Engineering College In India: India has a lengthy history of formal technical education under British control, as evidenced by the several engineering colleges that existed before the founding of the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Kharagpur, founded in 1951). As the oldest technical college in Asia, the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) in Chennai is the most prominent example. It began as a School of Survey in 1794. The College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), which was first established in 1854 as the Poona Engineering Class and Mechanical School, is another esteemed establishment. Additionally, IIT Roorkee was once founded in 1847 as the Thomason College of Civil Engineering, but it is now a crucial component of the IIT system (converted in 2001).
It is important to note that these older institutions were foundational, frequently established to train civil engineers and surveyors for large infrastructure projects like roads, trains, and canals, whereas the IITs represented a post-independence push for high-level, integrated technical research. The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur (formed in 1856), and the forerunner of NIT Patna (created in 1886) are more pre-IIT establishments. These institutes' history demonstrates that India has a more than two-century-old record of providing demanding engineering education.
List Of Top Colleges That Are Older Than IITs in India
With roots dating back to 1794, the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), Chennai, is the oldest engineering school in India. This establishment significantly precedes the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Kharagpur, established in 1951). The College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), established in 1854, and the forerunner to IIT Roorkee, Thomason College of Civil Engineering, established in 1847, are two other notable technical institutes that existed prior to the IIT system. These establishments demonstrate the subcontinent's long history of institutionalized technical education, which predates the current IIT age.
| Rank (By Founding Year) | Institution Name | Location | Founding Year | Key Status |
| 1 | College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) | Chennai | 1794 | Began as a survey school; oldest technical institute in Asia. |
| 2 | College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) | Pune | 1854 | India's third oldest engineering college; now COEP Technological University. |
| 3 | IIEST, Shibpur | Shibpur, Howrah | 1856 | Established as Calcutta Civil Engineering College; second-oldest engineering college. |
| 4 | NIT Patna | Patna | 1886 | Founded as the Bihar School of Engineering; converted to an NIT in 2004. |
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Courses Offered by India's Oldest Engineering Institutions
These ancient and historically noteworthy universities mostly provide postgraduate and research courses in allied sciences in addition to a variety of contemporary engineering and technology degrees. The major majors that these universities currently offer are summarized as follows:
| Rank | Institution Name | Key Undergraduate Courses Offered (B.E./B.Tech.) | Other Major Programs |
| 1 | College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) | Civil, Mechanical, Electrical & Electronics, Computer Science, Electronics & Communication, Mining, Geoinformatics, Industrial, Manufacturing, Biomedical Engineering. | M.E./M.Tech. (various specializations), M.B.A., M.C.A., M.Sc. (Integrated and 2-Year). |
| 2 | COEP Technological University, Pune | Civil, Computer Science, Mechanical, Electronics & Telecommunication, Electrical, Instrumentation & Control, Manufacturing Science, Metallurgy & Materials Technology. | M.Tech., M.Plan. (Town & Country Planning), M.B.A. (Business Analytics), and various PGD programs. |
| 3 | IIEST, Shibpur | Aerospace, Civil, Computer Science & Technology, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication, Information Technology, Mechanical, Metallurgy, Mining Engineering. | Integrated B.Tech.-M.Tech. Dual Degrees, B.Arch., M.Sc., M.B.A., and Ph.D. programs. |
| 4 | NIT Patna | Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Electronics & Communication, Information Technology, and B.Arch. | M.Tech., M.Plan., M.Sc., M.C.A., and Ph.D. programs across Engineering and Science departments. |
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