Riga Technical University

There is a rich history to Riga Technical University (RTU), which was opened as a polytechnic in 1862 as is the oldest technical university in the Baltic region. The university is an urban campus in the city of Riga, the capital of Latvia. Though Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states RTU is a relatively small institution, with around 1000 students studying at any one time.

The internationally accredited faculty of Computer Science and IT at RTU is one of the most renowned technical schools in the region, and incorporates the Institute of Applied Computer Systems, and Computer Technology. Currently there are five courses taught in English at the faculty, from undergraduate to PhD level. As well as the FCSIT, faculties at RTU range from Civil Engineering to Aeronautics.

The RTU scientific library was founded with the university, and is the oldest higher learning based library in Latvia. In 2006, the library was accredited as being of national importance, and currently contains over 1.9 million units of information.

As part of its international exchange programme RTU is a member of the Erasmus+ scheme for EU students. Subjects you wish to study at RTU must match with what is agreed on with the home university. Many of the courses at RTU will be taught in English.

Among the most notable people to teach at RTU is Wilhelm Ostwald, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1909. Alumni of RTU include spaceflight pioneer Friedrich Zander, former Latvian prime ministerValdis Dombrovskis, and architect Moisei Ginzburg.