Bauman Moscow State Technical University

History

Bauman University is the second oldest educational institution in Russia after Lomonosov Moscow State University (1755). In 1763, the Russian Empress Catherine II founded the Educational Imperial House. On October 5, 1826, the dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna issued a decree to establish "great workshops for different crafts with bedrooms, a dining room, etc." as a part of the Moscow Foundling Home in the German Quarter. All craft pupils were moved from an Orphanage there. On July 1, 1830, Emperor Nicholas I approved the Statute of Moscow Craft School.

Russia's developing industry needed skilled labor in many trades with the aim of the new school being to train artisans with a theoretical background to improve and spread skills in various trades all over Russia. New schools were created to teach crafts as well as basic sciences. In 1868 MCS was reorganized into the Imperial Moscow Technical School (IMTS) under the directorship of Victor Della-Vos. The main purpose of IMTS was to "educate construction engineers, mechanical engineers and industrial technologists".

The IMTS was financially supported by the Government and industrialists. Its management was democratic. A key feature of the new institution was its educational system called the "Russian method", which unifies a broad and intensive theoretical preparation with a deep practical education closely connected with industries. The school participated in the Universal Exposition in 1873 in Vienna and the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. It proved to be influential on John Daniel Runkle when he introduced manual training alongside theoretical training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was also applied to other American technical universities. Many scientists taught in IMTS, such as D. Mendeleev, N. Jukovsky, P. Chebychev, S. Chaplygin, A. Yershov, D. Sovetkin, F. Dmitriev, A. Letnikov, A. Gavrilenko.

In the Soviet period IMTS was renamed Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School (BMHTS), after revolutionary Nikolay Bauman, who was killed near the building of this university. BMHTS continued education of engineers for machine and instrument building. In 1938, new military departments were created in MHTS such as tank, artillery, and ammunition. In 1948 a rocket department was added.

During the first half of the 20th century, Bauman University formed and founded more than 70 technical universities in the USSR. Some of them are now well known institutions, such as Moscow Aviation Institute, Moscow Power Engineering Institute, Moscow University of Civil Engineering, Moscow Chemical Institute, Moscow Communication and Informatics University, Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute TSAGI, and the Military Academy of Aviation Engineering Joukovski.

Bauman University today

The Bauman University is commonly regarded as one of Russia's most prestigious universities and has high entry requirements for its prospective students.The Bauman University is regularly ranked first in official government and business press rating. The Bauman University also regularly occupies top 3 places in rating of alumni hunted by biggest Russian companies. In 2011/2012 QS World University rankings, BMSTU ranked 379th overall and 229th in Engineering & IT.

The Bauman University has a National Research Center status, the financing of Bauman University is provided by a separate expense asset of Russian National Budget independently of Ministry of Education. BMSTU is Skolkovo innovation center founder.

School of hacking and disinformation

Bauman has long been, openly, associated with Russian military research and development (R&D). It carries out more R&D than any other higher education institution in Russia, over 40% of which is in the interests of the ministry of defence.

In 2026 a consortium of journalists from the Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, the Insider, Delfi and VSquare obtained a cache of 2,000 internal Bauman documents covering years of activity until 2025. They reveal the existence of a secret facility known as Department 4, or Special Training. Students are trained here for work in Russia's military intelligence directorate, the GRU. According to the documents, Department 4 has three specialist streams; the most prominent is called the "Special Reconnaissance Service", coded 093400.

The files include syllabuses and staff contracts, and cover career assignments of graduates, who are taught computer hacking and disinformation, and are then posted to notorious Russian military intelligence cyber-units. The GRU has control over recruitment and grading, and supplies officers involved in the academic process, examining and approving candidates and arranging overseas placements. Subjects taught include electronic eavesdropping and covert surveillance.

The department was led from 2022 to 2025 by GRU signals intelligence lieutenant colonel Kirill Stupakov. Another teacher was major general Viktor Netyksho, who had commanded a hacking group known as Fancy Bear (GRU Unit 26165), whose personnel were indicted by the US Department of Justice for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election.

In the two-semester, 144-hour course "Defence against technical reconnaissance" students are taught hacking techniques including password attacks, software vulnerabilities and computer trojans and viruses. They learn the workings of US and British military intelligence agencies, the use of western intelligence in the Russo-Ukrainian war, and about reconnaissance and strike drones there. They also study information warfare, and as an assignment must develop a disinformation campaign and make a social media video using "manipulation, pressure and hidden propaganda".

Students are taught about mechanisms of psychological manipulation, and how to impose a desired perception of information on an audience.

