IUPUI School of Science History
Indiana University established its first extension center at Indianapolis in 1916, although the first IU course was taught in Indianapolis in 1890. The Purdue University Indianapolis campus grew out of World War II training programs sponsored by Purdue and began its major operations in 1946. Indiana University established the Indianapolis regional campus in the mid-1960s. In 1968, Indiana University at Indianapolis was created by the Trustees of Indiana University, and less than a year later, in 1969, the trustees of Indiana and Purdue universities merged their Indianapolis operations to form Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis. Indiana University was selected to administer the campus. Purdue brought to the merger a growing complex of degree programs and Purdue’s traditional strengths in the physical sciences, engineering, and technology. The name of the campus was changed to Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 1992. IUPUI and IU Bloomington are the largest of Indiana University’s eight campuses.
A restructuring of undergraduate programs at IUPUI in the fall of 1972 created three new schools: the School of Liberal Arts (humanities and the social sciences), the School of Science (physical, behavioral, and life sciences), and the School of Engineering and Technology.
After being housed for almost 22 years on the 38th Street Campus, the School of Science made a historic move in two phases into two buildings on the main campus during 1991-1993.
