Capitol Technology University (formerly Capitol College) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

in South Laurel, Maryland, near

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. The university was founded in 1927 as the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute by a former

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Radioman Radioman (RM) was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology. History of the rating The rating was created originally in 1921. In 1997, under the direction of Ch ...

. CREI changed its name to Capitol Institute of Technology in 1964, changed its name again to Capitol College in 1987, and Capitol Technology University in 2014. Capitol offers undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in engineering, computer science, information technology, and business. It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities" and is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

History

Capitol Radio Engineering Institute

Capitol Technology University was founded in 1927 as the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute, a correspondence school, by Eugene H. Rietzke, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

veteran

( Master Chief). Five years later, in 1932, a residence division was opened, allowing students to reside at the school and study in

laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science, scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as s ...

. This facility remained at the corner of

16th Street NW 16th Street Northwest, briefly known as the Avenue of the Presidents, is a prominent north-south boulevard in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The street was laid out as part of the 1791 L'Enfant Plan, whi ...

and Park Road in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

for 30 years. In 1946, following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the institute was accredited by the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD), which is now ABET, Inc. In 1964, it sold its correspondence school division (which comprised 20% of its business) and the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute name, to McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center. The residential school took the name Capitol Institute of Technology.

Capitol Institute of Technology

In 1964, the Institute changed its name to the Capitol Institute of Technology to reflect its expansion during the 1950s. That same year, it sold its correspondence school division, which comprised 20% of its business, to

McGraw-Hill Education McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

. Shortly thereafter, in 1966, the District of Columbia licensed the institute to award

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degrees in

engineering technology An engineering technologist is a professional trained in certain aspects of development and implementation of a respective area of technology. An education in engineering technology concentrates more on application and less on theory than ...

. Anticipating the need for more space, the Institute decided to move to a leased facility in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, Maryland, in 1969, which opened in January 1970. Six years later, in 1976, the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

(MSCHE) awarded full

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

to the institute. After receiving

regional accreditation Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is Quality assurance, assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions mad ...

, the Institute started to receive Federal and State

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

for the purchase and construction of a new campus at the site of the former Beltsville Speedway (a.k.a. Baltimore-Washington Speedway), selected in 1980 and completed in September 1983. Over the next few years, new degree programs were introduced, the

cooperative education Cooperative education (or co-operative education) is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op" or work-study program, provides a ...

program was expanded, new construction was well underway, and The Decade of Growth Campaign exceeded its $3.5 million goal. In 1986, Telecommunications Hall and the 340-seat Avrum Gudelsky Memorial Auditorium were completed.

Capitol College

A year later, in 1987, the Board of Trustees approved an extensive Five-Point Plan. This plan involved changing the school's name to Capitol College, developing new curricula in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

and

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

s, creating student housing on campus, and moving from a

quarter system An academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts, which commonly are not all exactly three months or thirteen weeks long due to breaks between terms. Historical context The modern academic quarter calendar can be ...

to a semester system. In January 1989, six apartment-style

residence halls A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

were completed, named after various inventors:

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, De Forest, Edison, Franklin, Morse, and Steinmetz. In August 1990, the Graduate School was created to offer the college's first

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s in

systems management Systems management is enterprise-wide System administration, administration of distributed systems including (and commonly in practice) computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunic ...

, similar to a degree offered at the time by the U.S.C. Institute of Safety and Systems Management.. Over the following seven years, the college expanded its graduate degree offerings, partnered with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

to offer preparatory summer courses in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

for minority students, developed a Distance Learning Center, and opened the renovated Puente Library, also housing the McGowan Center for Innovative Teaching. In 1997, the college offered its first courses online over the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

. Since then, new undergraduate and graduate programs have been introduced, the Space Operations Institute was established and expanded, the McGowan Academic Center was constructed, and enrollment has increased. In 2003, Capitol was designated a

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...

Center of Academic Excellence in

Information Assurance Information assurance (IA) is the practice of assuring information and managing risks related to the use, processing, storage, and data transmission, transmission of information. Information assurance includes protection of the data integrity, inte ...

Education.

Capitol Technology University

In 2010, Capitol launched its first doctoral degree program. The Doctor of Science (

Sc.D. A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

DSc DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

) in Cybersecurity is offered using a combination of live online and on-campus residency courses to students around the world, and is designed for professionals employed full-time who are seeking an education that will allow them to perform as senior leaders, program developers and policy makers in the cybersecurity field. Students attend three residencies at the Laurel campus throughout the program. The university also has several doctoral programs including Ph.D.s in Technology, Manufacturing, Construction Science, Occupational Health & Safety, and Aviation. In mid-2014, the institution was redesignated a university by the state of Maryland and changed its name to Capitol Technology University. , Dr. Bradford L. Sims is the university's eighth president.

Academics

Capitol offers numerous undergraduate and graduate degree programs as Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Doctor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The university is accredited by the

. The Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Astronautical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering programs are accredited by

ABET ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges established in 1927 Private universities and colleges in Maryland Universities and colleges in Prince George's County, Maryland 1927 establishments in Maryland Engineering universities and colleges in Maryland Technological universities in the United States