Michigan Technological University, also called Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech, is a public university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was started in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, which was the first college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The university has five colleges and schools: the College of Engineering, the College of Computing, the College of Sciences and Arts, the College of Business, and the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. These colleges offer more than 140 degree programs to about 7,000 graduate and undergraduate students. The main campus covers 925 acres on a high area overlooking Portage Lake. The campus has 36 buildings, with the first one built in 1908.

Michigan Tech’s athletic teams are called the Huskies. They mainly compete in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The men’s hockey team plays in Division I as part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and has won three national championships. The women’s basketball team was the national runner-up in 2011.

Michigan Tech is classified as "Research 1" by the Carnegie Classification, which is the highest level for research activity.

History

Michigan Tech was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School. After Jay Abel Hubbell worked hard to promote the idea, the state lawmakers created the school to train mining engineers. Hubbell gave land for the school's first buildings.

The school began with four teachers and 23 students. It was located in the Houghton Fire Hall from 1886 to 1889.

MTU's first president was Marshman E. Wadsworth (1887–1898). As the number of students grew, the school's name no longer matched its purpose. The name was changed to the Michigan College of Mines in 1897. This name remained until 1925, but by then the school offered more types of degrees. In 1927, the name was changed again to the Michigan College of Mining and Technology.

Fred W. McNair (1899–1924) was the school's second president. By 1931, the number of students had reached nearly 600.

Under President Grover C. Dillman (1935–1956), the school made many changes. These included building the Memorial Union Building, buying an ice rink and a golf course, and acquiring the village of Alberta, Michigan.

In 1956, J. Robert Van Pelt became the new president. He restarted many PhD programs and focused on research. This included the school's first analog computation class in 1956–57.

In 1964, the school changed from a college to a university, renaming itself Michigan Technological University. This change was needed because the school had grown too large, and the name "mining" was no longer accurate. The new name helped keep the nickname "Michigan Tech," which had been used since 1927. In 1964, the school also received new legal status, giving control to its Board of Control instead of the state legislature.

The university has always focused on engineering. As of November 2022, 57% of students are enrolled in the College of Engineering. Michigan Tech offers many programs beyond engineering, with 149 undergraduate programs and 103 graduate programs.

Women began attending classes at the Michigan College of Mines around 1890. Early female students were mostly the daughters of professors or wealthy businessmen in Houghton and Hancock. They could take classes and were given special student status, which allowed them to enroll in courses but not earn degrees.

The first woman to receive a degree from the Michigan College of Mines was Margaret R. Holley. She was born in Lake Linden and earned a liberal arts degree at a different university outside the Upper Peninsula. She later returned to Houghton to earn a chemistry degree in 1933. Two years later, she also received a master's degree in chemistry from the Michigan College of Mines.

The first female faculty member of the Michigan College of Mines was Ella Wood. She joined the university as an assistant professor in the Humanities department in 1927. By 1928, she became an associate professor, a full professor by 1935, and the head of geography and languages by 1937. Wood worked in the library and taught meteorology to help train pilots during World War II. Her presence encouraged many young women to take classes and eventually earn degrees. She also became the academic advisor to all female students and held the title "Dean of Women," making her the first woman to receive the title dean at the university.

Margaret Holley Chapman was the first woman to complete a degree program from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology, which later became Michigan Technological University in 1964. She earned a Bachelor of Science in General Science in 1933 and another in chemistry the following year. She later pursued a master's degree in General Science. She was also the first female trustee and helped establish the Margaret H. Chapman Endowed Scholarship to support other female students. This scholarship is still active today.

The first woman to graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering was Alice Runge in 1942. Soon after, Lilian (Heikkinen) Beck became the first woman to graduate with High Honors in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering in 1947. She was also the first woman from Michigan Tech to be inducted into the Alpha Sigma Mu honorary fraternity. In 1948, Marian Ione (Smith) Scott became the first woman to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

The first female varsity athlete was Nada J. Fenton, who was a member of the rifle team during the 1950s. She graduated from Houghton High School and entered MTU in 1952. Nada holds the record of being the first woman to ever fire on a varsity rifle team in the world.

Today, Michigan Tech has seven women's varsity sports: basketball, cross country, Nordic skiing, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and soccer.

As of the fall semester in 2021, the total enrollment at Michigan Technological University was 6,977. Of those students, 2,054 were women (an all-time high), meaning female students made up about 29% of the enrollment at Michigan Tech.

