History of the University

The Dnipro University of Technology was born at the end of the 19th century as a higher school with fundamental training and a developed polytechnic orientation. The main goal of its foundation was to provide practical engineers to industrial enterprises of the region, which were actively developing in connection with the rapid growth of ferrous metallurgy and mining. Being the first institution of higher education in the city of Dnipro, the University gave birth to more than two dozen educational and scientific institutions, including the Medical Academy (1916), the Classical University (1918), the Chemical and Technological Institute (1930), the Metallurgical Institute (1930), the Institute of Physical Chemistry named after L. V. Pysarzhevskyi of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1927), Scientific and Research, Design and Technological Institute of the Pipe Industry (1929), Scientific and Research Ore Mining Institute (1933), Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics named after M. S. Poliakov of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1967) and others.

On June 16, 1899, the State Council received the "highest approval" of the "Statute of the Katerynoslav Higher Mining School", which stated: "...2. To instruct the Minister of Agriculture and State Property to open the first course of the specified educational institution in September 1899".

The ceremony of the Katerynoslav Higher Mining School (KHMS) opening took place on September 30 (October 12, according to the Gregorian style), 1899 in the palace of the Governorate Noble Assembly (now the Palace of Students in the Shevchenko Park). The mining engineer S. M. Suchkov was appointed the first director of the KHMS (1899 – 1908).

Higher Mining School initially had two departments - mining and factory. The curriculum of studies according to the “Statute of the KHMS” foresaw 23 disciplines: theology, higher mathematics, analytical mechanics, construction mechanics, applied mechanics, mine-factory mechanics, physics, chemistry, electrical mechanics, mineralogy, geology and deposit science, geodesy, mining, ore, and coal beneficiation, surveying, metallurgy, the technology of metals, design and drawing geometry, accounting and mine-factory economy, technical translations from German and French, first aid at accidents. The training was provided by 13 teachers, including 3 professors.

Shortly after the establishment of the Higher School, the construction of the first educational buildings began. The design of new buildings was entrusted to the academician of architecture O. M. Beketov. Already in 1901, the buildings of the KHMS (the main and chemical buildings) were built, although the completion of the three-story main building took place in 1914-1915 according to the project of the famous architects Oleksandr and Yevhen Bernardazzi. All this at the initial stage was carried out exclusively with voluntarily donated funds.

At the very beginning, a two-department library, a mineralogical museum, chemical, mechanical, and probe laboratories, and cabinets in each discipline were founded.

The management of the institution, with the support of local authorities and public organizations, petitioned for the expansion of educational courses and for graduates to receive a diploma not of a technician, but of an engineer. In March 1902, the request of the KHMS was considered by the Scientific Mining Committee and forwarded for discussion in the relevant legislative bodies. On May 25, 1903, the resolution of the State Council was approved on the term of study at the KHMS - 4 years and awarding graduates the title of engineer. Thus, there was no release of technicians.

On June 19, 1912, after a long discussion, the State Duma adopted the "Law on the Transformation of the Katerynoslav Higher Mining School to a Mining Institute" from July 1, 1912. Its first rector was Professor of Geology M.Y. Lebedev, who from 1908 held the position of director of the KHMS. According to the law, from July 1, 1912, the "Statute of the Katerynoslav Higher Mining School" was repealed, a new staff and teaching staff lists were established, and funds in the amount of 1,125,370 rubles were allocated from the State Treasury for the completion and final arrangement of the Institute. In 1912, the Katerynoslav Mining Institute (KMI) had 44 teachers, including 14 professors.

At that time such outstanding scientists as Ya. I. Hrdina, V. O. Huskov, S. A. Zaborovskyi, L. L. Ivanov, M. Y. Lebedev, P. M. Leontovskyi, V. M. Makovskyi, L. V. Pysarzhevskyi, M. M. Protodiakonov, P. G. Rubin, O. M. Terpyhorev, M. M. Fedorov, S. B. Sharbe worked at the Institute.

The high scientific potential of the Institute at that time is evidenced by the publication of scientific works in technical periodicals, published monographs, textbooks, manuals, and atlases. The KHMS systematically issued “Proceedings of Katerynoslav Higher Mining School” from 1905. Up to 1917 there had been edited 23 issues of “Proceedings”, and about 500 scientific works including monographs and study books were published. Already during the formation of the higher education institution, the first scientific schools were formed here: Ya. I. Hrdina – dynamics of living organisms, L. V. Pysarzhevskyi – electronic chemistry, O. M. Terpyhorev and M. M. Protodiakonov – mining, V. O. Huskov – mineral beneficiation, P. M. Leontovskyi – surveying, geodesy, and subsurface geometry, M. Y. Lebedev – paleontology, P. H. Rubin – metallurgy and coke chemistry.

