History of Polytechnic
Polytechnic Institute:
The origin of Polytechnic University dates back to 1854, when it was founded as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. The school was located at 99 Livingston Street in Brooklyn.
According to the book, Polytechnic University: Changing the World, The First 150 Years" by Jeffrey L. Rodengen, "On September 10, 1855, Polytechnic opened its doors to 265
young men, ages 9 to 17". Furthermore, its first bachelor's degrees was conferred in 1871, with graduate programs beginning in 1901, and the first doctoral degree being given in 1921. From 1889 to 1973 the school's name would change to Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. In 1917, the preparatory program separated from the Institute. In 1957, Polytechnic Institute moved to its present location in Downtown Brookyln and offically became a co-educational institution.
By 1986, Polytechnic University in Brooklyn was the largest technological university in the New York metropolitan area and the second-largest in graduate enrollment in the nation after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Polytechnic University would become known for its research centers in electrophysics and polymer blends.
New York University:
According to "Archivist's Angle: The History of Engineering at NYU" found on NYU Tandon's website, in 1854, New York University, known at the time as the University of the City of New York, founded the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture. "Classes started in 1855 and the school's first undergraduate degree was awarded in 1857". The school's first dean, Charles H. Snow, changed the name of the school to the School of Applied Science separating itself from the university's arts and science school. In 1894 the University of the City of New York moved its engineering school to a new campus in the Bronx. With this move the University of the City of New York was renamed New York University and the Bronx campus eventually being known as University Heights. By 1920 separate electrical and chemical engineering departments were created and the school changed its name to the College of Engineering.
Enrollment at New York University would continue to rise until the early 1970s due to local crime and New York University would face financial hardships causing the University Heights campus that housed its engineering school to City University of New York to be sold to City University of New York, which would eventually become the campus for Bronx Community College.