Istanbul Technical University


Istanbul Technical University, also known as Technical University of Istanbul, is a public technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university dedicated to engineering and natural sciences as well as social sciences recently.
İTÜ is ranked 79th globally and first in Turkey in the field of Engineering and Technology, as well as 182nd globally and first in Turkey in the field of Natural Sciences, according to the QS World University Rankings for 2025. The university has 92 undergraduate programs and 188 graduate programs in 14 faculties, 277,160 m2 of laboratory space, and 12 research centers.
Graduates of ITU have received many TÜBİTAK science and TÜBA awards. ITU alumni have also become members of the academy of sciences in the United States, United Kingdom and Russia. The university's basketball team, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi B.K., is in the Turkish Basketball Super League.

History

Ottoman Empire

Considered as the world's third institution of higher learning specifically dedicated to engineering education, Istanbul Technical University has a long and distinguished history. ITU was founded in 1773 by Sultan Mustafa III, as an important institution in the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms, as the Imperial School of Naval Engineering, in the Kasımpaşa quarter on the Golden Horn, originally dedicated to train ship builders and cartographers for the Ottoman Navy. In 1795 the Imperial School of Military Engineering was established in the nearby Hasköy quarter on the Golden Horn, and 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.

Modern Turkey

By 1928 the institution had gained formal recognition 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.
With its long history of 251 years, its modern teaching environment, and well-qualified teaching staff, Istanbul Technical University today is the personification of engineering and architectural education in Turkey. Istanbul Technical University not only played a leading role in the modernization movement of the Ottoman Empire, but has also maintained its leadership position in the changes and innovations taking place in the construction, industrialization, and technological realms during the modern days of the Turkish Republic. Engineers and architects trained at Istanbul Technical University have played significant roles in the construction of Turkey. Alumni also played a significant role in Turkish politics.

Academics

The structure of faculties, except the Faculty of Science and Letters, at ITU is comparable to those of "schools" in the U.S. institutions, where each faculty is composed of two or more departments in line with a comprehensive engineering field. For example, the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering consists of the departments of electrical engineering, robotics and autonomous systems engineering, electronics and communication engineering.
;Faculty of Civil Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Geomatics Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
;Faculty of Architecture
  • Architecture
  • Urban and Regional Planning
  • Industrial Design
  • Interior Architecture
  • Landscape Architecture
;Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
;Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Robotics and Autonomous Systems Engineering
  • Electronics and Communication Engineering
;Faculty of Computer and Informatics
  • Computer Engineering
  • Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering
  • Cybersecurity Engineering
  • Information Systems Engineering
;Faculty of Mines
  • Mining Engineering
  • Mineral Processing Engineering
  • Geological Engineering
  • Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
  • Geophysical Engineering
;Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
  • Food Engineering
  • Bioengineering
;Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
  • Shipbuilding and Ocean Engineering
;Faculty of Sciences and Letters
  • Mathematics Engineering
  • Physics Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
;Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Aeronautical Engineering
  • Astronautical Engineering
  • Climate Science and Meteorological Engineering
;Faculty of Management
  • Management Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Economics
  • Data Science and Analytics
;Maritime Faculty
  • Marine Engineering
  • Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering
;Faculty of Textile Technologies and Design
  • Textile Engineering
  • Fashion Design
  • Textile Development and Management
;Cyber Security Vocational School
  • Cyber Security Analyst and Operator
ITU TRNC Education and Research Campuses
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical-Electronics Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Economics and Finance
  • Architecture
  • Interior Architecture
  • Maritime Business Management
  • Maritime Transportation Management Engineering
  • Marine Engineering
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
  • Preparatory School of Foreign Languages

    Institutes and Research Centers

There are several , including:
  • Energy Institute
  • Institute of Science and Technology
  • Social Sciences Institute
  • Institute of Informatics
  • Eurasia Earth Sciences Institutes
  • Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Genetics Research Center
  • ARI Technopolis
  • Center for Satellite Communications and Remote Sensing
  • National Center for High Performance Computing
  • Rotorcraft Center of Excellence
  • Mechatronics Education And Research Center
  • Center of Excellence for Disaster Management
  • Prof.Dr. Adnan Tekin Materials Science and Production Technologies Applied Research Center
  • Housing Research and Education Center
  • Women's Studies Center in Science, Engineering and Technology
Planned Research Center Projects:
Finally, ITU also has the following departments / educational institutes that are not tied to any of the faculties, but serve as independent departments. These include
26 engineering departments of ITU are accredited by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Also ITU's Faculty of Architecture is accredited by NAAB and the Faculty of Maritime is accredited by IMO. Minimum score of 72 from TOEFL IBT, or success in the English proficiency exam is one of the prerequisites to register the Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate level courses at ITU. Instruction is offered in both English and Turkish, with approximately 30% of courses conducted in English and 70% in Turkish, while some disciplines are taught entirely in English. Master and Doctorate courses are mostly held in English. ITU is highly reputable institution in the area of engineering sciences within the Europe. Therefore, the university provides a broad range of options, that involve highly reputable institutions, to its students for the Erasmus Mobility.
20252024202320222021202020192018
QS World Rankings326404601-650701-750751-800651-700651-700601-650
QS Engineering & Technology7995108142202218256231
QS Natural Sciences182275255303305324342311
THE World Rankings501-600501-600601-800601-800801-1000601-800601-800601-800
THE Engineering & Technology301-400301-400401-500401-500501-600501-600401-500401-500

Istanbul Technical University is consistently featured as one of the highest-ranked universities in Turkey. In the QS World University Rankings 2023, ITU is ranked within the top 150 universities in the subject areas "Engineering - Petroleum", "Engineering - Mineral & Mining", "Engineering - Civil and Structural", "Engineering - Electrical and Electronics", "Engineering - Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing", within the top 250 in "Engineering - Chemical", "Architecture & Built Environment", "Computer Science and Information Systems", "Material Sciences", within the top 300 in "Environmental Sciences", "Mathematics", "Business and Management", "Chemistry", and within the top 450 in "Physics and Astronomy", "Economics and Econometrics.

Campus

ITU is a public university. It has six campuses, five of which are located in the most important areas of Istanbul and one is located in Famagusta. Among ITU's six campuses, the main campus of Maslak, in Sarıyer, is a suburban campus, covering a total area of 1.600.000 m². The University Rectorate, swimming pool, stadium, along with most of the faculties, student residence halls and the central library of ITU are located there.
Another suburban campus of ITU is the Tuzla Campus. It serves the Maritime Faculty students and faculty members. It is located in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, which is a dockyard area.
The three urban campuses are near to one another and are situated close to Taksim Square.
Taşkışla campus is where the Faculty of Architecture is located. The Taşkışla building is one of the most renowned historical buildings in Istanbul. It dates backs to the Ottoman era and was used as military barracks.
The Gümüşsuyu campus, home to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Maçka campus, housing the Faculty of Management, are both located in historically significant buildings in Istanbul.
The Famagusta campus at Northern Cyprus is currently the first and only campus that hosts the ITU TRNC Education and Research Campuses faculty.