University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering - History

History

The Engineering-Architecture Building, now known as Roque Ruaño Building, in 1950s.

Establishment of Degree Programs in UST Faculty of Engineering
1907	Civil Engineering
1930	Architecture
1934	Mining Engineering
1934	Chemical Engineering
1939	Mechanical Engineering
1946	Electrical Engineering
1963	Electronics and Communications Engineering
1977	Industrial Engineering
2004	Computer Science
2004	Information Technology
2007	Information Systems

The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest engineering school in the Philippines. It was established on May 18, 1907, as School of Civil Engineering with one program offering leading to the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE). From faculty records, it appears that it was only in 1912 when the earliest batch of students were conferred their MSCE degrees. The institution was actually patterned after the University of Havana in Cuba and was first set up at the second floor of the old UST building in Intramuros. Taking into consideration the pioneering works of the teaching staff and students, the college got its first taste of prestige as the government, under President Manuel L. Quezon gave her recognition on July 12, 1921.

After the formation of the Engineering's Students' Association in 1927, the first Engineering Student Council was organized the following year. In 1931, UST Engineering included Plane and Spherical Trigonometry on its curriculum.

The number of students enrolling in Civil Engineering decreased in 1934. So as to compensate this, another program was offered in the college, Mining Engineering. This new program was placed under the Mining Department which was headed by Theodore Lawson. On the same year, a famous Dominican engineering alumnus, Maurico Andres, CE, became the provincial superior and vice grand chancellor of Dominicans in the Philippines. The college also introduced courses in Chemical Engineering, which were first placed under the Chemical Department of the College of Liberal Arts.

With the addition of the other engineering disciplines, the School of Civil Engineering eventually became the Faculty of Engineering in 1939. The Department of Mechanical Engineering was also established on that year. The University held classes up to 1941 but had to close when the Japanese turned it into a military camp during World War II. Sadly, it was burned down on February 8, 1944. On January 7, 1946, the University reopened at its present site in Sampaloc, Manila and the Faculty of Engineering was temporarily based in the UST Main Building. UST Engineering reopened with 300 students. Chemical Engineering accepted the first batch of women enrollees in the faculty. Electrical Engineering was offered on the same year to attract more students.

In 1948, Mining Engineering was phased out due to the decreasing number of students interested in mining.

Things started to look good as the Faculty was given a new separate home in February 1950. The four-story, E-shaped building known as the Roque Ruaño Building, in honor of great civil engineer alumnus, Rev. Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. (Batch 1912) who is responsible for the construction of the UST Main Building. It housed not only the Faculty but included the College of Architecture and Fine Arts which earlier was under the Faculty of Engineering. On the same year, the Faculty produced the first women engineer: Purita Sarandi, Carmelita Reyes and Josefina Lamban, who graduated Magna cum Laude.

From four-year course, in 1954, engineering course was extended to a five-year course to accommodate more subjects related to engineering. Electronics Engineering paved the way for a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering in 1963. The Institute of Technological Courses became part of the Faculty in 1972. Industrial Engineering is integrated into the college in 1977, with Dean Francisco G. Reyes as head. In 1979, the Engineering Sciences division that houses first and second year engineering students is formed to offer basic engineering-related subjects.

In 2003, College of Architecture and College of Fine Arts and Design vacated the Roque Ruaño Building, and replaced by Department of Information and Computer Studies.

Originally under the College of Science, Information and Computer Studies was formally integrated to the Faculty of Engineering in 2004 due to its technically oriented character. Its inception in 1999 was due to the committee on Information Technology academic programs by the Academic Affairs, College of Science, Faculty of Engineering and College of Commerce and Business Administration. It was then decided to be placed under the College of Science as Institute of Computer Sciences. Along with the transition from Science, its department head Perla P. Cosme joined the Engineering Faculty. The current chair is Engr. Alex A. Santos.