National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (NRU MGSU) was established in 1921. Before 1993 it was known as Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering named after V.V. Kuibyshev (MISI). It is one of the oldest technical institutes of higher education of the Russian Federation.
MISI was established on the basis of the Middle civil engineering college, functioning since 1907.
The first departments to be established were «Industrial and civil engineering», «Water supply and water disposal», «Hydrotechnical and special engineering», «Heat and gas supply and ventilation» and «Mechanisation and automation of civil engineering».
By 1933 more than 5000 students studied at the Institute and the faculty had 600 people. The first textbooks in all civil engineering disciplines were written there and large research laboratories with postgraduate courses were organized at that time.
In 1935 Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering was named after V.V. Kuibyshev, and it held this title until 1993 when it was reorganized into Moscow State University of Civil Engineering.
In the post-war years, the Institute was actively developing in all directions, new departments and faculties were established, more students decided to study at it, the faculty were increasing in number. MISI scientists were implementing fundamental academic research, the Institute made contacts and formed the scientific partnership with Russian and foreign institutes of higher education.
In the 60s and 70s of the last century new departments were established: «Heat and energy engineering», «Automated systems of construction control» and others; the material and technical basis was being formed, new laboratories and educational corpuses were built in the area of the Moscow region, together with new student dormitories.
One of the most interesting events in the history of MGSU was the creation of student building teams. Starting from 1956, MISI students annually spent the summer semester at construction sites all around the country.
In the 80s and 90s of the XX century, the Institute was successfully developing. It improved its educational and research activities.
In 1988 the Education and Methodics Association of civil engineering specialities war established on the basis of MISI. It comprised 28 technical institutes of higher education and some 1000 industrial, polytechnic, technological Russian institutes of higher education, with civil engineering departments. The International Association of Institutions of Higher Education in Civil Engineering was established in 1991. Today it headed by the Rector of NRU MGSU, Volkov Andrey Anatolyevich.
In 1993 the Institute changed its status – it was renamed the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MGSU).
In 2010 the University was given the status of «National Research University», equally effectively implementing educational and academic activity on the basis of the principles of integration of science and education.
The status of «National Research University» is established by the Government of the Russian Federation for the next 10 years to the results of competitive selection of development programs of universities, aimed at staffing of the priority directions of development of science, technology, equipment, branches of economy, social sphere, development and introduction in manufacture of high technologies, for universities equally effectively implementing the educational programs of the higher professional and postgraduate professional education and performing fundamental-detailed and applied scientific research on a wide range of sciences. At the present moment, MGSU is a leading civil engineering institute of higher education in the Russian Federation.
The University comprises 10 big institutes, more than 50 departments, implementing the training of specialists in a wide range of scientific areas. There are 40 specialized scientific laboratories; more than 50 innovative structures are making scientific and venture research in the sphere of design and construction of safe and comfortable buildings, structures and complexes, being an innovative pool of new knowledge in civil engineering. There are now more than 18000 students studying at the University.
NRU MGSU has 6 branches in the Moscow region and one branch in the Samara region, 8 offices in the Moscow region, 3 offices in the Tumen, Smolensk and Tula regions, as well as offices in the Republic of Bashkortostan and Stavropol region.
The high level of NRU MGSU graduated is confirmed by Certificates of the correspondence of the educational activity of the University to the requirements of the International Standard ISO 9001:2008. The certificate was awarded by the Swiss company SGS, being part of the elite of the International Accreditation Forum is recognized in 140 countries of the world.