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The Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (UTFSM) (Spanish Federico Santa María Technical University), situated in Valparaíso, is one of the most reputed engineering universities in Chile.

Campus
The university has three campuses and two seats (sedes). These are located in four Chilean cities and Guayaquil, Ecuador. There are:


 * Casa Central, main campus. Inaugurated on 1931, located in Valparaíso
 * Campus Santiago, located in the commune of Vitacura, in Chilean capital, Santiago.
 * Campus Guayaquil, located in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
 * Sede José Miguel Carrera, located in Viña del Mar.
 * Sede Rey Balduino de Bégica, located in seaport city of Talcahuano.

TWhile the campuses are focused on undergraduate, graduate and university academical actvities, sedes are mainly dedicated to superirior level technical degrees.

Casa Central, Valparaíso
The main campus of the UTFSM is located in the city of Valparaíso, Chile, covering all the front area of Los Placeres. The site directly faces the Pacific coast and it is visible from many parts of the bay of Valparaíso.

The building was build by Josué Smith Solar, one of the most reputed and relevant chilean architects of the 20th century, and his son José Smith Miller. In fact, this American Neo-Gothic style campus is considered one of the most relevant works of Chilean architecture.

Besides the edifications, the campus is also recognised by its beatiful gardening, with native and exotical species.

As of 2001, the university frontis,renewed its illumination through as contest organised by Chilean branch of Phillips.

Organization
Considering the focused nature of the university, its organisation does not consider the existence of faculties: there are academics departments.

The sedes has their own internal structure.

In Chilean campus level, there are 12 departments, which hold investigation and graduate/undergraduate programmes:


 * Deparment of Architecture
 * Deparment of Materials Science
 * Deparment of Electricity
 * Deparment of Electronics
 * Deparment of Physics
 * Deparment of Industrias (managment)
 * Deparment of Informatics
 * Deparment of Mathematics
 * Deparment of Mechanics
 * Deparment of Civil Engineering
 * Deparment of Chemical, Biotechnologial and Ambiental Processes
 * Deparment of Chemistry

Besides, there are two departments conceived as support deparments. These were originated in the educational concept brought by the first German academics.


 * Deparment of Humanistic Studies
 * Deparment of Sports and Recreation.

It is important to notice, that the UTFSM is the only Chilean engineering school that include sports s obligatory course in the curriculum.

Besides, in a joint venture with Chilean airline Lan Chile the university offers Commercial Pilot and Aeronautical Engineering in its Academia de Ciencias Aeronáuticas.

History
The university takes its names from Federico Santa María, a Chilean who lived in France. He raised a huge fortune as broker in the sugar market in Paris.

In his testament, Santa María donated all his fortune to build in Valparaíso—his hometown—a high-standard technical and scientific institution. This institution would be dedicated to prepare students with a deficient socioeconomic condition but great potential to gain technical and scientific knowledge, so they could contribute to the progress of Chile.

Following his philosophy, on March 31, 1926, an institution was created to develop Santa María's legacy. Finally on 1931 the School of Crafts and Arts and School of Engineering José Miguel Carrera was founded. In 1935 its name changed to Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

In 1960 the Graduate School was created. In 1963 the university became the first high-education institution to confer a Doctor degree in Latin America.