In 1918, KMI was replenished with two new departments – Surveying, and Geological Prospecting. Also, the Institute received the right to award scientific degrees through the public defense of dissertations. In 1921, the Mechanical faculty was established with two departments – Mechanical and Electromechanical. The opening of new specialties was dictated by the development of industry. A Labor (preparatory) faculty was also opened, headed by Professor V. M. Makovskyi.

By its 25th anniversary, KMI had several buildings of its own, 35 studies and laboratories, and 2 libraries. The staff comprised 69 teachers. KMI had three faculties: Mining (with Mining and Geology departments), Metallurgical, and Mining-Mechanical (with Mechanical and Electrical Engineering departments). In 1925, a Chemical-Technological Department was created within the Metallurgical Faculty for the training of coke-chemical engineers, which became a separate faculty in 1928.

According to the order of the Higher Council of the State Economy dated April 17, 1930, two branch higher technical educational institutions (VTUZs) were separated from the Dnipropetrovsk Mining Institute (DMI): "On the basis of the Metallurgical Faculty and the Factory department of the Faculty of Mining Mechanics, to organize the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute... On the basis of the Chemical Faculty, to create a Chemical Institute with specialties: coal-chemical and mineral technology...". In addition, the Faculty of Non-Ferrous Metals was placed under the supervision of “Kolormetzoloto”, on which basis the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals (later the North Caucasian Metallurgical Institute) was created in 1931. In 1930, in connection with the imposed sectoralization, the Mining Institute began to train engineering personnel only for the mining industry and geological exploration. In 1932, instead of departments, the following faculties appeared: Mining, Electromechanical, Geology, and Surveying.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the process of forming the scientific schools continued. In this period, the schools of physicist A.E. Malynovskyi, electric welder V.P. Nikitin, electromechanician H.Ye. Yevreinov, mechanician O.M. Dynnyk, petrographer Y.I. Tanatar et al. were formed.

During the 1930s, DMI suffered significant losses (about 30 people) as a result of political repression against teachers. Among the repressed were professors H. Ye. Yevreinov, I. P. Bukhynyk, S. S. Hembytskyi, A. E. Malynovskyi, P. I. Herasymov, A. Ye. Hut, the military head of the DMI O. D. Semenov, and many other employees.

With the beginning of the war between the USSR and Nazi Germany in 1941, only in the first days, about 300 teachers, employees and students at the Institute were mobilized. Among them, were associate professors F. O. Abramov, T. M. Barynov, M. A. Bohomolov, B. F. Bolotov, A. S. Gluzbar, A. O. Ivanov, and M. V. Florynskyi. The Institute, evacuated to the base of the Sverdlovsk Mining Institute, in Autumn of 1941, by the decision of the State Defense Committee, temporarily ceased its activities. Many teachers took engineering positions at mining enterprises in the Urals, Siberia, and Central Asia.

The activity of the Institute was renewed in 1943, first in Karaganda, on the basis of the Karaganda Mining Technical School, and later in Dnipropetrovsk. Destroyed educational buildings and laboratories were rebuilt, and teachers, employees, and students returned from the front. Among them, there were V. I. Havrysh, Yu. M. Zotkin, M. I. Rozovskyi, O. V. Kuznetsov, E. S. Stepanov, I. V. Vdovin and others. Several hundred students and employees of the Institute died at the front. The educational process was improved, and the scientific potential was restored. By the beginning of the 1951/1952 academic year, the first educational building was completely rebuilt, and an educational drilling site, laboratories, and a dormitory were put into operation. Also, in 1951 a new Mining Construction Faculty was created, now it is the Faculty of Architecture, Construction and Surveying.

The scientific and research sector resumed its activity. The scientific developments of the Institute's teaching staff and the students' diploma projects during this period were mainly devoted to the problems of restoration and development of the Donetsk coal, Kryvyi Rih iron ore, and Nikopol manganese basins.

