Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania was a school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded in 1853. It was the eighth school of engineering in the United States and the first to offer degree programs in mechanical engineering, mining engineering, and architecture. It was founded by Dr. Alfred L. Kennedy, who took inspiration from polytechnic schools in Europe, specifically the Polytechnische Schule of Carlsruhe and the L'Ecole Centrale des Arts of Paris.