The Technion was established on 11 April 1912 as the Technikum and took its present name in 1914. It is the oldest university in Israel. The idea of a technical institute was first discussed at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1901, and the German-Jewish Ezra fund conceived the institute. The language of instruction switched from German to Hebrew in February 1914. The cornerstone was laid in 1912, and studies began in 1924, when Arthur Blok became the first president. Albert Einstein visited in 1923 and planted the first palm tree.
The main campus, Technion City, covers about 1.2 square kilometres on Mount Carmel in Haifa and has more than 300 buildings. The original building in the centre of Haifa now houses the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology and Space. The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine stands in Bat Galim next to Rambam Hospital, and a satellite campus in Sarona, Tel Aviv, opened in July 2013.
In 2014 the Technion counted 13,703 students, among them 9,251 undergraduates, 3,435 postgraduates and 1,004 doctoral students, taught by 565 faculty members. It has 19 academic departments, 60 research centres and 12 affiliated teaching hospitals, and it has awarded more than 123,000 degrees since its foundation.
Its faculties include mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, aerospace engineering, biology, biomedical engineering, medicine, and data and decision sciences, as well as civil and environmental engineering, which was formed in 2002 by merging two faculties. Four Nobel laureates are linked to the Technion: Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the study of protein degradation, Dan Shechtman received it in 2011 for quasicrystals, and Arieh Warshel shared it in 2013.
Technion Cornell Tech, known as the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, is run with Cornell University on Roosevelt Island in New York. The Guangdong Technion Israel Institute of Technology, announced in 2013 with the Li Ka Shing Foundation, teaches in English in Shantou. Alumni include Dov Frohman, inventor of the EPROM, Andi Gutmans, a developer of PHP, and Dov Moran, inventor of the USB flash drive. Fees differ by programme. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Cornell Tech through the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in New York, the Guangdong Technion Israel Institute of Technology in China, and twelve affiliated teaching hospitals.
Research:
Aerospace and mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics and data and decision sciences, with 60 research centres.
Oldest university in Israel and often called Israel’s MIT, four Nobel laureates, strong industry links, campus on Mount Carmel.
Cons
Campus on a hillside, demanding engineering curricula, narrow technical focus compared with comprehensive universities.
Best For
Students who want a rigorous technological university with strong engineering, sciences and links to Israel’s technology industry.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
On content, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and this school are close, as both teach chemistry, physics and mathematics; it covers agriculture and microbiology and genetics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 23,000 students against roughly 13,703 here.
Tel Aviv University works in much the same fields, chiefly chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is larger, enrolling about 28,500 students against roughly 13,703 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in physics, life sciences and data analytics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev makes a sensible second look at home; it covers agriculture and nanotechnologies as well, and is slightly larger, at about 18,357 students against roughly 13,703 here.
In terms of fields, Weizmann Institute of Science is the nearest neighbour, with chemistry, physics and mathematics again at the core; it does not run the bachelor's programmes found here and covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Abroad, National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) covers chemistry, physics and electrical and electronics in a comparable way, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Beyond national borders, Seoul National University stands out as a comparable school for chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Looking internationally, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University in Ukraine is where aerospace, chemistry and physics get a comparable treatment; it has almost the same size, at about 13,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Dresden University of Technology, in Germany, takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
University of California, Santa Barbara, based in the United States, is built around chemistry, physics and mathematics much like this school, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers marine science and ecology and sustainability as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the Technion?
In Haifa, on Mount Carmel, in the campus called Technion City.
When was it established?
On 11 April 1912, as the Technikum.
Why did the language of instruction change?
It switched from German to Hebrew in February 1914.
How many students did it have in 2014?
13,703, including 9,251 undergraduates.
How many academic departments does it have?
Nineteen, with 60 research centres.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover in 2004, Dan Shechtman in 2011 and Arieh Warshel in 2013.
Where is the medical faculty?
The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine is in Bat Galim, next to Rambam Hospital.
What is Technion Cornell Tech?
The Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, run with Cornell University on Roosevelt Island in New York.
What is the Guangdong Technion?
A university in Shantou, China, announced in 2013 with the Li Ka Shing Foundation, teaching in English.
What does it cost?
Fees differ by programme. Check the current tariff.
Aeronautics, Electronics, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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