Metallurgy as an academic and scientific discipline (at the beginning of its origin was called “metallography”) was founded in KPI in 1910 at the mechanical faculty in the department of general metals technology. The department of metallography and heat treatment headed by prof. Y. P. Babych was singled out in 1925 (80 years ago). Starting from 1934 metallurgy department was headed by assoc. prof. N. V. Pines.
A powerful impact for further development of the metallurgy in KPI was the creation of metallurgical faculty in 1944, which included the department of metallurgy and heat treatment, which was headed by V. M. Svyechnykov for 15 years.
In 1948 the department of metallurgy and heat treatment was reorganized into the department of metallurgy, V. M. Svyechnykov was the head of the department. Starting from 1952 the department of heat treatment is called the department of heat treatment and physics of metals.
In 1960 the department of metallurgy and the heat treatment department with the head prof. V. H. Permyakov were merged into one department - the heat treatment of metals and physics, which in this field of study successfully worked until 1975. Later it was again divided into two: the department of metallurgy, equipment and technology of heat treatment of metals prof. I. H. Trush was the head of the department (and prof. V. H. Horbach during 1980-1988) and the department of physics of metals.
In 1988 the department got the modern name “metallurgy and heat treatment”, which in the period 1988-2005 was headed by prof. O. M. Byalik, and now it is a professor V. H. Hyzhnyak.
The department trains specialists in “metallurgy”. During all the years of existence the department prepared about 2.5 thousand engineers, 200 bachelors and 20 masters.
Every year there are 50 freshmen who can study at university for a state funding and 4 – 6 people by contract, in 2003 organized training on the job, began training in specialties “Management of innovative technologies in material science” and “Technology Marketing Materials”.
For high achievements in academic and scientific work of the department in 2001 appointed scholarships for the best students named after prof. A. P. Syomyk and named after V. I. Trefilov, an outstanding graduate of the department in 1952.
In recent years, since the 60’s, the department prepared 5 doctors (among them prof. O. V. Bilotskyy, M. V. Bilous, V. F. Loskutov, V. H. Hyzhnyak, which currently work at the faculty ) and 36 ph. d. graduates of the department.
Today the department carries out research work on the topic of “Multi protective cover” and “Quality management liquid metals and alloys”. Continuing cooperation with leading institutes of NAS of Ukraine within the educational and scientific association “Materials” the training of specialists was begun at the joint Ukrainian-German faculty at "KPI" and Technical University "Otto von Guericke" (c. Magdeburg).