location and number of schools before it was finally decided to have one school in Columbia and a branch in the mining area of southeast Missouri.
Iron County (Ironton) and Phelps County (Rolla) made bids for the school, with Phelps County winning in 1870. Classes began on November 23, 1871, in a new building that the city of Rolla had just built. The college had an enrollment of 28 undergraduates and three graduates in 1874. The college bought what is now called the "Rolla Building" for $25,000 in January 1875. Following a $2 million renovation in 1995, that building is now used as the Mathematics and Statistics Department's library, chair's office, part of the main office, and other faculty offices.
Initially, the school only offered degrees in civil engineering, metallurgy, and mining engineering. However, by the late 1920s, the school had added degrees in ceramic engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. The school became home to Missouri's first operational nuclear …
