National Technical University of Athens


The National 'Technical University of Athens, sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, is a university in Athens, Greece. It is named in honor of its benefactors Nikolaos Stournaris, Eleni Tositsa, Michail Tositsas and Georgios Averoff, whose origin is from the town of Metsovo in Epirus.
It was founded in 1837 as a part-time vocational school named Royal School of Arts' which, as its role in the technical development of the fledgling state grew, developed into Greece's sole institution providing engineering degrees up until the 1950s, when polytechnics were established outside Athens. Its traditional campus, located in the center of Athens on Patission Avenue on a site donated by Eleni Tositsa, features a suite of magnificent neoclassical buildings by architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou. A new campus, the Zografou Campus, was built in the 1980s.
NTUA is divided into nine academic schools, eight being for the engineering disciplines, including architecture, and one for applied sciences. Undergraduate studies have a duration of five years.
The university comprises about 700 of academic staff, 140 scientific assistants and 260 administrative and technical staff. It also has about 8,500 undergraduates and about 1,500 postgraduate students. Eight of the NTUA's Schools are housed at the Zografou Campus, while the School of Architecture is based at the Patission Complex.

History

NTUA was established by royal decree on December 31, 1836, January 21, 1837, under the name "Royal School of Arts". It began functioning as a part-time vocational school to train craftsmen, builders and master craftsmen to cover the needs of the new Greek state. In 1840, due to its increasing popularity and the changing socio-economic conditions in the new state, NTUA was upgraded to a full time technical school which worked alongside the Sunday school. Courses were expanded and the institution was housed in its own building on Pireos Street.

The restructuring

In 1843 a major restructuring was made. Three departments were created:
The new department's object was fine arts and engineering. The new department, which was later renamed School of Industrial and Fine Arts, rapidly evolved towards a major higher education institution. Tradition has it that arts referred to both technical professions and fine arts. Even today, the school maintains a school of architecture that is closely related to the School of Fine Arts, which later evolved to become a separate school.
The name Polytechnnic came in 1862, with the introduction of several new technical courses. This restructuring continued steadily until 1873. At the time, the school became overwhelmed by the plethora of students wishing to learn higher technical skills. This led to its move to a new campus.

The relocation

In 1873 it moved to its new campus in Patission Street and was known as Metsovion Polytechnion after the birthplace of the benefactors who financed construction of this campus. Though the Patission Street campus was incomplete at the time, rising student demand made it urgent to relocate.
In 1887, the institution was partitioned into three technical schools: Structural Engineering, Architecture and Mechanical Engineering — all four-year degrees at the time. It was at this point that the institute was recognized as a technical education facility by the state — a crucial step in its development — as it became adapted to the nation’s developmental needs.
In 1914, new schools were created and was officially named Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion went under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works. This is when new technical schools started to be formed, a process that was completed three years later, in 1917, when the NTUA changed form. By special law, the old School of Industrial Arts was now separated into the Higher Schools of Civil Engineering, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Surveying Engineering and Architecture. Later, the schools of Naval Engineering, and Mining and Metallurgical Engineering were formed, and the school of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering was split up into two separate schools, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, which is almost the form of schools maintained until now.
In 1923, the NTUA alumni formed the core of the Technical Chamber of Greece, the professional organization that serves as the official technical adviser of the Greek state and is responsible for awarding professional licenses to all practicing engineers in Greece.
In 1930, the Athens School of Fine Arts was established, acquiring its independence from the NTUA, as a school exclusively focused in the teaching the fine arts. This allowed the two schools to develop separately as a technical and an arts school respectively.
In 1941 to 1944, the National Technical University of Athens played an important role in the country's political life with the Greek students participating in the National Resistance under the German occupation. During the Axis occupation of Greece, NTUA, in addition to its function as an academic institution, became one of the most active resistance centers in Athens.

The uprising

The Polytechnion Uprising of November, 1973, marked a turning point in Greece's struggle against the military dictatorship that had seized power in 1967. This historic event, which began with student protests at NTUA, culminated in a brutal crackdown by the regime.
The uprising was ignited by a series of student demonstrations and occupations, each met with increasing violence from the authorities. The final confrontation began on November 14, when students barricaded themselves inside NTUA's Patission Complex and began broadcasting a pirate radio station, calling for popular rebellion.
On November 17, the military regime used army tanks to break through the gates and unleash a wave of violence against the students and their supporters. The toll of the Polytechnion uprising was tragic. Several demonstrators were killed; many more were arrested by the military police and were tortured for months in military prisons. The uprising galvanized the Greek people and the junta was irreparably damaged by the popular outcry.
The Polytechnion Uprising is commemorated annually on November 17 by students, political parties, and the Greek government as a symbol of the struggle for freedom, democracy, and social justice. A monument created by Memos Makris and erected at the NTUA campus honors the victims of the uprising and serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought against tyranny.

Emblem

The emblem of the NTUA features Prometheus bringing the fire from the gods to the mankind. In Greek mythology, Prometheus defied the Olympian gods by giving fire to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge and, more generally, civilization. This emblem underscores NTUA's commitment to addressing real human needs and dimensions.
The emblem is round and black. It features Prometheus in the center holding a lit torch with his right hand. To the right is an altar with a flame on top and the name "Prometheus the Fire-bringer inscribed on the sides. On the left side of the emblem, the name ΕΘΝ • ΜΕΤΣΟΒ • ΠΟΛΥΤΕΧΝΕΙΟΝ is written in capital letters, along with the year NTUA was established in Greek numerals.
The emblem was designed in 1954 by the greek artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, who also served as Professor of Drawing until 1958. His original sketches for the emblem are part of the Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas collection of the Benaki Museum.

Academic profile

Schools

The National Technical University of Athens is divided into nine academic schools, which are furthermore divided into 33 departments :

Undergraduate studies

The academic calendar of NTUA comprises 10 independent, integral academic semesters. Each semester lasts 18 weeks: 13 weeks of classes, a two-week break, and three weeks of semester exams. The tenth semester is devoted to the preparation of the diploma thesis. The diploma thesis has to be related to one of the courses of the faculty. The student has at his or her disposal at least a full academic semester to prepare the thesis. Upon completion of the thesis, the student must take part in an oral examination that can take place either in June, October or February, after the final examinations, provided that the student has passed all courses prescribed by the curriculum.
An important part of the studies in NTUA are the summer "training" projects which take place in Industrial and Production Units, in the period between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester. They constitute an elective course for the Faculties of Civil Engineering, Survey Engineering and Mining and Metallurgy Engineering and are partially subsidized by the European Union.