MIT was informally called "Boston Tech".[37] The institute adopted the European polytechnic university model and emphasized laboratory instruction from an early date.[32] Despite chronic financial problems, the institute saw growth in the last two decades of the 19th century under President Francis Amasa Walker.[38] Programs in electrical, chemical, marine, and sanitary engineering were introduced,[39][40] new buildings were built, and the size of the student body increased to more than one thousand.[38]
The curriculum drifted to a vocational emphasis, with less focus on theoretical science.[41] The fledgling school still suffered from chronic financial shortages which diverted the attention of the MIT leadership. During these "Boston Tech" years, MIT faculty and alumni rebuffed Harvard University president (and former MIT faculty) Charles W. Eliot's repeated attempts to merge MIT with Harvard College's Lawrence Scientific School.[42] There would be at least six attempts to absorb MIT into Harvard.[43] In its cramped Back Bay location, MIT could not afford to expand its overcrowded facilities, driving a desperate search for a new campus and funding. Eventually, the MIT Corporation approved a formal agreement to merge with Harvard, over the vehement objections of MIT faculty, students, and alumni.[43] However, a 1917 decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court effectively put an end to the merger scheme.[43]