By its 50th anniversary, the institute had 165 professors, associate professors, and teachers, 34 departments, 22 laboratories, 25 studies, a library, an educational and experimental training ground, and educational and experimental workshops. 1942 students studied at four faculties in nine specialties. In the future, these indicators will increase. The technical re-equipment of industry resulted in the introduction of such new specialties as "Automation of Production Processes" and "Electrification of Industrial Enterprises and Installations" at the Institute. In 1962, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was established. Great merit in the reconstruction and development of the Institute belonged to the rector P. H. Nesterenko, who headed it for almost a quarter of a century.

In the 1960s newly built and restored educational and educational-laboratory buildings, three multistoried dormitories for students and post-graduate students, educational-production workshops, a sports building, facilities of an educational-geodesic experimental study range in the village of Orlivshchyna were put into operation.

In 1970, there were 474 teachers, including 34 professors at Dnipropetrovsk Mining Institute. The number of graduating engineers equaled 1200 persons. In 1974, scientific and research work was introduced to students' curricula.

The successful development of DMI took place under the leadership of rectors O. O. Renhevych (1963 – 1972), V. M. Poturaev (1972 – 1973), V. I. Onyshchenko (1973 – 1982), H. H. Pivniak (1982 – 2021).

In May 1993, according to the results of State accreditation, Dnipropetrovsk Mining Institute gained the status of an autonomous IV-accreditation level state higher educational institution and the name of the State Mining Academy of Ukraine. In 1997, the President of Ukraine issued a decree to award the Academy the national status. In February 2002 the institution was renamed to the National Mining University. Since 2009 the University has had a research status.

In 2001, the Faculty of Law was opened at the University, which was transformed in 2018 into the Educational and Scientific Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2002, on the basis of the Faculty of Economics created in 1993, the Institute of Economics was opened with two faculties: the Faculty of Finance and Economics, and the Faculty of Management. In the same year, the Institute of Power Engineering was opened at the University, which includes the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Information Technologies. In 2012, the Mining Institute was opened on the basis of the Mining Faculty, which in 2019 was renamed to the Institute of Nature Management. In 2020, the Faculty of Geological Prospecting, created in 1918, was renamed to the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technologies. In 2021, the Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration was established within the University.

In order to promote the harmonious development of all training specialties and scientific directions of the University, taking into account the interdisciplinary nature laid down from the very moment of its foundation, by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 12.20.2017 No. 1635, the National Mining University was renamed to the Dnipro University of Technology.

The University is known for its scientific schools. They are connected to the names of professors F. O. Abramov, O. S. Beshta, M. Ya. Bilichenko, V. O. Boiko, V. I. Bondarenko, V. O. Bunko, S. A. Volotkovskyi, R. P. Didyk, Ye. F. Epshtein, A. O. Ivanov, V. I. Karmazin, O. V. Kolokolov, M. A. Kremenchutskyi, B. O. Kuznetsov, O. P. Maksymov, M. G. Novozhylov, H. H. Pivniak, P. I. Pilov, M. S. Poliakov, V. M. Poturaiev, O. O. Renhevych, O. O. Spivakovskyi, V. V. Tkachov, L. F. Tiapkin, V. P. Franchuk, O. M. Shashenko, P. M. Shylov, O. Z. Shyrokov and others.

Dnipro University of Technology has long-standing and close scientific and educational ties with many countries of the world. The history of cooperation with a number of leading technical higher education institutions in Europe has been going on for over a century. The revitalization of international contacts began with the acquisition of independence by Ukraine. Today Dnipro University of Technology cooperates with many universities in Germany, France, Poland, Great Britain, USA, Spain, Austria, Czech Republic, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, etc.

The University has a rich history of cultural life. In 1968, the literary studio "Vuhlyk" started working at the DMI. In 1963, the student amateur film studio "Yunist" was created – a laureate of many festivals of amateur film art, which still works at the University. In 1988, the Faculty of Humanities was established, thanks to which students could, in addition to technical courses, listen to lectures on the history of culture and arts. Since 1999, the Institute of Humanitarian Problems named after the Hero of Ukraine P. T. Tronko has worked at the University.

Dnipro University of Technology has long-standing traditions, which are combined with modern tasks - to prepare not only highly professional personnel but also highly cultured individuals, conscientious citizens of their country. The University, having passed a long path of development from the Higher Mining School to the Polytechnic, has retained its leadership position and is the embodiment of the best educational and scientific traditions.