The University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene or Université des sciences et de la technologie Houari-Boumediene in French (USTHB) was established in 1974, when the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Algiers transferred to a new site at Bab Ezzouar, 15 km east of Algiers and near Algiers International Airport.
The university was built on an area of 105 acres by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who is regarded as one of the greatest architects of the 20th century. Although attention is mostly on his projects in Brazil and Europe, he designed 12 buildings for Algeria, most of them during the period of his exile after the military takeover in Brazil in 1964. Construction began on the facility in 1968 and was completed in 1974. For Houari Boumediene, who was Algeria’s president at the time, Niemeyer's buildings were a sign of Algeria's modernity and commitment to leave behind the past.
USTHB is organised into eight faculties (mathematics; physics; chemistry; biological sciences; earth sciences and geography; electronics and computer science; mechanical and chemical engineering; civil engineering) and 53 research laboratories. Until 2013, it was the largest university in Algeria, with around 20,000 students.
It has developed strong networks and undertaken many research collaborations with western universities, especially in France. It has a football team and a basketball team which participated in the National Collegiate Athletic competition, and an agreement with the Algerian Olympic complex in order for students to use the pool.
Courses are taught in French, except for the geography curriculum, which is taught in Arabic.
