Southern Polytechnic State University (commonly called SPSU or Southern Poly) is a public, co-educational state university located in Marietta, Georgia, USA just northwest of Atlanta. It is part of the University System of Georgia and known as "Georgia's Technology University". Southern Polytechnic State University was established in 1948 as The Technical Institute in Chamblee, Georgia, United States. The first classes were held with 116 students. It was renamed Southern Technical Institute in 1949 and moved to its present campus in Marietta, Georgia, around 1958. It went through another name change in 1987 and was named Southern College of Technology. Later in the summer of 1996, the university adopted its current name. Today, the university encompasses more than 230 acres (0.93 km) and includes approximately 35 buildings. Southern Polytechnic State University is well known for its academic programs in architecture, engineering, technology, and computer science. After World War II, the need for technicians spiked due to a major economic shift within Georgia from being a largely agricultural state to one that is more industry heavy.