History of Technology Education in Romania

The chapter presents a synthesis of the evolution of technical education in Romania. The first attempts from the beginning of the nineteenth century to found an engineering education are presented, starting with the School of Surveying and Civil Engineers in Moldova (1813) and Wallachia (1818). Later these schools evolved into a French form of engineering schools. Thus, in 1851, the School of Bridges and Roads was founded in Bucharest with a curriculum similar to that of engineering schools in France. This can be considered the first technical university in Romania. The evolution of this school is presented in detail, the transformations undergone in the second half of the nineteenth century due to significant political (establishment of the Kingdom of Romania) and economic (influence of the first industrial revolution on the Romanian economy) transformations. The establishment of the universities of Iasi (1860) and Bucharest (1864) also had a great influence on engineering education, especially in the fields of chemical and electrotechnical engineering. The political changes after the First World War (the union of Transylvania with Romania) radically transformed the Romanian technical education. The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest was transformed into the Polytechnic School of Bucharest (1920), the Politehnica din Timisoara was founded (1920) and the ‘Gheorghe Asachi’ Polytechnic School was founded (1937). This period of higher technical education in Romania can be regarded as a stage of growth, when the level reached could bear comparison to technologically developed countries. After the end of the Second World War the Romanian educational system is changing from the ground up, using the Soviet system as a model. As regards the higher technical education, in 1948, there were three polytechnics in Romania (in Bucharest, Timișoara, and Iași) which trained engineers in all relevant fields. These three universities are developing strongly, expanding the number of faculties covering all fields of engineering. At the same time, new technical universities were established in Cluj Napoca, Galati and Brasov, as well as some specialized technical universities (Technical Military Academy, Technical University of Construction, Institute of Oil and Gas, Coal Institute). At the same time, new universities were founded (Craiova, Sibiu, Constanta, Suceava, Resita, Bacau, Pitesti, Petrosani, Ploiesti) where technical faculties were also included. A new stage in the development of technical education began after the change of political regime in 1989, when state or private universities were established or re-established in the vast majority of large cities in Romania, which also included faculties with a technical profile. An overview of these universities, which also include technical faculties, is presented at the end of the chapter.