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In
March 1958 the Jamaica Institute of Technology
was established; in the following year the name
was changed to "The College of Arts, Science and
Technology’" (CAST). The Department of
Engineering, offering programmes in Mechanical
and Electrical Engineering, was among the first
to be established. Students registered for and
received instruction in their desired programme
in the (then) Engineering Department; however,
in most of their courses, students were examined
by external bodies, viz. the Union of Lancashire
and Cheshire Institute to the Higher National
Diploma (year 2 level), and the City and Guilds
of London Institute. The Department would
include in the curriculum other courses not
offered by these examining bodies. Upon
successful completion, the student would be
awarded an Engineering Diploma in either the
Electrical or Mechanical discipline.
The Institution has always maintained a strategy
of developing infrastructure and programmes in
response to industry’s requirements for trained
technical and professional manpower. Thus in
academic year 1984-85, the department completed
the restructuring of all its full-time Diploma
programmes, in response to industry needs for
graduates in specialist areas (such as
Electrical, Power; Electrical, Electronics;
Electrical, Instrumentation and Control;
Mechanical, Plant; and Mechanical, Production).
As of academic year 1984-85 all courses were
internally examined.
With the success of the internally examined
programmes came the confidence to embark on the
design and initial implementation of a
post-Diploma Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
programme in 1986. There was substantial support
from the Engineering Advisory Committee, the
Jamaica Institution of Engineers and the Faculty
of Engineering at the University of the West
Indies, St. Augustine. The programme was
accredited by UCJ in 1991, with recommendations
in their report that a Bachelor in Mechanical
Engineering Programme be introduced to
complement the Electrical Programme. The first
cohort of Mechanical Engineering students was
admitted to the University in 1992. Both
Electrical and Mechanical programmes were
accredited in 1996.
On September 1, 1995, by an act of parliament
cited as the University of Technology, Jamaica
Act, the Institution (CAST) was accorded its new
status. The departments of Computing and
Engineering were merged to form the Faculty of
Engineering and Computing, comprising two
schools viz., the School of Engineering and the
School of Computing and Information Technology.
Philosophy of the School of
Engineering
The engineering profession requires persons who
are able to apply the principles of physical
sciences, economics and environmental concerns
in the design, implementation and operation of
products, components, processes and operations.
The basic educational philosophy of the School
of Engineering is to educate its students by
using a participatory, “hands-on” laboratory-
and design-centered approach.
Vision of the School of
Engineering
To become an internationally recognised
institution which develops (through applied
research) and disseminates knowledge in an
environment that is intellectually stimulating
to its students and staff.
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