Dare to imagine technology shaping nations? That’s the very essence of the Technical University of Madrid. Today we stand before the Rectorado UPM. It is a building that embodies the spirit of innovation and progress.
The Technical University of Madrid or UPM is a public university. It is located right here in Madrid. Its history is quite interesting. It was founded in 1971. The university resulted from merging different Technical Schools of Engineering and Architecture. These schools mainly originated in the 18th century.
Now, consider this. Over 35,000 students attend classes here every year. This makes UPM a vibrant hub of learning and discovery. According to the annual university ranking conducted by El Mundo, the Technical University of Madrid ranks as the top technical university in Spain. It is also considered second overall among all universities.
Many of its Engineering Schools are consistently ranked as leading academic institutions in Spain. Some are even considered among the best in Europe. The UPM is also part of the TIME network. This network groups fifty engineering schools throughout Europe.
But the story of the Rectorado UPM goes back further than 1971. The majority of its centers are over hundreds of years old. They were founded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Each center maintained its independence. They were then grouped together to form the UPM. For over one and a half centuries, much of Spanish technology history has been written by the Schools of Architecture and Engineering of the UPM.
Many important figures in teaching and research passed through these centers. They were either students or lecturers. One of the oldest records of technological studies in Spain is the Royal Academy of Mathematics in Madrid. King Philip II created it after visiting Portugal in 1582. He realized that Portuguese cartographers were more advanced than those in Spain.
Architecture was among the first subjects to start specific lectures. This was years before the School and the Academy of Fine Arts were created. King Charles III ordered the foundation of the School of Naval Architecture in 1772. It was for training future members of the Corps of Naval Architects. The School of Mining Engineering was established in 1777 by King Charles III in Almadén.
At the beginning of the 19th century, in 1802, the School of Civil Engineering was founded. A Royal Decree created the Special School of Forestry Engineering in 1835. José I opened the Arts Conservatory in Madrid in 1809. The General School of Telegraphy was founded by a Decree in 1913. In 1926 and 1928, the qualification of Aeronautical Engineer and the Higher School of Aeronautical Engineering were created. Madrid’s Institute of Computer Sciences was created in 1969. Since 1998 the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences was an affiliated center.
Today, UPM’s Schools are spread all over Madrid. They are not placed in a unified campus. UPM’s Scientific and Technological Park boosts the University’s research and development activity. This is done through new centers, business incubators, and specialized laboratories.
The UPM has signed 87 specific double degree agreements with centers of excellence at various universities worldwide. A double degree allows students to study for an international degree. They combine studies in two types of engineering. Students obtain a degree from the UPM and a degree from the foreign university they attended.
As you stand here now, consider the rich history and the bright future that converge at the Rectorado UPM. It is a place where technology truly impulses nations.