A self-educated "working boy" who loved books, Andrew Carnegie emigrated from Scotland in 1848 and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. Attending night school and borrowing books, Carnegie went from factory worker in a textile mill to successful entrepreneur and industrialist. He rose to prominence by founding what became the world's largest steel producing company by the end of the 19th century.

At one point the richest man in the world, Carnegie believed that "to die rich is to die disgraced." He turned his attention to writing, social activism and philanthropy, determined to establish educational opportunities for the general public where few existed.

In 1900, he donated $1 million for the creation of a technical institute for the city of Pittsburgh, envisioning a school where working-class men and women of Pittsburgh could learn practical skills, trades and crafts that would enhance their careers, lives and communities.

"My heart is in the work," he stated, which would become part of the school's official motto.

The Carnegie Technical Schools offered two- and three-year certificates in the arts as well as in engineering disciplines and included a college for women, Margaret Morrison Carnegie College.

Carnegie Tech – Early Years

Soon faced with the demand for baccalaureate programs, Carnegie Technical Schools began offering bachelor's degrees through its College of Engineering and College of Fine Arts, becoming the Carnegie Institute of Technology, or "Carnegie Tech."

During the first half of the 20th century, with support from Andrew Carnegie and other funders, Carnegie Tech laid the foundation for a school on the cutting edge. Some key developments were:

1. It expanded from two buildings into an elegant 20th century campus designed in the beaux arts architectural style, housing a wealth of machine shops, studios and laboratories — the hands-on center of learning that persists today.
2. It pioneered conservatory degree programs in music and drama, in addition to visual art and design programs. The first U.S. drama degree was awarded in 1914 at Carnegie Tech.
3. It began offering graduate degrees. In 1919, the first doctorate (in civil engineering) was awarded to Mao Yisheng, a student from China.
4. It laid the groundwork for a research institution, recruiting leading scientists, offering sponsored fellowships with government and industry leaders and pioneering nontraditional interdisciplinary research, which brought together physicists, chemists and metallurgists, for example. Interdisciplinary research would become the hallmark of Carnegie Mellon research.
5. It initiated the 'Carnegie Plan' in 1938, a new curriculum that required science and engineer students to take courses in humanities and social sciences in order to better understand the needs of society.
6. Carnegie died in 1919, but his vision for an educated public lived on after him.