The Polytechnic University of Turin (Italian: Politecnico di Torino, POLITO) is an engineering university based in Turin, northern Italy. Established in 1859, Politecnico di Torino is Italy’s oldest Technical University. It is also widely regarded as one of the best universities worldwide in the fields of Architecture and Engineering. It is a member of The main courses offered are architecture, aerospace engineering, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, environmental engineering, energy engineering, material engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, nuclear engineering, nanotechnology, production engineering, petroleum engineering and textile engineering. The Regio Politecnico di Torino (Royal Turin Polytechnic) was founded in 1906, but its origins go back further. It was preceded by the Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri (Technical School for Engineers) founded in 1859 after the Casati Act and the Museo Industriale Italiano (Italian Industry Museum) founded in 1862 under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Industry.