The Darmstadt University of Technology, whose official name (also its official English name) is "Technische Universität Darmstadt" (abbreviated TU Darmstadt), is a university in the city of Darmstadt, Germany. It is well known internationally for its achievements in the areas of engineering, political science, and computer science. Historically, it was the first university in the world (in 1882/83) to set up a chair for and offer a course of study in electrical engineering. On October 10, 1877 Ludwig IV, Großherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein (Grand Duke of Hesse), named the Polytechnic School Technische Hochschule zu Darmstadt (Darmstadt Polytechnic) and thereby raised the status of this educational institution to that of a university so that the Abitur (diploma from German secondary school qualifying for university admission or matriculation) became the basis for admission. In 1899 the TH Darmstadt was granted the right to award doctorates.