In the Eastern Anatolia Region, in our city with a deep historical and cultural heritage, the idea of establishing a university dates back to 1942. The idea of establishing an Eastern University was first mentioned by the Rector of Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Cemil BİRSEL, in a speech he delivered during the "Second University Week" events held in Elazığ in September 1942. The justification for holding the "Second University Week" in Elazığ was the high number of students from Elazığ in higher education at that time. It was stated by the Rector of Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Cemil BİRSEL, that in 1942 there were 120 students from Elazığ registered at Istanbul University alone, and this number was the highest ratio of students to population compared to other provinces, including Istanbul. Prof. Dr. BİRSEL stated that if the establishment of an Eastern University was considered in the future, it would undoubtedly belong to Elazığ and its people, thus sparking the idea of establishing a university in Elazığ within the local community.

Ten years after this development, in 1952, when the idea of establishing a university named Atatürk in the Eastern Anatolia Region was proposed by the political power of the time, the "Association for the Establishment and Development of Atatürk University" was established to carry out the necessary work and initiate the necessary actions before the political power to establish this university in our province. The association members worked seriously on persuading landowners during the expropriation works for the university land, obtaining the support of influential and competent bureaucrats in public bureaucracy, and making the necessary initiatives before the government. As a result of the efforts of the association and the technical teams assigned by the government to conduct feasibility studies related to the university, the location was determined, and the expropriation works were completed. Despite all these efforts, while awaiting the Cabinet Decision and the necessary Law from the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the establishment of Atatürk University in Elazığ, the issuance of the Cabinet Decision proposing the establishment of Atatürk University in Erzurum halted the efforts for establishing the university in Elazığ.

With the enactment of Law No. 7475 on May 13, 1960, which authorized the government to open two Higher Technical Schools and select their locations, efforts to establish a higher education institution in Elazığ gained momentum again. As a result of intense efforts to ensure that one of these Higher Technical Schools would be established in Elazığ, including informing the Ministry of National Education that the landowners who were expropriated for Atatürk University would not file lawsuits to reclaim their lands, the Cabinet Decision on the establishment of one of the Higher Technical Schools in Elazığ was published. The Higher Technical School began its educational activities in the 1967-1968 academic year in Elazığ with two departments (Mechanical and Civil Engineering) in its own educational buildings and was transformed into the "Elazığ State Academy of Engineering and Architecture" (EDMMA) with the enactment of Law No. 1184 in 1969. EDMMA graduated its first students in the 1970-1971 academic year. In addition to the previously established two departments, the Electrical-Electronics Engineering Department was opened in 1972.

In 1982, under Law No. 2547 and Decree-Law No. 41, EDMMA was renamed the Faculty of Engineering of Fırat University. The Chemistry (1976) and Geology (1977) departments, which were previously established under the Faculty of Science and Letters of Fırat University with the law No. 1873 dated April 1, 1975, were incorporated into the faculty. In subsequent years, the opening of the Environmental Engineering (1989), Computer Engineering (1995), and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (1996) departments transformed the faculty into an eight-department entity. With the addition of the Mechatronics Engineering Department, which started education in the 2008-2009 academic year, the Bioengineering Department, which admitted students in 2009, and the Software Engineering Department, which started education in 2015, the Faculty of Engineering continues its educational activities with 11 departments. The Faculty of Engineering has evolved into a faculty with 15 departments, including Industrial, Geodesy and Photogrammetry (Geomatics), Food, and Mining Engineering Departments, which, despite being established, do not yet have students.

The Faculty of Engineering, which took shape with the establishment of the Elazığ Higher Technical School, where the seeds of higher education in our province were first sown in 1967, is one of the most important faculties that contributed to the establishment process of Fırat University. Since graduating its first students in 1971, approximately 20,000 students have graduated from various departments of our faculty.