Campus

The main campus of Michigan Tech is located on US-41 in Houghton. The main part of the campus can be walked through in about 10 minutes. The Lakeshore Center, which is in downtown Houghton, has the offices of Human Relations, the Vice President for Research, and other departments. Faculty members are involved in distance education programs with organizations such as General Motors.

The Portage Lake Golf Course began offering play in April 1902. In 1945, the members of the course could no longer support its needs and sold it to Michigan Tech for one dollar. Since that time, many improvements have been made, including the addition of another nine holes in 1969. A new clubhouse was built in 1984, and a sprinkler system was added in 1996 to update the course and keep it playable. The golf course is located two miles (3 km) southeast of campus. It has 18 holes on 160 acres and offers two nines with different challenges.

Mont Ripley is the oldest ski area in Michigan, established in the 1900s, and is located in the snowiest city in the Midwest. It is owned by the university, so Michigan Tech students can ski or snowboard for free. Mont Ripley has 22 trails, a terrain park, a tubing park, and covers 112 acres. It also has a scenic overlook of the Keweenaw Waterway. The ski area is about two miles from campus and can be seen from most campus buildings. In 2019, Michigan Tech's Mont Ripley received a No. 13 rating on College Census' 25 Best Colleges for Skiing and Snowboarding list.

The Michigan Tech Trails, often called Tech Trails, is a year-round trail system owned by Michigan Tech. It began as a simple path through the woods but became more developed in 2001 when the university created a plan to raise money for the Varsity Nordic skiing program and to attract outdoor-loving students. The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science suggested that money could be earned from timber harvesting to support the team and improve the trails. The cross country ski trail system is near the Student Development Complex in the Michigan Tech Recreational Forest. It includes 33 km of groomed cross country ski trails (both classic and skate sections) and 11.7 km of groomed snowshoe and bike trails. Seven and a half km of the trail is lighted. The Tech Trails are known nationally for the quality of skiing, consistent grooming, and variety of terrain. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, the trails have hosted events such as the US Junior National Championships, U.S. Senior National Championships, and the 2023 US Cross Country Ski Championships, as well as regional races. In Houghton, the average snowfall is 218 inches, and the ski season usually starts in early December and continues until April. Students ski for free, and community members can buy a pass.

The Ford Center is a historical village that was once a sawmill owned and operated by Henry Ford. It is located 40 miles south of Michigan Tech's main campus in Alberta. The Ford Motor Company donated the Ford Center to Michigan Tech in the 1950s. Since 1954, the Ford Center has been used as an outdoor and environmental education center for students studying forestry, ecology, wildlife ecology, and natural resource management. Students refer to it as "Fall Camp." The center has 4,906 acres of forest and wetlands where students take outdoor classes. It also has several buildings used for dormitories, recreation, and indoor classes. In 1996, the Ford Motor Company gave Michigan Tech a grant to turn the sawmill into a museum. The museum is open to the public, and the Ford Center itself is used for conferences and reunions.

Academics

Undergraduate admission to Michigan Tech is considered "selective" by U.S. News & World Report. For the Class of 2025 (enrolling in Fall 2021), Michigan Tech received 8,041 applications and accepted 6,895 (85.7%), with 1,479 students enrolling. The middle 50% range of SAT scores for students who enrolled was 1138–1320. The middle 50% range of ACT composite scores was 25–31. The average overall ACT score for incoming students in Fall 2017 was 27.2, compared to 21.2 nationally.

Michigan Tech offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, natural and physical sciences, computing, business and economics, technology, environmental studies, arts, humanities, and social sciences. The university has the first college of computing in the state of Michigan and is divided into five colleges: Business; Computing; Engineering; Forest Resources and Environmental Science; and Sciences and Arts.

• The College of Engineering offers 17 undergraduate degrees, including mining engineering and robotics engineering, which was added in 2019. These programs, along with master’s and doctoral degrees, are offered through nine departments: biomedical engineering; civil, environmental, and geospatial engineering; chemical engineering; electrical and computer engineering; geological and mining engineering and sciences; manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology; materials science and engineering; and mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics.
• The College of Computing was established in 2019. It offers undergraduate degrees in computer science, software engineering, computer network & system administration, cybersecurity, and electrical engineering technology. Graduate degrees are available in computer science, mechatronics, health informatics, and cybersecurity.
• The College of Sciences and Arts includes majors in bio-informatics, biological sciences, biochemistry, cheminformatics, chemistry, communication, culture and media, English, kinesiology and integrative physiology, mathematics, nursing, pharmaceutical chemistry, physics, psychology, scientific and technical communication, and social sciences. The college also includes programs in visual and performing arts, Air Force ROTC, and Army ROTC.
• The College of Business is accredited by AACSB. Students can earn a Bachelor of Science degree in seven areas: accounting, economics, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations and systems management. The undergraduate program includes a unique Business Development Experience, where students gain real-life business experience in a mentored environment. Students also can join business student organizations, such as the Applied Portfolio Management Program, where they invest $1 million in the stock market each year.
• The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science maintains greenhouses, labs, and the 4,000-acre (16 square kilometers) Ford Forest and Ford Center in nearby Alberta. The college celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011.

Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program gives students real-world design, engineering, and business experiences. Enterprises help students develop engineering skills by working on real projects in businesslike environments while completing their education. Examples of enterprises include Open Source Technologies, Nanotechnology Innovations, Hybrid Transportation, Aerospace, Blue Marble Security, Husky Game Development, Boardsports Technologies, and Wireless Communications Enterprises.

The three most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021–22 graduates, were Mechanical Engineering (266 students), Electrical Engineering (93 students), and Chemical Engineering (88 students).

In 2024, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ranked over 248 schools and surveyed 55,102 students. Michigan Tech received the top ranking for academic freedom and viewpoint tolerance.

In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Michigan Tech 90th among 438 national universities in the U.S. based on the university’s contribution to the public good, measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.

In 2007, Michigan Tech ranked 172nd of 600 U.S. colleges and universities in research and development expenditures. Research spending exceeded $81 million in the 2021–22 school year. The university has 16 research centers and institutes and 271,962 square feet of research space and labs.

There are 12 research areas, including Space Sciences, Electronics, Ecosystems, Energy, Health, Ocean Sciences, and Robotics. There are 18 research centers on and off campus, including the Michigan Tech Research Institute.

Student body

During the 2023–2024 school year, 68% of Michigan Technological University students lived in Michigan, 22% came from other states in the United States, and 10% were from other countries. Of the students who started college for the first time, 84.5% remained at the university for their second year. Overall, 72.2% of first-time students graduated within six years. There were 13 students for every 1 teacher. In the fall of 2021, the university had the largest group of new students since 1982.

The university had 7,324 students total, including 1,421 graduate students and 473 teachers. In 2017, most Michigan Tech students were from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Organization and administration

The university is led by a board of eight trustees. These members are chosen by the governor of Michigan and approved by the Michigan Senate.

Michigan Tech currently recognizes more than 200 student organizations. There are 12 fraternities and 7 sororities on campus.

The school’s mascot is the husky, named Blizzard T. Husky. The school’s sports teams are called the Huskies. Michigan Tech plays mainly in the NCAA’s Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). However, the men’s hockey team plays in Division I as part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The university owns a downhill skiing and snowboarding hill, Mont Ripley, located across Portage Lake from campus. It also has many cross-country skiing trails, which are used for mountain biking in the summer.

Michigan Tech has an official fight song and an official Alma Mater. At most sporting events, the "Engineer's Song" and "In Heaven There Is No Beer" are played by the Huskies Pep Band.

The Huskies Pep Band is the university’s scramble band. It performs at all home football, basketball, volleyball, and ice hockey games, as well as parades and other local events. The band is often recognized as one of the best in NCAA Division I hockey because of its energy and strong traditions. The band was formed in the fall of 1928 as the Michigan Tech ROTC Band, led by E. E. Melville.

The band is known for playing traditional songs like "In Heaven There Is No Beer" and "The Engineers," as well as popular music. Some songs and cheers have been used since the 1930s and 1940s, such as the "Blue Skirt Waltz," where the band and audience link arms and sway. This tradition began during Winter Carnival in 1948 after a performance by Frankie Yankovic and is now called "The Copper Country Anthem." The band sometimes performs in a style similar to Monty Python, including songs from their sketches and shouting "Run away!" when leaving the stage. The band also uses unusual instruments, such as electric bass guitar, bagpipes, kazoos, cowbells, accordions, electric viola, toaster, oven, and a large inflatable lobster.

