History

Historical note about The Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology

Technological progress keeps triggering off changes in the structure of the Warsaw University of Technology and official names given to particular faculties. Here is an overview of the history of our Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology:

• 1916  - Warsaw University of Technology opens the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
• 1921 - the above Faculty is divided into two separate ones: The Faculty of Mechanics
• The Faculty of Electrical Engineering (later on called The Faculty of Electrics)

October 1st 1951 – The Faculty of Communication is separated from the Faculty of Electrics

The Faculty of Communication incorporates two divisions:

• The Division of Telecommunications
• The Division of Electrical Engineering in Medicine

The Faculty of Communication was named after the content of subjects taught to ca. 800 students who specialised in:

•  acoustics and engineering acoustics,
• automatics and telemechanics,
• electronics,
• radiology and medical electronics,
• radio engineering,
• technology of telecommunication devices,
• communication engineering
• and wire transmission.

The above described structural changes were accompanied by introduction of one integrated Master's degree course spread over five and a half years. In 1964 an important event in the history of the faculty took place -  the Faculty of Communication moved to an especially constructed new building, nowadays this building bears the name of Professor Janusz Groszkowski.

At the beginning of the academic year 1966/67 the master"s degree course was shortened to 5 years’ period while a new system of specialisations was introduced:

• nuclear installations (with specialisations such as: nuclear installations, medical electronics, electronic measurement, ultrasonic engineering),
• automatic control engineering and computers (specialisations: automatic control engineering, computers),
• radio engineering (specialisations: electroacoustics, radio communication, radiolocation, radio navigation, quantum radio engineering, television),
• telecommunication engineering (specialisations: telecommuting, transmission),
• solids’ engineering (specialisations: nonconductors, magnetic materials, semiconductor devices),
• vacuum process engineering (specialisations: microwave tubes, optoelectronics).

Starting from  September 1st 1966  the Faculty was re-named to become the Faculty of Electronics. In 1967 the number of students exceeded 2500, to reach the number of 3000 in 1996.

In 1970 the Faculty underwent consecutive modifications to the structure. 6 institutes were founded:

• Institute of Electronics Fundamentals  (currently named as Institute of Electronic Systems) – set up as a result of merge of Electronic Systems Division with the Division of Theoretical Electrotechnology "A”;
• Institute of Automatics (nowadays called Institute of Control and Computation Engineering) – set up to replace the Division of Automatics and Telemechanics ;
• Institute of Computers (now – Institute of Computer Science) – set up as a combination of Computer Mechanics’ Division with a  part of the Division of Electronic Devices Process Engineering;
• Institute of Radioelectronics – which absorbed the Division of Radio and Television Devices, the Division of Radiolocation, the Division of Electroacoustics, the Division of Radiology and part of Apparatus Mechanics’ Division;
• Institute of Electron Technology (at the moment called Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics) – set up from the Division of Electron Devices, the Division of Solids’ Electronics and the Division of High Vacuum;
• Institute of Telecommunication Engineering (currently -  Institute of Telecommunications)- set up from Wire Transmission Division, Telecommuting Division, Division of Wireless and Telegraph Transmission Devices and the Division of Telegraphy.

At the beginning of the seventies the authorities of the Faculty started introducing modifications to the system and plan of studies as well as  to the curricula. The changes were supposed to modernise the content of education programs and increase student’s freedom in designing their individual programs of study. Optional and extraordinary lectures on specific problems appeared, the length of studies was shortened down to 4 and a half years. Aside from Electronics two new programs: Telecommunications and Information Technology opened; 1-year extramural qualification studies started to be offered as well.

Between 1988 and 1995 reforms in the Faculty accelerated. It became necessary to adjust the system of studies and curricula to the world’s academic standards, it was then especially important to give students the possibility to individualise their programs of study, to enrich the program offer according to the dynamic development in the field of electronics, information technology and telecommunications in the world and to the needs of the national market. As a result of intensive analytical, conceptual and implementation works it was decided to divide the process of studying  such areas as Information Technology, Automatics and Robotics, Electronics and Telecommunication into two consecutive stages: undergraduate course, and Master’s degree course

The system of education  became more flexible to allow a lot more individualization in relation to the mode and program of studies taking account of particular interests and talents of individual students. As the scope of educational and scientific works entrusted to the Faculty evolved in 1994 it was given a more appropriate name – The Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology.

Starting from the academic year 1994/95 a more flexible system of undergraduate studies was introduced. In 1997 the same changes were applied to Master’s degree course with a program including advanced core and specialised subjects. The offer for students included special lectures covering particular areas of competence of research teams working for the Faculty.

The mode and programs of study as well as curricula applied by the Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology are subject to constant modernisation in the light of regular analysis of current demand on national market, world progress in particular areas of specialisation, experience gained by eminent universities in the world. Graduates from our Faculty are very much appreciated as specialists, well recognised both in Poland and abroad – also in the most economically developed countries.