University of Santiago, Chile

Universidad de Santiago de Chile

Universidad de Santiago de Chile seal
Motto	Labor Lætitia Nostra (Latin)
Motto in English	Work is Our Joy
Type	Public
Established	June 21, 1849 (EAO) April 9, 1947 (UTE) March 21, 1981 (USACH)
Rector	Juan Manuel Zolezzi
Academic staff	2762
Undergraduates	18,155
Postgraduates	931
Location	Santiago, RM, Chile
Campus	Urban (340,000 m²)
Majors	55
Mascot	Lion
Website	www.usach.cl

The University of Santiago, Chile (Usach) (Spanish: Universidad de Santiago de Chile) is one of the oldest public universities in Chile. The institution was born as Escuela de Artes y Oficios (Spanish School of Arts and Crafts) in 1849, under the government of Manuel Bulnes. It became Universidad Técnica del Estado (Spanish Technical University of the State) in 1947, with various campuses throughout the country. In 1981, as a consequence of a reform on higher education under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, it became what is now known as Universidad de Santiago de Chile, with all activities centered in a single 340,000 m² campus in the capital Santiago.

The University of Santiago of Chile (USACH) started as the School of Arts and Crafts in 1849. It was born in mid-20th century and it's the fifth oldest University in Chile.

The Escuela de Artes y Oficios (EAO)(spanish School of Arts and Crafts) was founded in July 6, 1849 during the Manuel Bulnes Prieto rule, to improve scientific and technical development in the country. It started with four workshops: Mining, Mechanics, Casting and Carpentry. At the time, students ages ranged between 15 and 18 years old, thus making the EAO not a University, but a secondary education entity. Students were required to read and write and to know basic arithmetic operations. Besides being intensely trained in workshops, students studied algebra, descriptive geometry, trigonometry, technical drawing, industrial mechanics, physics and chemistry, besides spanish, history and geography. This was a four-year education that later, in 1858, extended to five years. Graduates were called 'apprentices'.