• K-Day (Keweenaw Day) is the first Friday of the fall term. It is a university-sponsored, half-day holiday organized by Greek Life. Activities include a student organization fair, games, swimming, and music. K-Day was first held at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor. From 1976 to 2017, the event took place at Mclain State Park. This ended after damage from severe weather in June 2018. Since then, K-Day has been held at Chassell Centennial Park in Chassell, MI, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Homecoming has been held on campus every fall since 1929. The event includes a football game and a cardboard boat race in the local canal.
• The Parade of Nations and multicultural festival began in 1990 to celebrate the cultures of Keweenaw residents and visitors, many of whom are Michigan Tech international students. The event happens in September.
• Winter Carnival began in 1922. Students compete in artistic and athletic events, with the highlight being a snow statue competition. The statues are made of snow and ice and follow an annual theme.
• Spring Fling is always the Friday of Week 13 in the spring semester. Students end the academic year and enjoy activities like food and entertainment from student organizations.
• Summer Youth Programs (SYP) have been held on campus since 1972. These programs, such as Women in Engineering, Engineering Scholars Program, and National Summer Transportation Institute, introduce middle and high school students to college opportunities.
• Film and music festivals at Michigan Tech’s Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts happen throughout the year. Events include the Pine Mountain Music Festival, The Red Jacket Jamboree, and the 41 N Film Festival.

Michigan Tech holds a world record for the largest snowball, with a circumference of 21 feet 3 inches. This was achieved in 2006 and verified by Guinness World Records.

Michigan Tech once held three world records. These included the largest snowball fight (3,745 people) and the most people making snow angels at the same time (3,784). The snow angel record was later taken by Bismarck, North Dakota, which set a new record with 8,962 snow angels.

In 2018, students and community members unofficially broke the world record for the most snowmen built in one hour (2,228).

Notable people

As of 2025, Michigan Tech has 495 faculty members. Some well-known faculty members include Elias C. Aifantis, Stephen Bowen, Margaret Burnett, Robert Schneider, Kathy Halvorsen, Lyon Bradley King, Nancy Langston, Robert J. Nemiroff, Joseph Rallo, Donald Shell, Martha E. Sloan, David R. Shonnard, and Svitlana Winnikow.

More than 79,000 Michigan Tech alumni live in all 50 states and over 100 countries. Some well-known alumni include:

• Joe Berger, former NFL player
• Herb Boxer, first U.S.-born player drafted to the NHL
• Markus J. Buehler, material scientist and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Melvin Calvin, Nobel laureate and discoverer of the Calvin Cycle
• Chris Conner, NHL player
• Jill Dickman, Republican member of the Nevada Assembly
• David Edwards, biomedical engineering professor at Harvard, writer
• Tony Esposito, NHL Hall of Famer
• Roxane Gay, writer, professor, editor, blogger, and commentator
• William S. Hammack, chemical engineer and engineering educator
• David Hill, former chief engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette
• David House, Intel GM of Microcomputer Components Div for 13 years, coined the phrase "Intel Inside"
• Deedra Irwin, biathlete and Beijing 2022 Olympian
• Greg Ives, NASCAR crew chief
• Samson Jenekhe, chemical engineer, chemist, and educator
• Jujhar Khaira, Punjabi professional hockey player
• Martin Lagina, engineer and reality TV personality
• Bob Lurtsema, former NFL player
• Randy McKay, former NHL player, two-time Stanley Cup winner
• David O'Donahue, Wisconsin National Guard general
• Joseph P. Overton, conceiver of the Overton window
• Baijayant Panda, member of lower house of Indian Parliament
• Davis Payne, former head coach of the St. Louis Blues
• Mel Pearson, college ice hockey coach
• Sarah Rajala, electrical engineer and engineering educator
• Bhakta B. Rath, material physicist and Padma Bhushan recipient
• Robert I. Rees, US Army brigadier general
• Kanwal Rekhi, businessman and entrepreneurship promoter in Silicon Valley
• Damian Rhodes, former NHL player
• Ron Rolston, ice hockey coach; head coach of the Buffalo Sabres (2012–2013)
• Jarkko Ruutu, former NHL player
• Donald G. Saari, game theorist
• Alexander King Sample, 12th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette; 11th archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
• John Scott, former NHL player; 2016 NHL All-Star captain and MVP
• Donald Shell, author of the Shell sort
• Matthew Songer, founder and chief executive officer of Pioneer Surgical Technology
• Karl A. Smith, metallurgical engineer, academic and author
• Andy Sutton, former NHL player
• Marek W. Urban, American Chemical Society fellow
• John Vartan, businessman, developer, banker, restaurateur and philanthropist
• Dave Walter, former NFL player
• Leonard C. Ward, former chief of the Army Division (National Guard Bureau)