PUT was officially founded in 1955 and the first rector was Roman Kozak. But a state school had existed in Poznań since 1919, under name of the Higher State School of Machinery. After adding a second department in 1929, its name was changed to the Higher State School of Machinery and Electrotechnics. It was supposed to become the University of Technology in 1940, but its development was interrupted by World War II. In 1945 the school received the status of Higher Engineering School and in 1955 it became the University of Technology.