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Capitol College, tucked away behind a wooded area off the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Laurel, is Maryland’s only independent school that exclusively offers degrees in engineering, computer sciences, information technologies and business.

The carnival was not only open to students and their families, but also to area residents, with about 80 in attendance.

‘‘It’s an opportunity to introduce the college to the neighbors and thank them for their support,” said college president Michael Wood. ‘‘[They’re] learning about the history of the college and what we plan to do with the next 80 years.”

Capitol College’s newest feature is the Innovation and Leadership Institute, which opened in May 2007 to prepare students for leadership positions in technical fields.

And it was the first time many carnival-goers had visited the campus.

Alumni at the event were reminded of their own days on the school’s campus.

‘‘You create family while you’re out here,” recent alumna Alexis Moore of Beltsville said.

Moore was active on the campus during her college days and said she and fellow students had tried to plan similar events in the past.

‘‘These are things I always hoped to see,” she said.

As part of the 80th anniversary, alumni have posted their favorite college memories on the school’s Web site. Former students have written about Guy Davis concerts, graduation ceremonies and glow-in-the-dark parties.

The college was founded in 1927 as a correspondence school. Then called Capitol Radio Engineering Institute, the school specialized in teaching students about the vacuum-tube theory for creating electrical circuits, which was considered advanced technology at the time.

The school acquired its first building in 1932 on 16th Street in the District. During its 30 years in the District, it became one of the first three technical schools in the country to be accredited by the Engineers’ Council for Professional Development.

The college moved to Kensington in 1969, but it soon needed more space and plans came to fruition to relocate to Laurel. In 1981, the institute purchased 52 acres on Springfield Road in Laurel and then received a series of grants, including $1 million in matching funds from the state and $75,000 from the U.S. Department of Education. The grants went toward the construction of the new school, the addition of new departments and scholarships.

The school completed construction and moved to its new Laurel campus in 1983. Enrollment increased by 30 percent. The graduate school was established in 1990. Current enrollment is between 850 to 900 students.

Capitol College is also home to a NASA program that prepares minority students for college. The six-week program includes field trips and intense study for student interested in certain engineering degrees.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.