Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
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The Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts is one of New England's oldest colleges of engineering and technologies. The college was established with funds bequethed in Benjamin Franklin's will.
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[edit] History
BFIT owes its existence to the vision of Benjamin Franklin. In an unusual codicil to his will, dated 1789, Franklin established a 200-year plan for a sum totalling £1,000 (about $4,400 at the time, or about $55,000 in 2010 dollars) that he gave to the city of Boston, where he was born. For the first hundred years, the money was to serve as principal for loans to young workmen; at the end of that period, the fund's managers would divide the money, using approximately three-fourths for public works and maintaining the rest as a loan fund. [1]
When the hundred-year interval had passed, Boston decided to use the money to establish a technical school. Aided by an additional gift from industrialist Andrew Carnegie and land donated by the City, BFIT opened its doors in 1908. Today, the Institute continues to serve greater Boston and beyond, local industry, and the regional economy by preparing men and women of diverse backgrounds to become proficient in the technical arts. [1]
[edit] Academics
The school has 450 day students and offers Certificates, Associate Degree programs and a Bachelor's degree program.[citation needed]
To provide graduates a pathway for further study, BFIT has entered into articulation agreements with many local colleges, including Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Boston Architectural Center.[citation needed]
Tuition and fees total $13,400 per academic year.[2] Roughly 75% of the student body receives loans, with the average loan amount being $2,300. [2]
Qualified high school students are allowed to take in college-level courses while still in high school.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology History". Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. http://www.bfit.edu/About-Us/Facts---Figures/History/default.aspx. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Review". American School Search. http://www.american-school-search.com/review/benjamin-franklin-institute-of-technology.