Sanctions

The head of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Anatoly Alexandrov signed a letter of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On November 2, 2023, an agreement was reached with Bauman Moscow State Technical University for the development of design plans for what was called the "jihad machine", a light and manoeuvrable buggy intended for use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, whose manufacturing was to be the responsibility of the authorities of Chechnya.

The university was placed on the USA sanction list in 2023.

Educational programs

The admissions process includes exams on math, physics, and Russian. The university accepts one in ten applicants, which means that there are more than 30000 applicants. More than 2,600 of them pass through two years of preparation courses, another 2,000 follow studies in high schools partners of Bauman University. Participation in admission process requires a gage of original high school certificate which prevents applicants to take part in Lomonosov Moscow State University admission process at the same time.

The academic year in this university begins on 1 September, and is divided into two terms (semesters). Students take exams at the end of each semester. The course of study lasts 6 years without interrupt for engineer specialist degree. But over the last few years the Bauman University has continued to integrate with the Bologna Process. And today some students learn using two step educational system. The first two years students study general engineering subjects. In the third year students begin to study specialized subjects. The university scientific library was founded in 1830.

Branches

Dmitrov

The first order of the BMSTU Dmitrov Branch was bringing into service in 1965. In 1965–1973 – Suburban Educational and Science-Experimental Centre, in 1973–2000 – Educational-Experimental Centre.

Kaluga

In 1959 BMSTU opened in Kaluga the branch for education of the industrial machine- and device engineering personnel. Nowadays the BMSTU Kaluga Branch is a technical institute of Kaluga region. It consists of 7 buildings. The Kaluga Branch is an educational-science- manufacturing complex, including: 5 departments (machine engineering technologies; design-mechanical; electronics, informatics and management; socioeconomic; fundamental science), military education department, computer bureau, library with reading-rooms, sport camp and sport pavilion.

Publishing

The Bauman University Publishing House was established in January, 1989 on the base of university publishing department. The first issue of Baumanets newspaper was printed on 18 February 1923. At that time the newspaper was called Udarnik. It has been printed for 90 years since then.

In 1990 Bauman Publishing House started issuing theoretical and applied broad-scoped "Vestnik MSTU". There are educational materials in different scientific areas: Physical and Mathematical sciences, Information and Computer science, Optics, Mechanical, Radio, Instrument and Power Engineering, Laser Technology, Economics, Law and other subjects.

Notable faculty and alumni

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev – Lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer, founder of soviet cosmonautics

Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov – Russian engineer, scientist and architect, inventor of the Shukhov cracking process

Vladimir Solovyov – Soviet cosmonaut and first man on Mir

Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev – pioneering Soviet aircraft engineer, chief designer of the "Tupolev" aircraft

Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi – Soviet aerospace engineer, chief designer of the "Sukhoi" military aircraft

Pafnuty Lvovich Chebyshev – Russian mathematician and mechanician

Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev – Soviet aircraft designer

Georgy Malenkov – Prime Minister of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky – Russian scientist and mechanician, founder of modern aerodynamics

Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomei – Soviet mechanics scientist, aviation and missile engineer

Nikolay Alekseevich Pilyugin – Soviet chief designer of rocket guidance systems

Semyon Alekseyevich Lavochkin – Soviet aircraft designer, founder of the Lavochkin aircraft design bureau

Vladimir Mikhailovich Petlyakov – Soviet aeronautical engineer

Departments

SPECIAL MACHINERY (SM)

SM-1 Space Vehicles and Carrier Rockets

SM-2 Aerospace Systems

SM-3 Ballistics and Aerodynamics

SM-4 High-accuracy Flight Units

SM-5 Autonomous Information and Control Systems

SM-6 Missile and Impulse Systems

SM-7 Special Robotics and Mechatronics

SM-8 Launch Rocket Complex

SM-9 Multipurpose Tracked Vehicles and Mobile Robots

SM-10 Wheel Vehicles

SM-11 Submarine Robots and Apparatus

SM-12 Technology of Manufacturing for Aerospace

SM-13 Composite Materials for Aerospace

INFORMATICS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CONTROL SYSTEMS (IU)

IU-1 Automatic Control Systems for Flight Vehicles

IU-2 Gyroscopic Instruments and Systems for orientation, navigation and stabilization

IU-3 Information Systems and Telecommunications

IU-4 Electronic Equipment Design and Technology

IU-5 Automatic Information Processing and Control Systems

Branches and Other faculties

AK – Aerospace

OEP – Optic-Electronic Device Engineering

PS – Device Engineering

RKT – Space-Rocket Technics

RT – Radio-Technical

GUIMC – Lead Educational, Research and Methodical Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Individuals with Health Disabilities