MIPT is one of the leading Russian universities in the areas of physics and technology. The university holds a reputable position in the country and abroad in qualified graduate training. Students and graduates of MIPT are representatives of an elite circle who, thanks to their interdisciplinary scientific surroundings, are able to fully realize their potential. The strong alumni community is spread all over and includes top range scientists, businessmen, politicians, people of art, many of who are awardees of prestigious international prizes. Phystech (the university) and phystechs (its alumni) are strongly proud and supportive of each other. 

MIPT was set up on September 17, 1951 by Resolution №3517-1635 of the Soviet Cabinet of Ministers on the basis of the Department of Physics and Technology at the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The department started working on November 25, 1946. On October 1, 1951, the resolution was approvedby executive order of the Soviet Education Ministry. On November 2, 2009, MIPT was granted the status of National Research University by the Russian government. 

MIPT has a very rich history. Its founders included academicians Pyotr Kapitsa, Nikolay Semenov and Sergey Khristianovich. Its first professors were Nobel Prize winners Kapitsa, Semenov and Lev Landau, and its first rector was Ivan Petrov. There are Nobel Prize winners among MIPT’s graduates as well. 

Many MIPT professors are leading Russian scientists, including over 80 members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From the outset, MIPT has used a unique system for training specialists, known as the Phystech System, which combines fundamental science, engineering disciplines and student research. With a history rich in major events and longstanding traditions, MIPT pays well-deserved attention to its symbols. 

MIPT has an original emblem, which embodies its devotion to science. Every 5 years MIPT marks two anniversaries, celebrating the creation of the Department of Physics and Technology at Moscow State University on November 25, 1946 and the creation of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which took place five years later.