Establishment of the First Rocket Engineering Departments in Higher Education Institutions of the USSR (1944–1954)

Abstract

The year 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the adoption of Decree no. 1017-419ss of the USSR Council of Ministers “Issues of Rocket Armament” which laid foundation for the institutional development of the domestic rocket and space industry. The establishment of the first specialised departments in higher education institutions was a key factor in ensuring the human resources necessary for this unprecedented technological programme. At the current stage of development of the rocket and space industry, which requires the reproduction of engineering schools, the historical experience of institutionalising educational structures takes on both academic and practical significance. The purpose of the study is to identify general patterns and features of institutional design, as well as to compare the processes of establishing the first rocket-related departments at Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute (LVMU), F.E. Dzerzhinskiy Artillery Academy, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), and Tula Mechanical Institute (TMI) between 1944 and 1954. The study is based on a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach that combines comparative historical and historical-genetic methods. The analysis of regulatory documents, departmental orders, memoir literature and anniversary publications of four universities was carried out. As a result, the phenomenon of “advanced deployment” was established: the first rocket engineers graduated from Leningrad Military-Mechanical Institute and F.E. Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy before Decree no. 1017-419ss was issued. Four models of department establishment (directive, evolutionary, diversification, academic) were identified, depending on the departmental affiliation of the educational institution. The key role of the first department heads, who held Doctor of Sciences degrees, was determined, as they ensured a high scientific level of training. The system-forming significance of the departments, which initiated the transformation of the profile of the universities, was revealed. The establishment of the first rocket departments formed the institutional framework for the reproduction of engineering personnel, which guaranteed the development of the industry for decades. The results obtained can be used in the development of modern engineering specialties programmes as well as in educational and outreach activities.

For citation: Sivolobov D.N., Okhochinsky M.N. Establishment of the First Rocket Engineering Departments in Higher Education Institutions of the USSR (1944–1954). Vestnik Severnogo (Arkticheskogo) federal’nogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial’nye nauki, 2026, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 39–50. https://doi.org/10.37482/2687-1505-V540