with the Mellon Institute, a private applied research institute.

Out of this 1967 union, Carnegie Mellon University emerged as one of the United States' most prestigious research universities.

In 1970, Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering and Science was divided into the Carnegie Institute of Technology (engineering) and the Mellon College of Science.

Athletics

In 1926, Carnegie Tech's football team beat Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Fighting Irish.^[6] The game was ranked the fourth greatest upset in college football history by ESPN.^[7]

The expense of the modern game soon became too much for smaller institutions to maintain. Smaller programs, such as Carnegie Tech, found themselves in a position of having to downgrade to survive. Some also believed that maintaining a top football program was not in line with a top academic institution. A little known story is that in the fall of 1954, Carnegie Tech completed an undefeated season, including one tie, and was invited to play in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas when bowl participation was still truly for the elite teams. The members of the team were asked to vote on whether to participate, which they unanimously supported. However, the university declined to participate, with some citing the university's desire to uphold its academic reputation as the reason.

Academics

For information related to academics at Carnegie Institute of Technology prior to the 1967 merger, refer to Carnegie Mellon University.

Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in seven academic departments and two institutes.

References

• Fenton, Edwin (2000). Carnegie Mellon 1900-2000: A Centennial History. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press. ISBN 0-88748-323-2. 

External links

• Carnegie Institute of Technology official website
• Carnegie Mellon Nanofabrication Facility
• History of Carnegie Mellon/Carnegie Tech