The Institution of
Higher Technical Education at Vilnius was founded in 1956 as the
Department of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute. In 1969 it was
reorganized into Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute and acquired
the status and the title of Vilnius Technical University in 1990. It
was renamed as Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in 1997.
Although the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) gained
its present status only some years ago it was grown not on the empty
place. The origin of VGTU might be found in the history of the old
Vilnius University where the fundamentals of architecture and
building were started to teach in XVIth century. From this time
attention to the technical aspects of education always was paid in
the Lithuanian higher education.
As the modern roots of our university and technical education we
consider the higher Courses established in 1920 in Kaunas, the
second largest city of Lithuania, the capital of Lithuania in these
years, where teaching of construction engineering was begun. In 1922
the Courses were incorporated into the university of Vytautas Magnus
as the department and, later, as a separate faculty of Construction
and Mechanical Engineering.
Today Vilnius Gediminas Technical University has 8 faculties
(Architecture, Environment Engineering, Business Administration,
Civil Engineering, Electronics, Fundamental Sciences, Mechanical
Engineering and Transport), Aviation Institute and 2 study centers:
International Studies, responsible for the international students
enrolment, and Continuing Education. The faculties consist of 42
Departments and 6 research institutes. The University possesses
Computer Center, the library and the publishing house "Technika".
The main campus of the University is placed in a very nice forestry
suburb in the north east of Vilnius in the Sauletekio (sun rising)
Avenue with the distances of about 6 km from the city centre, where
Faculties of Electronics, Mechanical Engineering and Transport are
still accommodated.
The university is governed by Rector assisted 4 Vice- Rectors. The
highest decision making body is university council. Teaching staff
is about 700, including 88 Professors, 448 Assoc. Professors, 143
researches.
Annual admission to the University is up to 1200 students. Over 7500
students are studying for Bachelor's, Master's, Diploma
Engineering's or Doctor's degree levels.
Several factors motivated VGTU to open the admission of foreign
students and to start to teach the engineering and architecture
programs in English. First of all the recognition of the importance
of being involved in the international education and research.
Secondly, the courses got in English language can be better applied
by students in their career everywhere in all over the world.
After the regaining of independence of Lithuania after fifty years
of isolation, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University goes through
the intellectual and professional revival. The Western curriculum
and degree system and the links with Western universities are
established and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University which is
finding its place among the European universities in terms of the
role, identity and mission. |
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