The Regio Politecnico di Torino (Royal Turin Polytechnic) was founded in 1906, but its origins go back further. It was preceded by the Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri (Technical School for Engineers) founded in 1859 after the Casati Act and the Museo Industriale Italiano (Italian Industry Museum) founded in 1862 under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Industry. The Technical School for Engineers was part of the university, which led to technical studies being accepted as part of higher education. The country was about to begin a new industrial era, which the Industry Museum was to address more directly. Famous scholars and researchers, authorities in different subjects with characters to match, gave a decree to new subjects such as electrotechnics and building science. They were the first to have a vision of founding a school which dealt with the needs of people and society.
Following the model of the most famous European Polytechnic Schools, at the beginning of the 20th Century the Regio Politecnico di Torino, had various objectives. It began to contact both the European scientific world and local and national industry. Students attending the Castello del Valentino and the site in via Ospedale had the impression of living in a world that was quickly changing. Aeronautics began as a subject. Students from all over Italy came to Turin and found in the new laboratories built for the study of everything from chemistry to architecture a lively and resourceful atmosphere.
The Politecnico has 30.000 students studying on 120 courses (28 Bachelor’s degree courses; 32 Master of Science courses; 23 Doctorates and 37 specialisation courses). 12 of them are held in English. In the academic year 2011/2012 the Politecnico had around 5.600 students in the first year; in 2010 around 4.500 students graduated with a Master of Science or a Bachelor’s Degree. Each year, between lectures, laboratories and practical exercises there are 170.000 hours of teaching.